Want to Start a Book Club? Here are 7 Books to Get You Started

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

It is a notion widely agreed that happiness comes in all shapes and sizes, and it only increases when shared. It only multiplies manifold when you find someone who cherishes the same book, falls in love with the smell of the pages or goes bonkers over a hardcover.

Most of all, what if you could actually find people to endlessly talk about something you hold so dear. A chance to form numerous theories and a path to carve for all the unanswered questions.

Our wonderful intern, Prakriti Arora brings to you a list of few of the best books to kick-start your own book club and delve deeper into your fandom, only this time with a group of people holding onto the same anchor.

1. The Book Thief

What do you do when Death knocks at your doorstep? You embrace it. But what do you do when it comes for someone close to you? You sit back and listen to the stories it has to tell. A narration by Death itself, The Book Thief makes for an intriguing read, set in the background of Nazi Germany. It evokes a streak of discussions at every turn and is a luring read for all the historical-fiction lovers.

2. Looking For Alaska

Craving for “the Great Perhaps”, Miles “Pudge” Halter enters Culver Creek Boarding School where the erratic but creative trouble maker, Alaska Young turns his world around. His life seemed like the quiet before the storm for when Alaska hits, all hell breaks loose, only to make him grasp for more! A typical teenage labyrinthine romance by John Green which can spark a lot of interest even among adults to make them want to go on lengths talking about it.

3. Sophie’s World

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?” From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village.. Questions of philosophy have been pondered upon since ages immemorial and everyone paints their own colour on this canvas of philosophy, making it all the more interesting. Sophie’s World can cater to your intellectual side if that’s what your book club strives for.

4. Beloved

Set in the America of mid-1800s, the words of Toni Morrison seem determined to boggle the reader’s mind with the struggles that the African-Americans faced at the hands of the Whites (essentially European). It is so much more than just a story of a mother and her daughter, it is a description of an age enveloped in complicated relationships and changing land masses. Beloved can leave readers overwhelmed with emotions, only screaming to be let out and find space for expression.

5. Thinking Smart

You are on top of your career. You love the job you are doing. You were rated ‘excellent’ in your latest assessment. But, for reasons beyond your control, you have just been fired. How to defeat something that the human race has itself built? In this tech savvy world which has engulfed majority of the population, Thinking Smart appears like an anchor to hold onto the age old wisdom and ‘life hacks’. It is the kind of book which can insinuate a lengthy trail discussion of experiences, making it an altogether interesting pick for initiating a technologically crazed book club.

6. The Kite Runner

A natural hit among all book clubs, The Kite Runner is a heart-wrenching story of two friends from Afghanistan and their intertwined lives. Describing the political struggles in the country and their subsequent effects on the civilians, it makes for a compelling read and a thought provoking discussion soon after. It is a book which has the capability to envelope readers in a blanket of emotions.

7. Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece of gothic romance—an epic and intimate narrative of love, tragedy, and one woman’s struggle to find happiness in the face of overwhelming hardship. Jane Eyre follows a timeless heroine’s quest to find her place in the world. If your book club consists of romantic buffs, this should be your go-to book. A treat to both romance and feminism, Jane Eyre is truly one-of-a-kind story.