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Original poster

Help, my whole book club are in a slump!

31 replies

Orangeinmybluelightcup · 05/07/2021 15:52

Lockdown (zoom) and busy lives (young kids) are killing my book club! We've had 3 fails in a row now... Please recommend light hearted, enjoyable reads that will get us all going again!

Things we've enjoyed in the past include A man called Ove, how to stop time, the Rosie project, some people enjoyed Elinor Oliphant.

OP posts:
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Original poster
Orangeinmybluelightcup · 31/07/2021 12:39

Oo thanks for the new suggestions!

OP posts:
sidsgranny · 31/07/2021 12:36

Where the Crawdads Sing
American Dirt

The one that has given us the greatest/longest discussion recently is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

We've been going for 13 years and have many hits and many misses!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 30/07/2021 09:58

Moving by Jenny Eclair got me out of a reading slump.

LovelaceBiggWither · 30/07/2021 09:54

Burial Rites is an extraordinary book but it is not uplifting or light in any way.

Hungry was a good read.

beingsunny · 30/07/2021 09:50

I just read the midnight library, it's not too long but a good conversation starter about possible lives lived. I loved it and recommended it to all my friends

OrlandointheWilderness · 30/07/2021 09:44

Shuggie Bain has to be one of the best modern novels I've ever read. Firmly recommend it.

NewtScamandersNiffler · 29/07/2021 23:42

The Women in Black by Madeleine St John.

1950s set coming of age story with short chapters and incredible sense of voice between the different women.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 29/07/2021 23:14

Over the last year our book group has enjoyed:

Their Eyes Were Watching God
My Sister The Serial Killer
A Single Thread
On Chapel Sands
Everything I Never Told You
The Vanishing Half
The Grapes of Wrath

Books we didn't enjoy as much:

The Midnight Library
My Name is Eva
The Back of the Bus

SailYourShips · 28/07/2021 17:36

Maybe try some non-fiction to get things moving?
I've just read Battle of Brothers. It's about the royal family, particularly Harry and William. Everyone will probably have an opinion on it.

NoviceNewMN · 26/07/2021 16:52

I hesitate to suggest it because I hated it as I'll explain in a second but The Book Club by CJ Cooper.

I hated it because I found all the characters really really irritating and it had some highly implausible features to it.

Without spoiling it for you, the driver of the action is the aim of a particular character. The way she goes about it is utterly ridiculous and could have been circumvented by a literal and metaphorical hit and run.

The reason I recommend it though is that it was so irritating I would have loved to have had someone to complain about it's many flaws to at great lenght. It provoked a reaction in me which is always good book club material.

I'd chuck it in the bin when you've finished it though!

Standrewsschool · 12/07/2021 22:13

Three Hours - maybe not in the lighthearted categorically, but provoked a lot of discussion.

More lighthearted options-
Away with the penguins
Mrs Benson beetle

Our book group is very good at dislike the popular reads also.

beachygirl · 12/07/2021 01:04

I would recommend West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. It's the story of a lad following the first giraffes to cross America in the 30s depression. An easy read, heartwarming and uplifting.

RampantIvy · 12/07/2021 00:51

That's our next book @BonesJones

BonesJones · 12/07/2021 00:18

The Thursday Murder Club is a brilliant lighthearted read.

EverythingDelegated · 12/07/2021 00:06

We've found that lighthearted books seem to be the biggest fails for ours. Away with The Penguins got a universal thumbs down, The Flat Share wasn't enjoyed much either. Our biggest successes this year have been American Dirt by Jeanette Cummins and A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier.

tunnocksreturns2019 · 12/07/2021 00:02

The Offing by Benjamin Myers is wonderful and perfect time of year to read it

YellowSunshineSky · 12/07/2021 00:00

The Lido

Neolara · 11/07/2021 23:55

Away with the penguins

yoshiblue · 11/07/2021 23:43

Hungry - Grace Dent

Nearly finished this and have absolutely loved it. A memoir of her life but talks a lot about her working class family/background and so many food memories.

jendifer · 11/07/2021 21:42

It’s not lighthearted, but I always recommend Burial Rites because it’s SO good and not like anything you’ve ever read before

Clawdy · 11/07/2021 21:36

Dear Mrs Bird - AJ Pearce. Well- written light read.

thecatfromjapan · 11/07/2021 19:18

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. Lots to think about, easy to read, great story-telling and lovely.

copernicium · 05/07/2021 22:16

The last book I really enjoyed was "People Like Her".

Blackcountryexile · 05/07/2021 22:08

We all enjoyed The Girl With a Louding Voice by Abi Dare.There are some grim descriptions but the main character is so resilient and has such a hopeful and distinctive voice.
Another book with a lot of scope for discussion is Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland. However a young woman and a baby die( separately) so may be unsuitable for your group.

Glasstabletop · 05/07/2021 20:51

I just read The First Day of Spring and it's the first book in ages that made me wish I were in a book club. It's extremely heavy subject matter but incredibly well written, I couldn't put it down.