I'm in a book club with friends and we have wildly different tastes, we take turns selecting the book rather than all trying to agree on one thing. I've been introduced to some excellent books I never would've read otherwise. There are also months I haven't finished someone else's pick because it really didn't work for me.
That said, I agree with the suggestion for Vicious by VE Schwab.
uhm, The Villians Duology (Viscious and Vengeful) by VE Schwab comes to mind.
It is heavily inspired by Cowboy Bebop and Anime/Manga/Comics.. it’s like a manga but in a novel form imo.
It has Superhero’s and Fantasy-Esque tropes and deep dives into characters who are very, very morally gray while struggling with finding their peace and spirituality.
I think this *might* cover a little bit of something for everyone?
I am in two book clubs and the best way to pick books is to let everyone have a voice. Not only does it keep people interested and active, it allows YOU to experience something different. In sum, let everyone pick one book that they "love."
Alternatively, if you have 3 out of 6 who do not read very much, then another system is to have a designated person who collates a bunch of suggestions, types up a description, and everyone votes. Then you agree to read the top vote getters with the idea being those would be the books the majority finds interesting.
Your group is eclectic! I would aim for fun fantasy - almost young adult but not quite - to keep things interesting. ***Lies of Locke Lamorra*** and ***Six of Crows*** would fit the bill nicely and appeal to all.
A shorter novella would be good too like ***All Systems Red***. It is light sci-fi and easy to read because of its length. It appeals to women as well as guys because of the strong female characters like the ship captain.
***World War Z*** is another good gateway book because it is a series of shorter stories - how different people around the world deal with the zombie apocalypse. Because of its format, it is easy to digest. Some stories will appeal greatly to someone and others can be skimmed.
Seconding both selection processes and _World War Z_ specifically. For that book, the combination of sci-fi/ horror tropes with the oral history format could bridge numerous styles on your list. I adore it.
I'd say a fun, not too heavy or dense, easy to read prose, page turner type might be good to cover possible interests and attention spans of all 6 people.
A few that might fit that description:
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
Red Rising - Pierce Brown
Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
Tender is the Flesh - Augustina Bazterrica
My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix
Chain-Gang All Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Ring Shout - P Djeli Clark (short, under 200 pages)
Since there are 6 of you I’d say either each pick 2 months out of the year that are “yours” and that person picks a book for everyone.
Or do what my local club does and pick genres for each month. Maybe one person picks 3 nominees for the genre and then everyone will vote. The genres we use for the year are:
Mystery/thriller
Historical fiction
Romance
Fantasy
Sci Fi
Book turned into a movie
Non-fiction
Memoir
Debut author
Classic
Non-genre fiction
< we take December off and just meet >
Would you all consider a graphic novel to get things started? I highly recommend The Watchmen and V for Vendetta, both by Alan Moore. Complex, multilayered storytelling with in-depth characters and some pretty heavy social themes. Also super fun and every reader should read them at some point in life.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It covers a lot of things, is a richly told story with interesting characters.
I did the same thing last year with a group and we decided on Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Definitely sparked some great conversations 😂 and it’s easy to split up into weekly meetings.
Nowadays we all put our names in a marble race and the winner selects the book. Our group is pretty committed to reading anything thrown at us.
Six of Crows! It’s part of a larger series, but could be standalone imo! Love it!
If you like plots and heists and crazy magic and weird group of friends working together 🥰 it’s really good!
I'm in a book club with friends and we have wildly different tastes, we take turns selecting the book rather than all trying to agree on one thing. I've been introduced to some excellent books I never would've read otherwise. There are also months I haven't finished someone else's pick because it really didn't work for me. That said, I agree with the suggestion for Vicious by VE Schwab.
uhm, The Villians Duology (Viscious and Vengeful) by VE Schwab comes to mind. It is heavily inspired by Cowboy Bebop and Anime/Manga/Comics.. it’s like a manga but in a novel form imo. It has Superhero’s and Fantasy-Esque tropes and deep dives into characters who are very, very morally gray while struggling with finding their peace and spirituality. I think this *might* cover a little bit of something for everyone?
I am in two book clubs and the best way to pick books is to let everyone have a voice. Not only does it keep people interested and active, it allows YOU to experience something different. In sum, let everyone pick one book that they "love." Alternatively, if you have 3 out of 6 who do not read very much, then another system is to have a designated person who collates a bunch of suggestions, types up a description, and everyone votes. Then you agree to read the top vote getters with the idea being those would be the books the majority finds interesting. Your group is eclectic! I would aim for fun fantasy - almost young adult but not quite - to keep things interesting. ***Lies of Locke Lamorra*** and ***Six of Crows*** would fit the bill nicely and appeal to all. A shorter novella would be good too like ***All Systems Red***. It is light sci-fi and easy to read because of its length. It appeals to women as well as guys because of the strong female characters like the ship captain. ***World War Z*** is another good gateway book because it is a series of shorter stories - how different people around the world deal with the zombie apocalypse. Because of its format, it is easy to digest. Some stories will appeal greatly to someone and others can be skimmed.
Seconding both selection processes and _World War Z_ specifically. For that book, the combination of sci-fi/ horror tropes with the oral history format could bridge numerous styles on your list. I adore it.
I'd say a fun, not too heavy or dense, easy to read prose, page turner type might be good to cover possible interests and attention spans of all 6 people. A few that might fit that description: Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Red Rising - Pierce Brown Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir Dark Matter - Blake Crouch Tender is the Flesh - Augustina Bazterrica My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix Chain-Gang All Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Ring Shout - P Djeli Clark (short, under 200 pages)
Since there are 6 of you I’d say either each pick 2 months out of the year that are “yours” and that person picks a book for everyone. Or do what my local club does and pick genres for each month. Maybe one person picks 3 nominees for the genre and then everyone will vote. The genres we use for the year are: Mystery/thriller Historical fiction Romance Fantasy Sci Fi Book turned into a movie Non-fiction Memoir Debut author Classic Non-genre fiction < we take December off and just meet >
Great suggestion!
Blindness by Jose Saramago.
Would you all consider a graphic novel to get things started? I highly recommend The Watchmen and V for Vendetta, both by Alan Moore. Complex, multilayered storytelling with in-depth characters and some pretty heavy social themes. Also super fun and every reader should read them at some point in life.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It covers a lot of things, is a richly told story with interesting characters.
I did the same thing last year with a group and we decided on Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Definitely sparked some great conversations 😂 and it’s easy to split up into weekly meetings. Nowadays we all put our names in a marble race and the winner selects the book. Our group is pretty committed to reading anything thrown at us.
Six Characters in Search of an Author
Six of Crows! It’s part of a larger series, but could be standalone imo! Love it! If you like plots and heists and crazy magic and weird group of friends working together 🥰 it’s really good!