Book Club News: November Issue
Hello Book Clubbers,
In this issue, we bring you our book club discussion of Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk, the story of a 19th-century Irish immigrant to America told through letters.
We’re also talking about Reset by Kevin Charles, which raises social and philosophical questions with its premise of a “Reset,” through which a person reaching the age of fifty reverts to life in a twenty-five-year-old body.
Erin Somers’ funny and thoughtful The Ten Year Affair follows an unfulfilled woman having an (imaginary) affair with a friend. It’s just come out in paperback, and you and your book club can enjoy our review and other related content.
Plus, explore hundreds more book club books in our Parenting & Families category, and check out upcoming discussions, including Imbolo Mbue’s Every Story Is a Love Story, which you can win copies of for yourself and your book club in our latest giveaway!
Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team
Book Club Discussions
Discussions are open to all! If you’d like to participate, you can do so by creating an account here. Please note that discussions can contain spoilers.
Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk
From the Jacket
Recommended for readers who enjoy The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and An American Beauty by Shana Abé.
Three hearts. Love lost. One impossible choice.
A character-driven historical saga featuring the love triangle of a seaman, a governess and a wealthy speculator. Told through letters, the sweep of 19th century events like the gold rush, whaling voyages, and the streets of Manhattan unfold.
From the Discussion
“Writing style similar to The Correspondent, but I truly enjoyed Dear Missing Friend—the actual story was better—at least for me. A bonus was finding out the people were real! Will also recommend this one to my book club.” —Susan_W
“I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I think it would be a good book club book also. There would be so much to discuss about the 1800s—Irish famine, immigrants and prejudices against them, hardships, loneliness, and finding oneself, to name a few.” —Sylvia_L
See what people are saying in response to this question: Losing family members of all ages was common in the mid-1800s. Did the characters move past loss differently than we do today?
Reset by Kevin Charles
From the Jacket
Tom and Elena Miller built a beautiful life over nearly three decades of marriage. But as Tom approaches his fiftieth birthday, the crushing weight of his middle-aged responsibilities and a desperate desire for freedom drive a wedge between him and the people he loves most. He doesn't just want a break; he wants a second chance at his twenties.
In a society defined by "The Reset"—a global anomaly where anyone turning fifty wakes up in their original, twenty-five-year-old body—Tom's desire becomes a devastating reality.
From the Discussion
“I think anyone who likes dystopian topics or likes a good philosophical debate would most certainly enjoy this. I can see it being great for a book club.” —Helen_B
“It raised a number of questions regarding morality, ethics, lifestyle, aging and intergenerational responsibility. I think it’s a layered book.” —Donna_D
See what people are saying in response to this question: Like Walt, if you thought you had only 25 years to live and suffered from a debilitating disease, how many years of good health would make a Reset worth it?
Featured Paperback
Stay on top of paperback releases for your book club with our Recent Paperbacks section, and discover additional content for featured titles, including reviews, “beyond the book” articles, and discussion questions. Below is just one new paperback we recommend.
The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
In an unnamed town in the Hudson Valley, thirty-year-old Cora is living two lives. In one life—reality—she's a mother to two young children and a content manager at a digital marketing company. While on maternity leave, she befriends Sam, the sole father in her local baby group. Cora is instantly attracted to him and admits it. "It was physical only, but had grown strong. She had no control over it, she told him. She became a slavering animal in his presence." He also wants to sleep with her, he tells her, but it's because he likes her as a person. At an impasse, both unwilling to act on their feelings and hurt their families, they become friends.
But Cora's other life is her fantasy life, in which she and Sam do decide to have an affair, a word that sounds so cliché and old-fashioned to their real selves. … continued
Review by Chloe Pfeiffer
Parenting & Families Book Club Books
Family-based books are some of the most fruitful for book club discussion, and The Ten Year Affair is just one of more than 250 titles paired with reading guides in our Parenting & Families category.
These also include recent popular hardcovers like Abandoning a Cat by Haruki Murakami and Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus.
This is one of 100+ themed categories available to BookBrowse members. Non-members can browse a limited version of our category lists, while members can access the full selection.
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 Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk and Reset by Kevin Charles, among other books.
Starting this week, we feature Every Story Is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue.
Book Club Giveaway
Every Story Is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue
From the Jacket
What if I'd never gotten into that car? What if I'd pulled out of the driveway five minutes earlier, or ten minutes later?
Three years ago, Wolo's wife was killed in a tragic car accident. In an instant, the great love of his life was gone, and so was their beautiful future. In the face of a loss that seemed insurmountable, Wolo has slowly rebuilt a semblance of a life: he goes to work, hangs out with a small circle of friends, and fends off the matchmaking efforts of the older women in his family. The grief that dogged him has, with time, become a little gentler.
Until a letter arrives one day, unbidden, threatening to upend his life once again.
Praise
"The splendid third novel from Mbue...This morally complex tale leaves readers with much to chew on." —Publishers Weekly
“Readers who enjoyed Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water will be drawn to this story." —Library Journal
About This Sweepstakes
We have up to 30 hardcover copies of Every Story Is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue to give away. If a winner is in a book club they will receive a copy for each member of their group (up to a maximum of 10 copies); if a winner is not in a book club they will receive 4 copies (one for themselves and three to share with friends).
This offer is open to residents of the USA, except for BookBrowse members who are welcome to enter wherever they live. If a member not resident in the US wins, they receive an extension to their membership.
Giveaway ends November 9, 2026
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!
