TTT: Solid Choices for Book Clubs That Don't Like Too Much Drama

Top Ten Tuesday: 

    The assignment - Give my sister a list of books which would be good, solid choices for her book club. 

    The caveat - This list cannot include books with too much drama or deep, troubling topics. Her club, made up mostly of aging teachers, only wants to read good books that generate a lively discussion.

    I accept this challenge. 

    Here are my book suggestions I think fit the bill.

1. Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

This is a future club selection for me but I already know this book will be an excellent choice for a club seeking a sweet book which also has a lot to discuss about aging, personal connections, and grief. (David R. Godine, 2024. 240 pages.)

2. Plainsong by Kent Haruf

My club just discussed this book at our last meeting and to a person everyone liked it but no one could quite put their finger on why. Could it be because of its accurate portrayal of life in small towns? Not sure but this book was a winner. Another book by the same author, Our Souls at Night would also be an excellent choice. (Plainsong: Vintage, 1999. 301 pages. Our Souls: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 179 pages.)

3. News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Covering a little-known time in history when news was spread to small communities in Texas by itinerant readers who would travel to towns to read the news from various newspapers. The relationship between this reader and his charge, a white girl who had lived with Native Americans for years, is priceless. (William Morrow, 2016. 209 pages.)

4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

If your club can manage a longer book, this one is the best. All the bad stuff you think is going to happen, doesn't. (Viking, 2021. 576 pages)

5.  Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Patchett was inspired to write this book by Thornton Wilder's play, Our Town. It about a mother, her three daughters, and her memories of acting in the play. (Harper, 2023. 309 pages.)

6. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

I craved books about the experiences I lived through during the COVID lock-downs. This is that book. We've read several books by this author and she never has disappointed us and gives us plenty to discuss. When in doubt of what to read next, pick something by Strout. (Random House, 2022. 291 pages.)

7. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons

Another book about the challenges of aging and the importance of human connections. A winner. (William Morrow, 2020. 372 pages.)

8. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

Stewart creates a story about the first female police deputy in New Jersey, which is based on a real person. This book is a lot of fun. There is even a bit of a mystery. There are several books in the series. I've read three of them and liked them all. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 408 pages.)

9. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

Quirky characters and small-town life. I am a huge fan of this book and this author! (Grove Press, 2018. 303 pages.)

10. The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

All the gals in my club became big fans of this book and the whole series. Very inspiring story from a Christian perspective. (Simon and Schuster, 2010. 289 pages.)

11. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Both of my clubs read this one and liked it. The uncommon reader is none other than the queen. Very funny. (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007. 120 pages.)

12. A Man Called Ove or Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Both books start out at one level and go so much deeper than you think they will go. (Ove: Atria Books, 2012. 337 pages. Anxious: Atria, 2019. 336.)

13. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

Set in Nigeria about a girl who above all else wants an education. Her transformation is a sight to behold. (Duttons Books, 2020. 371 pages)

14. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.

The writing of the Oxford English Dictionary from a female perspective. So many words weren't included because they were thought to be female words. (Affirm Press, 2020. 380 pages.)

How'd I do? Can you think of some other titles that would fit the bill?

-Anne