Book Club

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By Real Simple-

1- Not a Sound: A Page-Turning Thriller, by Heather Gudenkauf

Amelia Winn has it all: a successful career as a nurse, her loving husband Dave, and her stepdaughter, Nora. But when she loses her hearing in a tragic accident, she falls into a depression that causes her to lose it all. While on a walk two years later, Amelia discovers the body of a fellow nurse near her cabin, and becomes tied to a chilling mystery that is tied more to her own life then she could have ever imagined.

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2- The Light We Lost, by Jill Santopolo

Jill Santopolo’s debut novel follows Lucy, a student at Columbia University, as she meets Gabe, her first love, on September 11, 2001. Drawn together by the horrible events of that day, the two share a kiss for the first time. Over the course of the next few years, the two are brought together and torn apart over and over again, as Lucy pursues a career in New York City and Gabe moves to the Middle East to become a war zone photojournalist. This moving story is a perfect understanding of the sacrifices we make for love and for our dreams, and how life can throw a wrench in even the most perfect plans.

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3- The Awkward Age, by Francesca Segal

First love stories are common, but it’s less frequent to find stories about how hard falling in love as an adult can be. This modern family novel from Segal tells of the complicated relationship between Julia and James, divorcees with teenage children. Through this moving novel, Segal addresses the messiness of uniting two households when two adults fall in love, and the delicate balance between lovers and family.

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4- The Marriage Bureau: The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London, by Penrose Halson

When Penrose Halson became the owner of a marriage bureau in London, she decided to write this book about how the unusual business came to be in the first place. This real-life story tells of Heather Jenner and Mary Oliver, two women who decided to become matchmakers in the spring of 1939, just before World War II began. Through newspaper and magazine articles, as well as advertisements and interviews with the women, Halson brings the touching and hilarious story to life.

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5- The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, by Paula Poundstone

Comedian Paula Poundstone is known for her skepticism-fueled improvisations and her frequent appearances on NPR’s “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” Now, she’s bringing her humor and doubt to the question: What really makes humans happy? In this laugh out loud book, she tries everything from buying happiness, to meditating, to volunteering, and even reconnecting with the great outdoors in order to unlock the secret to this inalienable right.

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6- Crimes Against a Book Club, by Kathy Cooperman

This lighthearted novel from Cooperman tells of best friends Annie and Sarah, successful career women who both need fast cash—Sarah to pay for her IVF treatments and Annie to help finance her autistic son’s therapy. Together, desperate to do anything to help their families, they concoct a plan to sell a faux-luxury face cream to the ladies in Annie’s wealthy book club. You’ll speed through this read, wondering if these two friends will pull off their get-rich-quick scheme, or if they’ll lose it all in the process.

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7- This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare, by Gabourey Sidibe

Gabourey Sidibe shot to fame with her Oscar-nominated performance in Precious. In her tell-all memoir, she describes her upbringing in New York City by a polygamous father and a mother who supported the family by singing in the subway. With honesty and humor, she touches on everything from friendship to race and everything in between. This memoir is perfect for Gabby’s fans or anyone who has ever felt different.

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8- Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins

The bestselling author of The Girl on the Train is back with another thrilling novel. In a small town, numerous women have turned up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. When a single mother becomes the most recent victim and leaves behind a fifteen-year-old girl, the orphan is forced to move in with her aunt, a woman who left the same area years before and never intended on coming back. Hawkins fans will devour her newest read that is as suspenseful and satisfying as her last book.

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9- We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.: Essays, by Samantha Irby

Comedian and creator of the hilarious blog “B1tches Gotta Eat” and the author of Meaty: Essays is back with another collection of short personal stories that touch on both the funny and bittersweet moments in life. From mental health issues, to true dating struggles, to the legacy of her memories from growing up in poverty, Irby’s poignant and relatable stories will make you laugh and cry.

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10- The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir, by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

In this combination of real-life murder mystery and memoir, Marzano-Lesnevich tells of her summer job at a law firm defending a man, Ricky Langley, accused of murder and facing the death penalty. She thinks she has her job and her opinions on the punishment all figured out—until she is confronted with the reality of the crimes committed and finds herself wanting Ricky to be sentenced to death. Through the summer, she comes to terms with her own past and how it has shaped her opinion, as well as the complexity of the one thing that is supposed to be simple—the truth.