Member Reviews

This was such a fabulous source of book club content. As someone who runs a bookclub, this was super helpful and such a great source of inspiration. The compilation included multiple genres, specific discussion questions and other books that would make for extended reading. Loved this!!
Thanks for putting this together.

Was this review helpful?

An excellent resource for book clubs to choose their next read! Tons of popular books from 2020 and 2021 are included in this brochure from many genres, including literary fiction, romance, mystery, and nonfiction. A brief blurb about each book is included as well as some discussion questions.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher!

Was this review helpful?

This is a very useful resource for book clubs and readers across the board. Each book has a short summary along with a few discussion questions. This is a great way to get the gist of the book and determine if it’s for you or your book club and what kinds of discussions it might lend itself to. I really liked that these are a mixed of popular books and some more under-the-radar books. It’s also a wide range of genres and diverse voices so there’s books on this list for everyone!

Was this review helpful?

This is a library marketing brochure from Penguin Random House that highlights books that would be good for a book club. The brochure includes 29 recent releases including many popular titles such as Midnight Library, Mexican Gothic, and Transcendent Kingdom. For each book's listing, there is a picture of the cover, a "reader's advisory," and 3-6 discussion questions. The reader advisory includes a review blurb or suggestions of what type of readers would like it. There are also lists of books for a teen book club, non-fiction, historical fiction, mystery and thrillers, and celebrity book club picks. Those lists do not include reader advisory or discussion questions.

I enjoyed reviewing this brochure. I learned about a lot of books that I wasn't familiar with and also saw a lot of books that are popular on Bookstagram/Book TikTok. The discussion questions were thoughtful and would be perfect for facilitating a discussion. I was disappointed that they weren't provided for the other suggested book club titles.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this as reference material for librarians when they are making selections for a book club.

Was this review helpful?

This was a little different than I expected based on the description, I thought there would be more general book questions. I am not a librarian, but was interested in this for our personal book club. I really liked the layout of the document, and the reader advisory section was very helpful to understand the reading audience. There were some great questions that I will use if we ever read any of these books for book club.

Was this review helpful?

Very informative brochure. Suggested a variety of books perfect for any book clubs of all kinds. Highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

This Book Club Guide gave me some great ideas of book suggestions I can bring to my work book club the next time we meet! It included a good variety of different titles, and even sections at the end with options for teen book groups and Spanish-language book groups. Each book covered in the main section had a plot summary and 5 discussion questions, so if my book club selects any of these options I will already be prepared for our conversation! I'm especially excited about Ties That Tether, The Midnight Library, Transcendent Kingdom, and Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything.

Was this review helpful?

First of all the cover is super cute and caught my attention. Secondly I really liked that there was a pretty good variety included and that the covers were shown. The reader's advisory before the sample and questions was also helpful. I wasn't interested in many of these, but that's the good thing about samplers, they help you figure that out without having to purchase the books. I did enjoy the young adult mentions in the back and wish they would have included reader questions as well. A clickable table of contents would have been nice though.

Was this review helpful?

This is my first time browsing one of these brochures. It appears they are available on Penguin Random House's Library Marketing site, which is a great resource for book club questions and full kits!

Volume 21 is 36 pages from cover to cover and includes separate pages for 29 different books. Both fiction and nonfiction adult titles are included. Each of these has:
- a Readers' Advisory (pull quotes, accolades, other notable info)
- About the Book (plot summary)
- 3-6 Discussion Questions

The brochure concludes with pages listing:
- 8 titles for teen book groups
- 4 Spanish language titles
- "Looking for more" random recommendations

I love the simplicity of this publication and think it would make a great resources for not only librarians but also book sellers and everyday readers just looking to for the right picks for their clubs.

If I had one addition I would have liked included, it would be the publication date of each book featured.

Was this review helpful?

I loved getting to look through the titles in this book club brochure. There were so many great picks, many of which I was previously unfamiliar with but am now eager to read.
The discussion questions for each book were great and the guide even included suggestions for Spanish book clubs, nonfiction titles, and YA readers.
I also highly recommend getting a Book Club Guide if one is offered for the title your club selects.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Library Resources and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you so much for this handy guide to suggested titles and discussion questions--very valuable to those in book clubs and those considering forming their own books clubs.

Was this review helpful?

This title will definitely be welcomed by book club members and also by those who read on their own and want to deepen their enjoyment of what they are reading. For each title, there is a synopsis and some questions to consider. Books included are The Opium Prince, The Hierarchies, Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything, A Knock at Midnight, The Butterfly Lampshade, The Smash-Up, The Children’s Blizzard (see my review on my site), In the Garden of Spite, Transcendent Kingdom, The Midnight Library, The Center of Everything, Ties That Tether, The Prophets, Miss Benson’s Beetle (see my review on my site), Agent Sonya, A Burning, Mexican Gothic, The Thursday Murder Club, The Book of Two Ways (see my review on my site), Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey, A Room Called Earth, What’s Left of Me is Yours, The Smallest Lights in the Universe, Friends and Strangers, The Great Offshore Grounds, Memorial, Caste, When Apricots Bloom, Glamour Girls, The Brother Years, Ready Player Two, Sophomores, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Deadly, Wider Than the Sky, and Perestroika in Paris. There are also several titles in Spanish.

There are so many kinds of books here, both fiction and non, some by authors more well known to me than others. All look absorbing with their various plots, settings, characters, real life dilemmas and complexities. Readers are sure to go away with long lists and stacks for their TBR piles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?