I love to share my book club reading list every year. Although there are always good books every year, it’s nice to have a list to recommend for people who are looking for guaranteed good reads. Some I’ve picked on a whim and some have come from our book club.
I’m not sure if it happens to all book clubs but ours has gone from a can’t-miss night out to drink wine and talk about books to an occasional get-together where we still drink wine but most people didn’t find the time to read the book. So, of course, the book discussion becomes an afterthought.
While I love the idea of socializing, I also crave the discussion that comes from something I’ve read. If I’ve read a book that doesn’t really leave me with any questions, it probably wasn’t a very good read. But those that stick with me long after I finished the book leave me wanting to dissect it with other like-minded readers.
I didn’t let the floundering book club keep me from not reading this year. And, in fact, I think most of these books would have make excellent book club additions (some of them were!). But not all were fantastic reads. So I’m sharing with you the best and worst from my reading list in this year.
Next to each book I read over the past year, I’ll let you know if it was a book club selection (forced read), audiobook (I’m addicted to Audible), or something I just happened to pick up along the way. If you’ve read some of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If not, I hope I give you some new ideas for reading!
Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale
My Rating: 3 stars
Book choice: Online Book Club selection
My review: “Chosen as part of on online book club, this is not the type of book I’d normally choose. It’s a nice light read with a few good twists but plenty of moments of incredulity. If chick lit is your thing, you’ll like this. If it’s not, skip it.”
The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “Definitely a page turner. Not fantastic literature but definitely keeps you interested until the end. I guessed many of the twists but it was still gratifying when they were revealed. Only the storyline with the Kyles left me unsatisfied.”
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “I’m a “book before the movie” kind of girl so I’ll admit I was motivated to read it when I heard the Hulu show was coming out. But it’s also a friend’s favorite book.
Overall, it’s a very weird book. It’s a dystopian society but one where we never really understand how it got to be that way and ultimately how things changed again. Most of the book felt like setup with a quick ending but it’s just so different and bizarre that I had to give it 4 stars.”
The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “British crime drama seems to be my new thing but they aren’t all created equal. This was a great suspenseful novel but something about Erika Foster, the lead detective, was somewhat annoying. That’s a problem since she appears to be a character that will appear in future novels by the author. Solid story and I enjoyed it but I’m not sure if I’d read another.”
Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia
My Rating: 3 stars
Book choice: Book Club selection, Audible audiobook
My review: “Thoroughly enjoyable read that left you guessing (or me anyway) until the very end. It made a great discussion for book club. I couldn’t give it more stars because I felt there were a few “yeah, but…” moments for me. Hattie seemed to be an inconsistent character, which was really the point, but some parts of the story didn’t completely work for me.“
The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel
My Rating: 2 stars
Book choice: 
Book Club selection
My review: “I’m seeing now that this is a series. That makes more sense now because I really felt like I came in the middle of the story. Nothing really interesting or remarkable about the characters and the story felt all over the place. Perhaps because this was a translated novel, I didn’t connect well with any part of the book. And it took me months to finish because I wasn’t compelled to read it!”
The Dry by Jane Harper
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “What a tangled web this book weaves. You know it’s a great read when you can’t even imagine there’s a crime there. Part of the mystery is figuring out what happened, not just who did it. And it doesn’t hurt that I listened to the audio book and have an Australian guy talking to me for hours in my car. Took a chance on this one and thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “There will be inevitable comparisons to The Girl on the Train. It’s not as gripping. It’s not as intense. There are a few parts of the plot that didn’t resonate with me. But it’s a good thriller with a large number of interesting characters that will keep you guessing until about 2/3 of the way through. Then it’s fun to watch it all play out. A great read or listen!”
The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
My Rating: 3 stars
Book choice: Book club selection
My review: “Looking for the perfect summer read? This might be it. Lots of interesting characters – some a bit quirky but not annoyingly so – that live in a idyllic southern neighborhood. It’s a light read with an engaging story and flawed characters that still get their happy ending.”
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “This was a cleverly complex story within a story. Two mysteries for the price of one! The only problem is that I preferred the embedded “fictional story” more than the overall story arc. Two totally different styles of writing in one book but somehow the author made it work.”
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
My Rating: 3 stars
Book choice: Book Club selection
My review: “I’d rather give this 3.5 stars because I enjoyed it. But I just didn’t buy it. The characters didn’t all add up. The scenario didn’t make sense (even with the big “twist” at the end). I just didn’t finish with a sense of satisfaction. And I had such high hopes for this book!“
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “This is another B.A. Paris book that you could probably pull apart if you looked at it under a microscope. But why would you? It’s incredible page turning suspense that keeps you scratching your head. It’s gets a bit repetitive at times but I didn’t care. It totally sucked me in!“
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Audible audiobook
My review: “My first Agatha Christie novel! I wanted to learn the story before the movie came out. I ended up downloading the audiobook narrated by Dan Stevens who was FANTASTIC. He brought the book to life! It’s a complex story with some “oh, come on” moments but it’s still a perfect British crime story.”
Final Girls by Riley Sager
My Rating: 4 stars
Book choice: Book Club selection, Audible audiobook
My review: “What is this book exactly? Horror? Mystery? I’m not sure if it knew what kind of book it was. It was a bit gory and the characters didn’t seem to be the smartest or most likable and yet I still enjoyed the overall story.”
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Last year, I managed to pull off 26 books. This year, I’m down to 14 but I did actually read a lot of young adult/tween fiction (not on this list) for both pleasure and as the co-coach of his Battle of the Books team.
I’ve got some good new books that I’ve already started for next year and some in the queue but, of course, I always love hearing recommendations from others. Now that you’ve seen the types of books I like to read, I’d love to hear your recommendations for me. Or let me know your book club reading list.
And even if you don’t like the same genre as me, I’d love to hear some of your favorite books from this year,. I’m always looking for my next great read (or listen)!
Disclosure: All of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. It simply means that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I make a teeny tiny commission for that sale.
2 comments
I really liked Final Girls. And enjoy anything from Diane Chamberlain. I was a little let down by The Breakdown. It didn’t live up to Behind Closed Doors for me.
I didn’t know you were a BOB coach. My oldest is on his school’s team. I read a lot of the books on his list, though I’m still HORRIBLE at the action competition questions.
I was a co-coach. We read 3 (I think) of the books together. Some were a struggle but some were fantastic! My neighbor just recommended other Diane Chamberlain books. I know a lot of people felt like you did about The Breakdown but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m reading a book now that I’m loving – My Husband’s Wife. It’ll be on my list next year!