32 Perfect Books To Kick Off Your Book Club

    "Guaranteed to give you the feels."

    Sarah Galo
    by Sarah Galo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to recommend books to start a book club with. Here are some of their responses.

    Sarah Galo / BuzzFeed / Thinkstock

    1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

    Three Rivers Press / Via amazon.com

    "It's guaranteed to make everyone laugh, even if you're a grump."

    Suggested by samsambambam

    2. Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

    Disney-Hyperion / Via wordery.com

    "It's a wonderfully insightful book about the struggles trans people go through. I feel that there aren't very many books out there right now that deal with this subject matter."

    Suggested by Alicia A., via Facebook

    3. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

    Ballantine Fiction / Via wordpress.com

    "It's perfect for a book club because people will take different things away from it, and I'm sure that will lead to great conversations."

    Suggested by Leah MacCarthy

    4. The Odyssey by Homer

    Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Via scribd.com

    "It's engaging, funny, and the Robert Fitzgerald translation is beautifully written."

    Suggested by Tyto

    5. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

    Simon & Schuster / Via scribd.com

    "The true story of a healthy young woman who had her entire world shattered by a mysterious infection in her brain. She had no memory of her illness and used her investigative journalism skills to discover exactly what had happened to her."

    Suggested by amandac4fd92b149

    6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

    danica s / CC by http://2.0 / Via Flickr: -danicas2-

    "Even though it's a YA book, it is a profound coming-of-age story."

    8. All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

    Knopf Canada / Via news.nationalpost.com

    "It's tragic, but touching and hopeful. It is guaranteed to give you the feels."

    Suggested by rosiea45fa0ad57

    9. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

    Transworld Publ. Ltd UK / Via kcdyer.com

    "I read this for my book club last summer. The combination of historical fiction, with a touch of fantasy, feminism, and Nazis made it one I couldn't put down, and couldn't wait to talk about!"

    Suggested by Jules592

    10. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

    11. Waiting by Ha Jin

    Vintage Digital / Via amazon.com

    "This book is very bittersweet. I feel like it's a book that can start a great conversation at a first book club meeting!"

    Suggested by sarawarpsw

    12. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

    Dell / Via outlanderinsider.com

    "It's an amazing series that stretches across almost every genre. Everyone will find something to enjoy about it."

    Suggested by Nicole V., via Facebook

    13. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

    Vintage / Via carmensbookadventure.blogspot.com

    "It's a beautiful and joyous and heartbreaking coming-of-age novel comprised of vignettes about a young Spanish girl growing up in Chicago."

    Suggested by emilys44b743fcd

    14. The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler

    15. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / Via juniorlibraryguild.com

    "It made me laugh so hard I cried, but it also was poignant and touching."

    Suggested by Meredith S., via Facebook

    16. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    Open Road Media / Via wordsforworms.com

    "One of the greatest pieces of African American literature and one of my favorite books. Set in the early 20th century and spans 30 years, the story is told in the main protagonist's Celie's letters to God. A perfect feminist book with an uplifting ending."

    Suggested by marvinv

    17. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

    HarperCollins / Via amazon.com

    "This hilarious novel is satire at its best, and it sits just on the edge of sacrilege."

    Suggested by Adrienne Enderle

    18. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

    Cardinal Edition / Via wordpress.com

    "This book is truly amazing but the true enjoyment is discussing the thrills and plot twists with a group of people."

    Suggested by mallorym415020190

    19. When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe

    Crown Publishing Group / Via smithsonianapa.org

    "It's a book based during WWII in the Philippines about a group of people forced together and the stories they tell each other about their lives before the war."

    Suggested by BobbiLeigh

    20. 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose

    Simon & Schuster / Via royalpralinecompany.com

    "It's a daily journal of life in New Orleans immediately following Katrina. I have never had a book be so raw and vulnerably real. It taught me to empathize on a whole new level."

    Suggested by alexk41b034d78

    21. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

    Scribner / Via amazon.com

    "Brilliantly written memoir of what its like to live in a dysfunctional family. Though we have not all experienced the same issues as the author, many can relate to the dynamics of the dysfunctional family."

    Suggested by ttyler

    22. Fault Line by Janet Tashjian

    janettashjian.com

    "It gives a new perspective on teenage abusive relationships and the cycle of abuse."

    Suggested by Naila W., via Facebook

    23. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

    Broadway Books / Via camouflagedwhispers.wordpress.com

    "It's good for those who practice religion and those who don't. It's a very sweet and emotional book."

    Suggested by Isabella E., via Facebook

    24. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

    25. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

    Vintage / Via arts.columbia.edu

    "It's a vividly drawn coming-of-age tale with a Southern Gothic soul reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor."

    Suggested by ians436d65d36

    26. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

    http://G.P. Putnam's Sons / Via amazon.com

    "It covers a whole slew of topics: female friendships, motherhood, domestic abuse, and murder to name a few. Despite these heavy topics, it's funny and cheeky. There's a lot to discuss here."

    Suggested by michallynnv

    27. Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

    Dey Street Books / Via amazon.com

    "Because Amy Poehler. Enough said."

    Suggested by Christina M., via Facebook

    28. Trouble with Lichen by John Wyndham

    Penguin / Via penguin.com.au

    "This novel explores the moral, economic and political implications of the scientific discovery of a life extending serum. It makes you question what you would do in that situation. It's also very short, so it's an easy start to a book group."

    Suggested by vasht

    29. A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

    Harper & Row / Via thebookforum.blogspot.com

    "It can get a little weighty sometimes, but it's a very deep, beautiful, true story, and a great one to talk about with friends. Get ready for the tears, though."

    Suggested by Elizabeth S., via Facebook

    30. A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell

    Lijstrs / Via bookfreak.nl

    "It has one of the best opening lines in the history of fiction: 'Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.'"

    Suggested by Barnaby W., via Facebook

    31. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

    Random House / Via randomhouse.com

    "It will make you laugh, cry, and question everything that you think you know. This is the one book that I always recommend to people no matter what type of genres people read because this book has such a profound impact on each person who reads it."

    Suggested by MaKyla C., via Facebook

    32. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

    33. Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

    Vintage / Via amazon.com

    "Because no one will ever read this book upon my suggestion without social pressure."

    Suggested by janea40f06e008

    Have another book you think would be great for a book club? Let us know in the comments!

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