What Should Your Virtual Book Club Read Next?

As book clubs across the country move online, readers will have plenty of time to read their selected books before meeting in-person again. We’ve tapped our HPB Bestseller Buyer to help your book club make the best selection for the next page turner on your list. Check out her recommendations below.

The Island of Sea Women  by Lisa See

Our March/April HPB Book Club selection, The Island of Sea Women, is the perfect choice for deep discussion with friends. How does a friendship get to the point where one woman doesn’t even want to meet the other woman’s grandchildren? From their friendship as children to their eventual falling out, these questions and more are explored in the newest beautiful and heartbreaking book from Lisa See. It is an all-encompassing tale of friendship and secrets about female divers on a Korean island. Lisa was kind of enough to answer some of our in-depth questions for our Behind the Book blog series. Read about the inspiration behind The Island of Sea Women here.

The Winemaker’s Wife  by Kristin Harmel

World War II fiction continues to be very popular among book club crowd. This recent release in paperback is perfect for conversation and also includes a reader’s guide. It’s has two narratives; one set in the 1940’s in the French champagne vineyards from the point of view of those leading the Resistance against the Nazis and the other set in New York in 2019 from the point of view of a woman going through a devastating divorce when her eccentric French grandmother shows up. It’s another story of resilience and having the courage to do the right thing, even when it hurts.

Little Fires Everywhere  by Celeste Ng

Is your book club full of readers who finish the book before or after binge-watching the TV series? Hulu just released the highly anticipated TV series based on Celeste Ng’s bestseller. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington and Joshua Jackson and no matter where you land when it comes to binging before or after, you’ll want to read (and discuss) this book! It’s a thought-provoking story about a community that is rocked when a family tries to adopt a Chinese-American baby. The story has many complex themes, including differences between classes, mother-daughter relationships and the danger of secrets. It’s a fantastic novel that left me thinking about right vs. wrong and what lies in the middle.

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant  by Kayte Nunn

After a collection of un-sent love letters is found in 2018, the story of a woman committed to an insane asylum for postpartum depression in 1951 unravels. This book has a lot of meat to discuss, including sacrifices that are made for love, but it’s also a tale of resilience, which is something that we could all use right now! It also includes discussion questions at the back of the book, making it a self-hosting book club book that could work well online or in long distance situations.

Daisy Jones & the Six  by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If you read through the rest of the suggestions in this blog and thought that none of them seemed like something your book club would be interested in, then Daisy Jones & the Six might be the choice for you. Daisy Jones was one of my favorite books last year, and perhaps the most memorable. It’s about the rise and fall of a band in the 1970’s. The unique narration is what makes the book the most memorable for me, as it’s told in interviews many years later as the band members reflect on what happened during their rise and eventual break up. The characters come to life and seemed so incredibly real. I googled them all multiple times to make sure they weren’t! It is a short and wild read that could be the perfect escape for your book club this spring.

There you have it, a quick list of great new reads to suggest to your book club! And remember, you can always find great reads from your local store or online at HPB.com!