Page turner for book club needed!

[SunnyPineapple]

I’m looking for urgent inspiration for a really compelling book club read.

Nothing that’s a big effort to read but no chick lit either…

Maybe something a bit uplifting or thought provoking. Or even just a plot that gets you hooked really fast.

Themes/ things to avoid:
-violent crime

-triggering themes relating mental health or traumatic life events.

Please help me think out of the box!
(reposting here for traffic)

I found "Leave the World Behind" by Rumaan Alam to be easy reading and an absolute page turner. I was surprised it wasn't more popular when it was released. Great choice for a book club.

Once Upon a River
A Gentleman in Moscow
A Single Thread

‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus. Not long out, a really enjoyable and somewhat quirky read. Good book club choice

Ooh keep them coming, thank you!

I wasn’t grabbed by Gentleman in Moscow but lived A Single Thread.

Any more ideas ?

Am going to download samples of the others mentioned. Thanks!

Leave the world behind gets comments on Goodreads about cringey writing so will dig a bit deeper!

I loved this book, but I'm not sure it would be safe if trying to avoid traumatic events. I'm thinking of the event with her phd tutor, mainly

Does it need to be fiction? If so, the Liar's Dictionary is a bit different. Also, Around the World in 80 Days was fabulous, if it doesn't need to be modern fiction.

If non-fiction is ok, I enjoyed Gimson's Kings and Queens and Bill Bryson's book about Shakespeare.

The Shepherd's Life: A Tale from the Lake District by James Rebanks. Surprisingly page turning, easy to read, a tale of sheep, landscape and a way of life that is fascinating.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett grabbed both me (50s) and daughter (30)

What about dystopian fiction? Station eleven
The end of men and Widowland were all great.

Or Greek mythology like Ariadne or Circe

I also loved Passage to Inis Mor and Klara and the Sun

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.