Have you considered letting your reader type choose your next book club read?
Is it time to add something new to your book club reading list? Are you running low on ideas? Have you made it through all the big bestsellers and celebrity book club lists? If things are starting to get a little boring or book discussions are a bit stale, it might be time to change it up a bit.
Bookfinity has you covered!
Have you considered letting your reader type choose your next book club read? Have other members of your book club taken the Reader Type quiz? Perhaps their type is different, which opens up your book club to even more possible reads. The best part of finding out your reader type is that you will never lack great book recommendations. Now, your book club won’t run out of books either!
We’ve curated a list of great book club reading recommendations based on our 18 different reader types. So, if you are a Beach Reader, check out our rom-com suggestion, or if you are a lifelong learner, consider our history read. There is a book for everyone.
Are you part of a genre-specific book club? Check out reader types with similar themes for a change of pace. For example, romance book clubs may enjoy our Modern Romantic or Beach Reader recommendations. Non-fiction book clubs can choose from a number of reader types ranging from Mountain Climber to Self-Starter to Game Day Hero.
Check out our recommendations and see why we think these books are a great addition to your reading list.
Book Club Picks For All Bookfinity Reader Types
SERIAL READER
Before You Knew My Name
by Jacqueline Bublitz
WHY SERAL READER? |
| Serial Readers aren’t true crime fans just for the whodunnit moments, they want all the thrilling details of the crime. Before You Knew My Name is the perfect book to keep any crime, thriller, or suspense book club on the edge of their seats. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Winner of Crime Debut and Readers' Choice Awards--Sisters in Crime
Editors' Choice/Staff Pick by The New York Times Book Review
When she arrived in New York on her eighteenth birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city's latest Jane Doe. She may be dead but that doesn't mean her story is over. Meanwhile, Ruby Jones is also trying to reinvent herself. After travelling halfway around the world, she's lonelier than ever in the Big Apple. Until she stumbles upon a woman's body by the Hudson River, and suddenly finds herself unbreakably tied to the unknown dead woman.
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Light from Uncommon Stars
by Ryka Aoki
WHY Subject matter expert? |
| For Subject Matter Experts who enjoy spending their time in faraway worlds or on thrilling adventures, Light from Uncommon Stars is the perfect book. With just the right combination of space travel, devilish deals, and magic, this hits the sweet spot between fantasy and science fiction. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.
Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
by Neil Degrasse Tyson
WHY Subject matter expert? |
| Of course, if a book club filled with Subject Matter Experts would rather spend some time in the real world, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a great conversation starter. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn just a little bit more about space, this book can prompt interesting debates about the state of the universe. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
COOL MOM/DAD
Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids
by Scott Hershovitz
WHY Cool mom/dad? |
| Striking a balance between talking about kids and talking about anything else can be difficult in a mom-and-dad book club. This book is the perfect combination of both topics. Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids is a great book to discuss with other parents. Not only does it cover interesting philosophical discussions, but the fascinating ways children find themselves debating these concepts on the playground. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
An NPR Best Book of 2022 * One of Christian Science Monitor's 10 best books of May
Some of the best philosophers in the world gather in surprising places--preschools and playgrounds. They debate questions about metaphysics and morality, even though they've never heard the words and perhaps can't even tie their shoes. They're kids. And as Scott Hershovitz shows in this delightful debut, they're astoundingly good philosophers.
YOUNG AT HEART
Dread Nation
by Justina Ireland
WHY Young at heart? |
| When choosing a young adult novel for a book club, avoid all the bestsellers and booktok hits. Look for the books others have overlooked for a real conversation. This combination zombie apocalypse, historical fiction, horror, and coming-of-age novel is a great place to start, Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
New York Times bestseller; 6 starred reviews!
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania--derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever.
In this new America, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities--and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It's a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society's expectations.
WOKE UP THIS WAY
Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation
by Kate Bornstein - S Bear Bergman
WHY WOKE UP THIS WAY? |
| A collection of short stories, essays, poetry, or other writings are always a great pick for a book club because it offers a little something for everyone. For the Woke Up Like This reader, Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation will check all the right boxes. This collection features LGBTQ+ essays, commentary, comics, and more. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
This groundbreaking and inspiring collection of dozens of our most original trans voices is a "smart, sexy, and entertaining" (Jack Halberstam) exploration of gender today.
Transgender narratives have made their way from the margins to the mainstream and back again, and today's trans and nonbinary people, genderqueers, and other sex/gender radicals are writing a drastically new world into being. Edited by the original gender outlaw, Kate Bornstein, together with writer, raconteur, and theater artist S. Bear Bergman, Gender Outlaws collects and contextualizes the work of this generation's trans and genderqueer forward thinkers--new voices from the stage, on the streets, in the workplace, in the bedroom, and on the pages and websites of the world's most respected publications.
TRENDSETTER
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
WHY TRENDSETTER? |
| Trendsetter readers gravitate toward books that are featured on celebrity book lists, bestsellers, or soon-to-be book-to-screen adaptations. Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, is all three. This makes it the perfect read for a Trendsetter book club, especially before the series starts. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - GMA BOOK CLUB PICK - STREAM ON APPLE TV+
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with--of all things--her mind. True chemistry results.
LEADING LADY
When Women Were Dragons
by Kelly Barnhill
WHY LEADING LADY? |
| What is better than a book about a fierce female protagonist? A book with a fierce female protagonist AND dragons! Any Leading Lady book club will sink their teeth into Kelly Barnhill’s first adult novel When Women Were Dragons. This speculative fiction novel is the perfect combination of feminism and fantasy. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A GOODREADS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - A fiery feminist fantasy tale set in 1950s America where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman's place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are.
Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of.
Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and
watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.
TIME TRAVELER
All You Have to Do Is Call
by Kerri Maher
WHY TIME TRAVELER? |
| For historical fiction readers who want to dive into the past, but stay informed about topical issues, Kerri Maher’s recent debut is a timely read. All You Have to Do Is Call, is based on the true story of the Jane Collective. This novel is perfect for a Time Traveler book club as it deals with women’s right to choose, a right that is being debated once again today. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A dramatic and inspiring novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who fought for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.
Chicago, early 1970s Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.
The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground women's health organization composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to live lives free from the expectations of society by offering reproductive counseling and safe, illegal abortions. Veronica, Jane's founder, prides herself on the services she has provided to thousands of women, yet the price of others' freedom is that she leads a double life. When she's not at Jane, Veronica plays the role of a conventional housewife--which becomes even more difficult during her own high-risk pregnancy.
LIFELONG LEARNER
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them
by Timothy Egan
WHY LIFELONG LEARNER? |
| One of the benefits of being a Lifelong Learner reader is that there are countless books focusing on major historical events, political movements, current events, and more. But what makes this book stand out as a great Lifelong Learner book club pick is its micro-focus on events in American history that aren’t often covered. Add A Fever in the Heartland, by Timothy Egan to the book club reading list. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The Roaring Twenties--the Jazz Age--has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
SELF-STARTER
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
by Adam Grant
WHY SELF-STARTER? |
| Serial Readers aren’t true crime fans just for the whodunnit moments, they want all the thrilling details of the crime. Before You Knew My Name is the perfect book to keep any crime, thriller, or suspense book club on the edge of their seats. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn. We surround ourselves with people who agree with our conclusions, when we should be gravitating toward those who challenge our thought process. The result is that our beliefs get brittle long before our bones.
SPIRITUAL SEEKER
Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are
by Lysa TerKeurst
WHY SPIRITUAL SEEKER? |
| Spiritual Seekers are always looking for new bits of inspiration and wisdom in their reads, which is why this motivational book is perfect for a Spiritual Seeker book club. Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are, by Lysa Terkeurst offers insight that is best discussed with friends over book club snacks. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Relationships are wonderful . . . until they're not.
Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst as she helps you stop the dysfunction of unhealthy relationships by showing you biblical ways to set boundaries--and, when necessary, say goodbye--without losing the best of who you are.
Is it unloving or selfish to set a boundary? Are Christians ever called to walk away from a relationship that's no longer safe or sustainable? Lysa TerKeurst deeply understands these hard questions in the midst of relational struggles.
WORLD TRAVELER
No Edges: Swahili Stories
by Sarah Coolidge - Lusajo Mwaikenda Israel - Euphrase Kezilahabi - Mwas Mahugu - Katama G C Mkangi - Clara Momanyi - Fadhy Mtanga - Fatma Shafii - Lilian Mbaga
WHY WORLD TRAVELER? |
| Armchair travelers prepare for landing in East Africa! World Traveler readers should add No Edges: Swahili Stories, a collection of fiction by authors across eight countries, to their book club reading list. It’s a tour hosted by eight different guides all in one book. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Swahili is the future. The first collection of Swahili fiction in English translation, No Edges introduces eight East African writers from Tanzania and Kenya as they share tales of sorcerers, Nairobi junkyards, cross-country bus rides, and spaceships that blast prisoners into eternity. Here we're encouraged to explore the chaos of life on a crowded Earth, as well as the otherworldly realms lying just beyond our reach. Through language bursting with rhythm and vivid Africanfuturist visions, these writers summon the boundless future into being.
GAME DAY HERO
Lebron
by Jeff Benedict
WHY GAME DAY HERO? |
| Here is the perfect pitch for a Game Day Hero book club read. This book is part motivation and inspiration, part captivating biography, and all major sports history. This is a sports book worthy of any book club. Check out LeBron, by Jeff Benedict. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of the twenty-first century, and he's in the conversation with Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. The reigning king of the game and the first active NBA player to become a billionaire, LeBron wears the crown like he was born with it. Yet his ascent has been anything but effortless and predetermined--the truth is vastly more interesting than that.
DISSENTER
Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal
by Bettina L Love
WHY DISSENTER? |
| Stay up to date with new information about some of today’s biggest issues. Any Dissenter reader book club will want to move Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal, by Bettina Love, to the top of their TBR, especially if school reform is a topic of interest. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
NEW YORK TIMES AND A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
In Punished for Dreaming Dr. Bettina Love argues forcefully that Reagan's presidency ushered in a War on Black Children, pathologizing and penalizing them in concert with the War on Drugs. New policies punished schools with policing, closure, and loss of funding in the name of reform, as white savior, egalitarian efforts increasingly allowed private interests to infiltrate the system. These changes implicated children of color, and Black children in particular, as low performing, making it all too easy to turn a blind eye to their disproportionate conviction and incarceration. Today, there is little national conversation about a structural overhaul of American schools; cosmetic changes, rooted in anti-Blackness, are now passed off as justice.
MODERN ROMANTIC
Love, Theoretically
by Ali Hazelwood
WHY MODERN ROMANTIC? |
| Modern Romantics love a great romance series, especially when they can read each book separately. Romance book clubs rejoice because there is another Ali Hazelwood novel out, Love Theoretically, featuring her iconic women in STEM protagonist. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
An Indie Next and Library Reads Pick!
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she's an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it's a pretty sweet gig--until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor's career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he's the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
Losing Eden: Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World and Its Ability to Heal Body and Soul
by Lucy Jones
WHY MOUNTAIN CLIMBER? |
| Mountain Climber readers love to dive right into an adventure in the wild. But why do humans feel so drawn to the wild, to nature? Lucy Jones explores this idea in her book Losing Eden: Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World and It’s Ability to Heal Body and Soul, which makes it a unique and interesting read for any Mountain Climber reader or book club. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Lucy Jones interweaves her deeply personal story of recovery from addiction and depression with that of discovering the natural world and how it aided and enlivened her progress, giving her a renewed sense of belonging and purpose.
BOOKWORM
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by Neil Gaiman - Terry Pratchett
WHY BOOKWORM? |
| Finding a book club recommendation for a Bookworm reader might sound easy, but the classics are considered classics for a reason, so they recommend themselves. Instead, Bookworms should consider this not-yet-a classic. Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, is a modern classic that is currently making an impact on the literary world. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The classic collaboration from the internationally bestselling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, now an original series starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant.
Season 2 of Good Omens coming soon!
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.
So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon--both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle--are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.
And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .
BEACH READER
Happy Place
by Emily Henry
WHY BEACH READER? |
| While Beach Readers don’t need a beach to read, an entertaining, popular rom-com is desired. Popular author Emily Henry has written many amazing rom-coms, which is why her latest book, Happy Place, is perfect for any Beach Reader to add to their book club reading list. |
ABOUT THE BOOK:
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ Elle ∙ Southern Living ∙ SheReads ∙ Culturess ∙ Medium ∙ Her Campus ∙ Readers Digest ∙ Zibby Mag and more!
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college--they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now--for reasons they're still not discussing--they don't. They broke up five months ago. And still haven't told their best friends.
These are only a few suggestions for great book club reads. For more reader-type recommendations, keep exploring Bookfinity. And make sure you and everyone in your book club take your reader type quiz today!
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