Just found out most book clubs pick the same 20 books over and over

I was scrolling through a reading stats site called BookBrowse last night. Turns out over 60% of book clubs choose from a pool of like 20 bestsellers. The Nightingale, Where the Crawdads Sing, Educated. Same ones every time. Our club has done three of those in two years. Are we just lazy or does everyone else stick to the safe picks too? What's a hidden gem your club actually debated hard?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_johnson17h ago

Did you ever try picking a book that had a movie adaptation before the book club meeting? We did that with "The Remains of the Day" after the film came out and it actually sparked a better debate than any of the bestsellers. The trick is to pick something with a specific cultural moment tied to it, like "The Art of Fielding" when baseball season started, or "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" when the Netflix thing dropped. Our club also had good luck with "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" because half the people hated the main character so much it turned into a real argument about whether you have to like a protagonist to enjoy a book. Those were the nights people actually stayed past the snack table.

stella_lee17h ago

That "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" pick is a perfect example - I've found the books where people have strong, opposite reactions always lead to the best discussions. Just make sure you pick one that actually fits your group's size, because a 20-person club arguing about an unlikeable protagonist can get real chaotic real fast.