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All-time Book Club Favorites, 2025 Edition
Bonnie Garmus, Milo Todd, Eve J. Chung, Percival Everett, and more ...
Book Club News: May Issue
Hello Book Clubbers,
In this issue, we bring you online discussions of some winning historical novels.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus portrays a scientist’s battle with 1960s sexism using humor and a light touch. Milo Todd’s The Lilac People spotlights the lives of queer and trans people in Hitler’s Germany. And Eve J. Chung’s Daughters of Shandong fictionalizes her family’s experiences during the Chinese Communist revolution.
It’s time for Book Clubs’ All-time Favorite Books! See what our most recent survey reveals about book club members’ current overall best discussion books.
Considering Percival Everett’s Pulitzer-winning novel James for your book club? Along with the discussion guide, you can use our review and “beyond the book” reading list of other reimagined classics as supplemental content.
Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team
Book Club Discussions
Discussions are open to all! If you’ve read a book and would like to participate, you can do so by creating an account here. If you have not, we suggest you go to "about the book" to avoid spoilers.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
From the Jacket A must-read debut! Meet Elizabeth Zott: a "formidable, unapologetic and inspiring" (Parade) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is "irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat" (The New York Times Book Review). From the Discussion “I loved the twists & turns at the end, you’ve got to read this book!” —Ruth_Hollandsworth |  |
“The author skillfully intertwines each idea to demonstrate how issues from the 1960s are still actively important now. The book uses a balanced amount of ‘seriousness’ and humor to cover very complex topics.” —Marge_K
See what people are saying in response to this question: “As a child, Elizabeth had no formal education, and yet she was able to self-educate, thanks to her library card. With the advent of technology, do you think libraries are still important to society? If so, why?”
The Lilac People by Milo Todd
From the Jacket In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin's thriving queer community. An employee of the renowned Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute of Sexual Science, Bertie works to improve queer rights in Germany and beyond, but everything changes when Hitler rises to power. The institute is raided, the Eldorado is shuttered, and queer people are rounded up. Bertie barely escapes with his girlfriend, Sofie, to a nearby farm. There they take on the identities of an elderly couple and live for more than a decade in isolation. |  |
From the Discussion
“The Lilac People is beautifully written, the dual timeline is easy to follow, the main characters are well developed…one of the best books I have read in a while and I read a lot!” —Laura_S
“The importance of a sense of community plays an integral part…I loved the way the author expressed this.” —Melissa_Chaitin
“This book was a win for me. I already have two friends reading it.” —Dee_Driscole
Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung
From the Jacket A propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters' harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China, by debut author Eve J. Chung, based on her family story. From the Discussion “Eve Chung effectively weaves the story of her own grandmother with the lives of the Ang family, the Chinese Civil War, the rise of communism, and the displacement and challenges faced by many people of China. It was a gripping blend of fact and fiction.” —Lynne_Zolli |  |
“I couldn’t put it down. It is very well written, I felt like I was right there amongst the characters watching their story unfold in real life.” —Marijana_Bankovic
“This would be an excellent book for a book club or fans of historical fiction. I also think it would appeal to a younger audience who might not have knowledge of that period in world history.” —Elizabeth_Trainor
Book Clubs’ All-time Favorite Books
Book club favorites vary from year to year, and we're here to keep you updated on the most current trends! In this year's subscriber survey, we once again asked book club members to name their top three book club books of all time. From their answers, we've compiled our latest list of book clubs' top ten overall favorite books. … continued |  |
Featured Review & Beyond the Book
Besides free reading guides, we offer supplemental materials like reviews and “beyond the book” articles to enhance your book club discussions. Members can view all content, and non-members can access the content below for a limited time.
James by Percival Everett Everett covers many of the incidents readers will recall from Huck Finn — most vividly and disturbingly Huck and Jim's encounter with the confidence men calling themselves the King and the Duke. Slavery's violence is unflinchingly captured in all of its horror, but also in its absurdity. … continued |  |
Reimagining the Classics from a New Perspective Percival Everett's James is a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck's enslaved companion Jim. This kind of reconfiguration is a common source of inspiration for authors, as one can see in the following list of books that similarly provide new points of view on classic works of literature. … continued |  |
Review and article by Lisa Butts
Discussions
Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your book club among our more than 200 past discussions. Currently, we’re discussing Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, The Lilac People by Milo Todd, and Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung. |  |
Starting May 15, we feature The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris and Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan.
About BookBrowse
BookBrowse offers a cornucopia of resources for book clubs, including recommended books by genre, time period, setting, and a wide range of themes; advice on starting and running a book club; and much more!
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