Check out the November Sarah Selects book club pick
With my book club, Sarah Selects, I pick a book each month that I can’t stop thinking (and talking) about. We read and discuss (and debate) and have a live Q&A with the author. See what I picked for November, along with some past months’ picks, and join the club!
November
Why I picked it: There’s something so sweet, so unexpected, and so altogether “human” in this mystery starring a woman named Penny and her pony (yes, pony) named Pony. This may sound like a shtick, but Christina Lynch weaves together the story of these two searching souls in a way that will make your heart gallop. When Penny is charged with a murder that happened when she was a child, both she and Pony work tirelessly to prove her innocence. This is a story about love, about innocence, and about what it means to be real in the world.
October
Why I picked it: You might be familiar with Jason Rekulak as the author of the bestseller Hidden Pictures. But even if you’re not, expect to be caught up in this chilling and character-rich thriller starring a lovable blue-collar dad who is just a little bit clueless. This is one of those books you could hand to nearly anyone and they’d find something to enjoy. You’re cordially invited to delve into a wedding weekend that is cloaked in secrecy and decadence and feels just a bit…off.
September
Why I picked it: I confess I still get a little “back to school” spirit this time of year, and Elise Bryant’s It’s Elementary hit the spot as the perfect read for the month. Mavis Miller is a single working mom with little time for anything besides work and her daughter, but she somehow gets roped into taking the lead on the PTA’s new DEI committee. This is a part-mystery, part-romcom, and 100% satisfying read, particularly if you (like me) are not the perfect PTA parent, no matter how darn hard you try.
August
Why I picked it: If you’re like me and you loved Nita Prose’s The Maid and Sally Hepworth’s The Good Sister, you’re going to love this debut mystery with an unlikely and lovable heroine. Lenny Marks is a teacher, lives alone, bikes everywhere, and owns 36 copies of The Hobbit. And while she doesn’t really have friends per se, she is living a perfectly lovely life, thank you very much. That is, until a letter shows up that threatens to bring her dark and mysterious past into her cozy present day. I dare you to read this book and not fall in love with Lenny Marks.
July
Why I picked it: Liz Moore’s writing shines in this hypnotically calm book told through a dual timeline: the summers of 1963 and 1975. There is an eerie stillness about this novel, which could be frenetic: missing children! But Moore maintains this almost otherworldly pace, all while creating beautiful characters (particularly the female investigator), attacking themes like class and gender without hitting you over the head, and then she sticks an ending that refuses to leave me. Absolute perfection.
June
Why I picked it: I absolutely love Elin Hilderbrand’s writing. In fact, I’ve read everything she’s written. Swan Song is just what the title proclaims—her last Nantucket summer novel before she retires. Instead of crying sad literary tears over this news, I’ve decided to celebrate my love of this Queen of Summer’s books by inviting all of you to read along with me. And if I happen to create a new fan in the process, that’s just the icing on the cake.
May
Why I picked it: Before she was the “Queen of Jazz,” Ella Fitzgerald was orphaned and homeless. In Richards’ captivating fictional take on Fitzgerald’s young life, readers will come to appreciate the career path of this iconic star even more. If this book hadn’t been based on a historical figure’s life, I would have never believed the difficult and interesting childhood that Fitzgerald had.
April
Why I picked it: I’ve always been fascinated by whether our destinies are controlled by fate or free will, and that’s the question at the crux of Rebecca Serle’s Expiration Dates. Don’t let the wafts of magical realism scare you away; Serle is an expert on a modern weave of magical realism with reality. Leading lady Daphne gets a slip of paper each time she starts dating a man that tells her exactly how long they will be together. But then the night of a blind date she gets a paper with only the man’s name. So what, exactly, does this mean? This book is romantic, it’s tragic, and it’s really quite surprising. It’s exactly the kind of book that begs for a book club; I guarantee you’ll need to talk to someone when it’s over!
March
Why I picked it: Billie West is sitting in a New York City apartment when she hears her childhood best friend, Cassie, let out a bloodcurdling scream from the floor above her. Cassie is screaming because her baby has disappeared from her apartment; Billie knows this because she is the one who has kidnapped the baby. If this creepy scene doesn’t immediately hook you, check your pulse! Bye, Baby is a psychologically twisty story about longtime friendship and the rift caused not only by time, but also when one friend is a parent and the other is not. Using the same alternating narrator style Lovering successfully used in Tell Me Lies (now a streaming series), you’ll be hooked by Billie and Cassie until the last page.
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