book club suggestions

[MrsKranky]

Its my turn to pick for our work book club next month, and I'm stuck for ideas. So far we've had:
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

The rules are no series eg Harry Potter, no 'war books' so All Quiet on the Western Front is out but books with war in are OK so Captain Correllis Manderlin would be fine.

The response to Stardust was poor, so I want to avoid anything that's been made into a film, as I was considering Fight Club, or Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, but have ruled them out on that basis.

I don't fancy anything too sad or emotional, but I quite like offbeat, quirky and/or unusual. My personal favorite authors at the moment are Douglas Adams, Douglas Copeland, chuck palahniuk, but don't want to end up too unusual either...

Any and all suggestions welcome!!!

Seven years in Tibet is a fabulous book.

Us by David Nicholls is a rounded read. There is travel and the dynamics of one family on a grand tour of Europe - and there is plenty of material for discussion = like/don't like.

Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye is just out, not too long and is a pretty good read and charts an interesting period of USA history that I had never heard of www.tripfiction.com/novel-set-in-the-florida-keys-storm-coming/

Hope that helps!!

Ruth Odeki (I think) wrote A tale for the time being. That's brilliant.

Or Burial Rites, We are all completely beside ourselves, Don't ask me why.

They are all ones the fit that criteria too.

Great! Thanks all, they all are great food for thought and a starting point! I love reading and have enjoyed book club, even the ones I didn't enjoy as its nice to be able to chat about it. I didn't expect choosing to be so hard!

I just came on here to post the same question. My short list is:
The signature of all things
Americanah
The first 15 lives of Harry August.

Are you still looking for suggestions?
The Rosie Project
the assasination of margaret thatcher
how to build a girl
The paying guests

these are all new-ish and short

The scheme for full employment by magnus mills is good.

So is English passengers by matthew kneale.

Elizabeth is Missing is about a woman with Dementia solving a mystery. Short, enjoyable.

I am still look at suggestions, I'm going to find some time to take a look at all of these, and l probably end up reading some anyway, as they all sound really interesting.

2nd First 15 lives of Harry August

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - a fabulous book :)

Jamrach's Menagerie - Carol Birch
Aren't We Sisters? Patricia Ferguson

Elizabeth is missing easy read

The last book my group all unanimously enjoyed was All The Birds Singing by Evie Wyld.

Don't choose Burial Rites, it's the grimmest, most depressing book I've read in years. Would second The Rosie Project, or Elizabeth is Missing.

The City and The City by China Mieville - definitely offbeat and unusual, and I think would have plenty to talk about too.