Page turner for book club?

[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!

I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian and suggest that a "page turner" is something people are happy to read on their own.

For a book club, you should try for something a bit more demanding, something that people push themselves to read for the group, something that will generate thought and discussion. Could even be non-fiction.

Until I read the end of your post, my first thought was ‘ Three Hours - Rosemary Lupton’, but as it’s about a terrorist Atack in a school, it may not fit your bill. Superb book though, and led to one of our best bookclub discussions.

’A man called Ove’ is another suggestion.

Alternatively, why don’t you try a classic, either old or modern. ‘little Woman’, Charles Dicken, Jonathan Livingstone, Agatha Christie, etc

How about The Fell by Sarah Moss? It's short (always a good thing for a book group I think) and I found it very thought provoking - it's set during lockdown: one of the characters decides to break the rules and go hillwalking when they should be isolating, as she is going stir crazy and thinks she won't meet anyone on the way, but things don't go to plan.

Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins is a real page-turner without being mindless airport fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it and passed it on to my mum who also loved it and is passing it on to her friends.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is very easy to read and was very popular in our Book Group but I'm not sure it would avoid your mental health trigger? Would have to spoil the book to explain further

Over the years I have suggested 3 books for my book club.

1. P D James, Children of Men. Although most people enjoyed it, discussion was, well, practically non-existent.
2. Margaret Atwood, Cat’s Eye. Led to lots of good discussion. But it is a bit depressing to spend an evening talking about bullying.
3. Bring your favourite children’s book. Led to a very happy evening. Lots of book swapping and reminiscences.

We just did American Dirt. It had me gripped from a couple of pages in.

Escaping gang violence in Mexico, mother and son attempt to illegally cross the border to the USA. High tension alongside individuals being decent to each other.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dirt

I have literally just finished the Twyford code. I thought both this and the Appeal by the same author were amazing and great for book club as so much to pick apart.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver?

Station eleven by Emily St.John Mandel

Look at Ann Patchett too.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. Easy to read but plenty to discuss.
.

We read Under Fire recently - very interesting and well written - its based on the diaries of a lady volunteer ambulance driver in the second world war but is much broader than that - we enjoyed it.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/59067795-under-fire

Still Life by Sarah Winman

A book I love (and is only a little "traumatic life events" but definitely not gory) is Orhan Pamuk's "Museum of Innocence." It's a really beautiful book which just takes you to another world, gorgeous writing too.

That is a great book.

A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe is also wonderful.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. Very thought provoking and different to other things I've read in the last year or two

We read American Dirt recently. I didn't like the look of it but absolutely raced through it. Scored a solid 8 by all who attended.

Ah, it seemed I was the third vote for American Dirt without realising 😂

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gamus. A fun feminist novel set in the 60s
How to kill your family by Bella Mackie Great book for dark humour and a Sunday times bestseller

Station 11 gets my vote!

Or Piranesi