Welcome back to In The Club, a newsletter of resources to keep your book group well-met and well-read. Let’s dive in.
This newsletter is sponsored by Renegades by Marissa Meyer.
Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone . . . except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.
Today’s Spooktober link: horror books for when you prefer less sunshine in your reading. I myself am a total wimp but I hear tell some folks like to be scared out of their gourds, so godspeed!
Take this poll with your group: do you read like other readers? You might be surprised at some of the answers that come up!
You know what makes for great discussions? Books with inventive narrative structures! Here’s a list, and it’s one I love because many of these books are new to me! A Visit From the Goon Squad is definitely a book-group must, though; you’re guaranteed arguments about character, the use of PowerPoint, and much more.
Speaking of novels with different structures, how about trying a novel in verse? Whatever your group’s familiarity with poetry, we’ve got a list of works that should work for you. I love these in particular because they’re good for young adults as well as grown-ups; if you’ve got a group of teens, try ’em out!
We could all probably use some more stories of togetherness: here are great books from the past year about female friendships.
Spotlight on: The 2017 Man Booker Award
And this year’s Man Booker Award goes to …. drumroll … Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders! There are a few interesting things about this year’s award beyond the choice of book. Let’s dig in a little, shall we?
The Man Booker (which is a prize for the best novel in the English language for the given year) was opened up to include American novels in 2014, and many have argued that it has since become too dominated by American works — including Ron Charles of the Washington Post.
Related: Paul Beatty was the first American to win the Man Booker, for The Sellout.
Want to know more about Saunders as a writer? Here’s an illustrated look at his work and development as an author on Signature Reads.
Who has influenced Saunders? He talked to the Center for Fiction about how Hemingway made him a reader.
For my audiobook fans: the audio of Lincoln in the Bardo had a bonkers extended cast. There’s a lot of discussion fodder right there in terms of narrator choice, not to mention the perennial audio vs. print debate.
And that’s a wrap: Happy discussing! If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations (including the occasional book club question!) you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.
Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn
More Resources:
– Our Book Group In A Box guide
– List your group on the Book Group Resources page