Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read.
This newsletter is sponsored by The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers.
A provocative new novel by bestselling author Randy Susan Meyers about the seemingly blind love of a wife for her husband as he conquers Wall Street, and her extraordinary, perhaps foolish, loyalty during his precipitous fall.
When Phoebe learns her husband’s triumph and vast reach rests on an elaborate Ponzi scheme her world unravels. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning him feels cruel and impossible.
From penthouse to prison, Randy Susan Meyers’s latest novel exposes a woman struggling to survive and then redefine her life as her world crumbles.
Books for your mama: Bustle breaks down how to put together a successful mother-daughter book club. We get questions about this so regularly on Get Booked, I felt like there might already be some of you trying this and many more interested. And section 5, on choosing your books, has some great methods that would work with any kind of book club — I had never heard the 5-3-1 Method before, but I dig it.
OMG, so awkward. Sharifah talks about awkward book club moments, whether it’s you or the person sitting across from you, and she had me cracking up with this video. Be prepared for some realtalk!
Want to get more calendrical with your group’s choices? Here are 50 fictional literary dates to tie into, courtesy of Lithub.
Get out the popcorn: Casey has five great lesbian movies based on books for your consideration. Whether you’re doing a page-to-screen book club or just need some good books to discuss, she’s got you covered.
Every villain is the hero of their own story. And to prove it, the B&N blog has five (debatably delightful) disturbing narrators for you.
And now for this week’s Read Harder Challenge recommendations! Here are round-ups of themed lists for a couple tasks, plus a shout-out each to a personal favorite.
For: read an LGBTQ romance novel (courtesy of Sarah MacLean)
– For Real by Alexis Hall, which is an incredibly sweet and incredibly dirty romance that made me cry and/or blush depending on the page. Talking points include May/December romances, BDSM, and how we recover when we get lost.
– 5 Authors To Get You Started in M/M Romance
– Romance beyond gay and lesbian
– A (Semi) Comprehensive Guide to LGBTQ+ Romance
– Lesbian Romance Novels
For: read a book published between 1900 and 1950.
– We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, which came before 1984 and starts with the premise that happiness is more important than freedom. It’s a classic.
– Books That Shaped America: 1900 to 1950
– Best Children’s Books: 1900 to 1950
– Popular 1900s to 1950s books on Goodreads
More Resources:
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page