Epubor

30 Best Book Club Recommendations Books 2020

Posted by on .

There is nothing better than discussing good books with your friends. Since there are so many great books worthy of discussion, many book clubs may find it difficult to pick the best books which can foster great discussion. Thus we are here to offer you the best book club recommendations books that everyone will enjoy reading.

Top 30 picks for the best club books 2020

Where the Crawdads Sing

    1. Where the Crawdads Sing

      by Delia Owens

      Plot Outline: Delia Owens is a gifted writer though this is her first novel. The book was selected for Reese
       Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club and for Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 2018. The story
       describes the life and adventures of a young girl named Kya as she grows up isolated in the marsh of
       North Carolina. However, the locals immediately suspect Kya when handsome Chase Andrews is found
       dead. As time goes on, when two young men from town become intrigued by her beauty, Kya opens
       herself to a new life.

eleanor oliphant is completely fine

    2. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

      by Gail Honeyman

      Plot Outline: This book is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and talks about the importance of
       friendship and human connection. Due to her childhood trauma, Eleanor struggles with social skills and
       tends to live a cautious life and say exactly what she’s thinking. But everything changes when she meets
       Raymond, she attempts to rediscover her memories and in the process learns how relationships operate
       and that other people can be a source of joy rather than destruction. It’s Raymond’s big heart that helps
       Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

educated

    3. Educated

      by Tara Westover

      Plot Outline: Tara Westover was born to a father opposed to public education. Thus she didn’t attend
      school and spent her days working in her father's junkyard or stewing herbs for her mother, a self-taught
       herbalist and midwife. She was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom, and after that first taste,
       she pursued learning for a decade. And this book is an unforgettable memoir about a young girl who,
       kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.

the boy in the striped pyjamas

    4. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

      by John Boyne

      Plot Outline: Bruno is the son of the commandant at a concentration camp during WWII. His friendship
       with a Jewish boy he meets across the fence leads to unexpected consequences. One day, Bruno conducted
       a plan with Shmuel to sneak into the camp to look for Shmuel's father. As they search the camp,
       both children are rounded up along with a group of prisoners on a march. They are led into a gas chamber
       which Bruno assumes is simply a shelter from the outside rainstorm. Then Bruno’s parents have never
       seen him again.

the princess bride

    5. The Princess Bride

      by William Goldman

      Plot Outline: The book is a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long
       separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be reunited with
       each other. The story combines elements of comedy, adventure, fantasy, drama, romance, and fairy tale.
       It is presented as an abridgment or the good parts version of a longer work by S. Morgenstern, and
       Goldman's commentary asides are constant throughout.

the graveyard book

    6. The Graveyard Book

      by Neil Gaiman

      Plot Outline: The Graveyard Book, a modern classic, is the only work ever to win both the Newbery and
       Carnegie medals. The story follows the young life of a boy called Nobody Owens who
       is orphaned as a toddler when a man kills his entire family. Nobody is adopted by ghosts from the local
       graveyard who raise him in a world of vampires, werewolves, mummies, and ghouls, and teach him to use
       a variety of supernatural abilities.

the perks of being a wallflower

    7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

      by Stephen Chbosky

      Plot Outline: This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. Socially awkward Charlie is a
       wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two charismatic students become his mentors.
       Free-spirited Sam and her stepbrother Patrick help Charlie discover the joys of friendship, first love, music
       and more, while a teacher sparks Charlie's dreams of becoming a writer. However, as his new friends
       prepare to leave for college, Charlie's inner sadness threatens to shatter his newfound confidence.

to kill a mockingbird

    8. To Kill a Mockingbird

      by Harper Lee

      Plot Outline: Harper Lee is known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, her only
       major work. The story takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great
       Depression. It centers on Jean Louise Finch, an unusually intelligent though unconventional girl. It takes
       readers to the roots of human behavior -- innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and
       hatred, humor and pathos.

little fires everywhere

    9. Little Fires Everywhere

      by Celeste Ng

      Plot Outline: Little Fires Everywhere is perfect for book clubs. The book tells the story of a single mother,
       Mia Warren, who moves to the suburbs in Ohio with her teenage daughter, where they become involved
       with Elena Richardson and her picture-perfect family. It explores the weight of long-held secrets and the
       ferocious pull of motherhood-and the danger of believing that planning and following the rules can avert
       disaster, or heartbreak.

american gods

    10. American Gods

      by Neil Gaiman

      Plot Outline: American Gods is a fantasy novel. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various
       strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. The story
       follows a man named Shadow who is an convict who is released from prison just days after his wife and
       best friend are killed together in a car accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered,
       Shadow takes a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of
       eccentric characters.

flower for algernon

    11. Flowers for Algernon

      by Daniel Keyes

      Plot Outline: Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story. It is about a mentally disabled Charlie is
       about to undergo a surgery to increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes
       effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his
       transformation. The experiment seems to be a scientific breakthrough -- until Algernon, a laboratory
       mouse, begins his sudden, unexpected deterioration.

the hobbit or there and back again

    12. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

      by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

      Plot Outline: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel. The book remains popular
       and is recognized as a classic in children's literature. It introduced the world to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins,
      the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a
      reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.

hamlet

    13. Hamlet

      by William Shakespeare

 

      Plot Outline: Hamlet, one of the greatest plays of all time, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and
       is considered by many as the masterpiece. The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to
       avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to
      seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother. Thus Hamlet pretends to go crazy with revenge.

the stand

    14. The Stand

      by Stephen King

 

      Plot Outline: The Stand is a postapocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by Stephen King. It expands upon the
       scenario of his earlier short story Night Surf, and presents a detailed vision of the total breakdown of
       society after the accidental release of a strain of influenza that had been modified for biological warfare
      causes an apocalyptic pandemic, killing off over 99% of the world's population.

the pillars of the earth

    15. The Pillars of the Earth

      by Ken Follett

      Plot Outline: The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel about build the greatest Gothic cathedral the
       world has ever known. It is set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears
       lives and families apart. Around the site of the construction of the magnificent Cathedral, the author
      weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man
      and ends with the humiliation of a king.

the fellowship of the ring

    16. The Fellowship of the Ring

      by J.R.R. Tolkien

      Plot Outline: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the
      Rings
. It’s about a young hobbit, Frodo, who has found the Ring which has been lost for centuries. The ring
      has the power to destroy nearly everything. Thus powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it.
      Frodo begins his journey with eight companions to Mount Doom, the only place where the ring can be
      destroyed.

anna karenina

    17. Anna Karenina

      by Leo Tolstoy

      Plot Outline: Acclaimed as the world's greatest novel, Anna Karenina deals with themes of betrayal, faith,
       family, marriage, Imperial Russian society, desire, and rural vs. city life. The plot centers on an affair
       between Anna and dashing cavalry officer Count Alexei Vronsky that scandalizes the social circles of Saint
       Petersburg and forces the young lovers to flee for Italy in a search for happiness. Returning to Russia, their
       lives further unravel.

all the light we cannot see

    18. All the Light We Cannot See

      by Anthony Doerr

      Plot Outline: All the Light We Cannot See is set in occupied France during World War II. Marie Laure is a
       blind 14-year-old French girl who flees to the countryside when her father disappears from Nazi-occupied
       Paris. Werner is a gadget-obsessed German orphan whose skills admit him to a brutal branch of Hitler
       Youth. Their paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. This is
      not a book you read for plot. This is a book you read for the beauty of Doerr’s writing.

the book thief

    19. The Book Thief

      by Markus Zusak

      Plot Outline: The Book Thief is a story about Liesel, a girl growing up in Germany during World War II. She
       is living with a foster family on Himmel Street because her parents have been taken away to
      a concentration camp. She steals books, learns to read with the help of her foster father, begins a love affair
       with books and finds comfort in words. She and Max, the Jew her family protects, are the only main
       characters that survive the war.

me before you

    20. Me Before You

      by Jojo Moyes

      Plot Outline: Me Before You is a heartbreakingly romantic novel which brings life to two people who have
       nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose. After losing her job, Louisa is forced to accept
       one which requires her to take care of Will, a wealthy young banker left paralyzed from an accident. Louisa
       shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither
      one could have imagined.

the nightingale

    21. The Nightingale

      by Kristin Hannah

      Plot Outline: The Nightingale is an unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war. It tells the
      stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each
       embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn
       France-a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the
      durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

wonder

    22. Wonder

      by R. J. Palacio

      Plot Outline: Wonder is the best kids' book of the year. August was born with a facial difference which has
       prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing
       more than to be treated as an ordinary kid. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all
      struggle to discover their compassion and acceptance, Auggie's extraordinary journey will unite them and
      prove you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

big little lies

    23. Big Little Lies

      by Liane Moriarty

      Plot Outline: Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters,
      schoolyard scandal, and the little lies that can turn lethal. It tells the story of five women in Monterey,
      California who become embroiled in a murder investigation. Madeline, Celeste and Jane are a trio of
       wealthy young women in Monterey. Their lives are shattered when a murder takes place in their idyllic
      town.

a man called ove

    24. A Man Called Ove

      by Fredrik Backman

      Plot Outline: Ove is a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were
       burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short
      fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbour from hell.” However, behind the cranky exterior there is a story
      and a sadness. This book is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless
      others.

the glass castle

    25. The Glass Castle

      by Jeannette Walls

 

      Plot Outline: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look
       into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. The book recounts the unconventional,
       poverty-stricken upbringing Jeannette and her siblings had at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional
       parents. The title refers to her father’s long held intention of building his dream house, a glass castle.

gone girl

    26. Gone Girl

      by Gillian Flynn

      Plot Outline: Gone Girl is a thriller novel in the mystery and crime genres. The author Gillian Flynn is one
       of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time. This book is a toxic mix of sharp-edged wit
      and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. It takes
       that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly,
       terribly wrong.

ready player one

    27. Ready Player One

      by Ernest Cline

      Plot Outline: Ready Player One is a science fiction novel. The story is set in a dystopia in 2045 when the
      world has been gripped by an energy crisis from the depletion of fossil fuels and the consequences of
      global warming and overpopulation, causing widespread social problems and economic stagnation. It
      follows protagonist Wade on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery
       of which would lead him to inherit the game creator's fortune.

the help

    28. The Help

      by Kathryn Stockett

      Plot Outline: The Help is a deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope. It is a timeless
      and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't. The story is about African
       Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s. Three ordinary
       women are about to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers,
      daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another.

the martian

    29. The Martian

      by Andy Weir

      Plot Outline: The Martian is a 2011 science fiction novel. Mark Watney is stranded on the planet of Mars
      after his crew leaves him behind, presuming him to be dead due to a storm. With minimum supplies, Mark
       struggles to keep himself alive. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international
       scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue
      mission.

the time traveler's wife

    30. The Time Traveler's Wife

      by Audrey Niffenegger

      Plot Outline: It is a love story about a man with a rare genetic disorder that causes him to time travel
      unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous
       experiences. The novel, which has been classified as both science fiction and romance, examines issues of
       love, loss, and free will. In particular, it uses time travel to explore miscommunication and distance in
      relationships, while also investigating deeper existential questions.

Bonus Tip: If you want to back up your purchased Kindle/Kobo/Google Play/Nook books to your local disk, you can follow this guide to remove DRM from your books.

Download Epubor Ultimate for Free
   

kindle books decrypted

author

crafts informative articles on eBooks and eReaders, uncovering optimal methods to enhance your eBook reading experience, and eagerly shares her findings with you.

0 Comments
Leave a comment
Rating
YourName *
email
Comments UBB Editor
Home > Guide >30 Best Book Club Recommendations Books 2020
mcafee badgenorton badge