Choosing a book club book can be a tough task whether you are a host or member. You have the pressure of choosing the best book that everyone will love, and that will spark lively discussions.
I know bibliophiles, I have been there! To make the task easier, I have come up with some recommendations that you can choose from for your next book club meeting.
Welcome to the most popular book club book recommendations, where I will recommend 10 books that have become the favorites of many book clubs around the world.
So, dive with me to grab the list of the most popular book club books and suggest them at your next meet-up.
10 Most Popular Book Club Books
Check out the list of the 10 most popular books recommended by various book clubs.
- And There Were None
By Agatha Christie - A Man Called Ove
By Fredrik Backman - The Nightingale
By Kristin Hannah - Firekeeper’s Daughter
By Angeline Boulley - Daisy Jones & The Six
By Taylor Jenkins Reid - Where The Crawdads Sing
By Delia Owens - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
By Gail Honeyman - Little Women
By Louisa May Alcott - The Midnight Library
By Matt Haig - The Silent Patient
By Alex Michaelides
Overview of the Recommended Book Club Books
Now that you have the list, look at the short descriptions of the books mentioned above before picking them.
1. And There Were None
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
The book starts with 10 strangers invited as guests to the private island of a millionaire owner. The strange thing is the host is nowhere to be found.
Each of these unacquainted people has a wicked past and a secret they are unwilling to reveal. Everyone is guilty of murder. A famous nursery rhyme is hung in every room of the mansion. As described in the poem, the guests start to die one by one in the same way.
Who is the killer? And who will be left to tell the tale when everyone will be dead?
2. A Man Called Ove
Genre: Adult Fiction, Humor
It is the story of a man named Ove, a curmudgeon who dislikes people in general. He follows a disciplined life, has principles, works on a routine, and is short-tempered. His rude personality is because of his traumatic past, but he is good at heart.
He has a soft side, which people can see once they break and enter the wall created by Ove. One November morning, a young couple with two kids moves in next door and tries to crack Ove’s wall. From here, the humorous tale of friendship, connections, love, and grief begins.
3. The Nightingale
Genre: Historical Fiction, War, Romance
This is a story based on the time when the Nazis invaded France. It narrates the lives of two sisters named Vianne Mauriac and Isabella.
The older sister, Vianne, misses her husband, Antoine, who leaves to join Nazi War Camp. A German captain requisitions her home, and now she, with her daughter, must live with the enemy in order to survive. There’s no food and money, so Vianne has to make some tough decisions to keep her family alive.
On the other hand, Isabella, an 18-year-old girl, is quite rebellious and falls in love with a man who later betrays her. The naive girl joins the resistance and risks her life to save others.
4. Firekeeper’s Daughter
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
The book is about 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a biracial, smart, and tough protagonist who has never quite fit in. She is a scandalous child of a white mother and Native American father.
Her family faces tragedies, which causes her to put her dreams on hold. Then, she meets the new recruit of her brother’s hockey team.
Sudden, shocking murders start occurring in her community, and the threat soon strikes too close to home. What will she do to protect her loved ones?
5. Daisy Jones & The Six
Genre: Historical Fiction, Music
Daisy is a young girl who likes to sneak into clubs, sleeps with rock stars, and is a good singer. She loves rock ‘n’ roll. Around her twenties, her voice started getting noticed, and her heedless beauty was a cherry on the cake.
A band called The Six, led by Billy Dunne, is also getting attention. Billy finds out his girlfriend is pregnant, and he is stuck between fatherhood and fame.
A producer puts Billy and Daisy together, which leads to supercharged success and something legendary. It’s a story filled with music, love, betrayal, and much more.
6. Where The Crawdads Sing
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance
The book tells the story of Kya Clark, also known as Marsh Girl, who lives on the outskirts of the town. Her father is often absent, drunk, and abusive.
Her other family members abandoned her and left. As the girl grows, two young men enter her life. Could one of these men be a chance to bring her happiness and love?
In late 1969, popular local football player Chase Andrews is found dead. The people of the town start suspecting Kya for the murder.
Is she innocent or the killer? What motive she might have? How will she prove her innocence?
7. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Eleanor Oliphant, the protagonist of the story, follows a perfectly timetabled life, avoids social interactions, and speaks exactly what she is thinking without any filter.
She has bad social skills, and her weekly schedule includes work, reading newspapers, vodka, pizza, and phone calls with her mum.
One day, she meets Raymond, the unhygienic IT guy, and together, they save an elderly gentleman named Sammy. All three of them become good friends who rescue one another from the lonely life they have been living for so long.
The book takes on a journey where Eleanor navigates her life and learns so many things.
8. Little Women
Genre: Historical Fiction, Classic, Romance
Little Women is a classic book that has touched the hearts of readers worldwide. It tells the story of four March sisters who love each other but are different in many ways.
Jo is a tomboy who loves to write; Amy is spoiled, romantic, and a good painter; Beth is kind and loves to take care of her family; Meg is beautiful and smart, waiting for her prince charming to arrive.
Their father left for the war, and the sisters, along with their mother, try to support the family in their own ways. The book narrates how each sister navigates life while supporting each other.
It’s a beautiful tale of love, friendship, sisterhood, loyalty, courage, and womanhood.
9. The Midnight Library
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy Fiction
The Midnight Library is about a library that exists beyond the edge of the universe, which Nora Seed encounters. The library contains an infinite number of books, and each book tells a different story of your life.
One book tells your life story as it is, another elaborates on the story if you have made a different decision, and it goes on and on…telling the afterparts of every what-if, ambition, goal, and dream of yours.
Nora gets the chance to choose the life she wants, but what will she choose when there are so many possibilities and chances?
10. The Silent Patient
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter who is married to a famous photographer named Gabriel. The couple lives in a posh area in London.
One evening, there were gunshots heard from their house. Alicia shot Gabriel five times in the face and then never spoke again.
Alicia’s silence makes this case all the more mysterious, with the public curious about the motive behind the murder.
Alicia, the silent patient, is kept in a secure forensic unit called Grove. Theo Faber is a psychotherapist who has always wanted to work with Alicia, and finally, he gets the opportunity. His determination and obsession with discovering the truth take him down a darker path.
Wind-Up
Being a member of a book club is fun until the stress of choosing a good book to recommend that everyone will like comes into question.
I have recommended some books that you can suggest in your book club.
I hope this list of the most popular book club books was helpful, and now you have some good books to recommend to your group