Book suggestions for a family book club

October 5, 2018 6:28 PM

Seeking your meatiest, most enthralling reading suggestions for a book club of two young adult children and two middle aged parents - more details below the fold!

In my family we've had fun recommending books for each other to read. I want to take it further by reading books together. Mefites are a particularly well-read bunch, and I would love to hear your suggestions for what we should read together!

Mom likes mystery novels (think John Grisham). Recently she recommended I read The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and I'm really digging it.

Dad likes books about health and Chinese culture/history. He recommended Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeline Thien to me, and although it's a work of fiction it helped me understand his life in a different light.

Sibling and I both like sci fi/fantasy and both most recently read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and enjoyed it.

I am looking for books that are gripping and thought-provoking. Bonus if they touch on the above themes. I would like to avoid books that can sometimes take more patience and persistence to work through (eg Infinite Jest) - I don't want anyone to feel like they've been assigned homework.

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

posted by mossicle to Writing & Language (7 answers total)

Best answer: I recently enjoyed and in turn recommended a double-header of (Metafilter’s own) John Scalzi’s Lock In and its follow-up, Head On for a book club I’m part of, and they went over well in a group with a variety of tastes. Here’s a bit more (spoiler-free) on the issues raised in the two books, which are sci-fi mysteries, so they might tick more than one box for you. And they’re totally entertaining reads!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:00 PM on October 5, 2018

Best answer: The Sparrow, by Mary Doris Russell. It has a little of everything for you.
posted by janey47 at 7:00 PM on October 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Wow, given your collective interests, there could hardly be a more perfect book than The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. I think it would be great to read as a family - it deals a lot with family choice-making, as well as cross-cultural understanding (and misunderstanding) in a medical context. It is beautifully written and really induces grappling with some of the ethical and cultural questions it raises. And it's also a page-turner - it's not a mystery, but a mystery reader would like the way it evolves, with continuing new reveals.
posted by Miko at 7:34 PM on October 5, 2018 [7 favorites]

Best answer: I would recommend Still Lives: A Novel, by Maria Hummel, for an enthralling and thought-provoking read that navigates some very heavy themes. This book is definitely gripping, and it’s a quick and intense read that makes for deep conversations and lots to consider. I would caution, in case this is a deterrent, that it can be an upsetting and violent book, so if you’re looking for something a little lighter I would give this one a pass. That said, it definitely meets your criteria in terms of thoughtful writing, and it possesses a sense of urgency that makes it a quick read. It’s a mystery/thriller, and sets a fictional missing persons case against the backdrop of real murders to explore cultural perspectives on violence. I read it some time ago and still find myself having new and fruitful conversations about it, there’s a lot to unpack about this novel.
posted by suri at 7:55 PM on October 5, 2018

Best answer: One of my all-time favorite mystery/thrillers is Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow. It's utterly gripping, and exceptionally well-written. Plus, some of the characters end up with difficult ethical dilemmas, and I think you could have a good discussion about whether they do the right thing.

My one warning: there is some explicit sexual content, and some sexual violence.
posted by yankeefog at 6:00 AM on October 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: One True Thing by Anna Quindlen might suit you, as it combines mystery and family relationships, and a mother-daughter reading club, as well. It's a long time since I read it, but it sticks with me. Another one I'll never forget is Rumer Godden's In This House of Brede which I found utterly gripping.
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:37 AM on October 6, 2018

Best answer: Any of Laura Hillenbrand's books: Unbroken, Seabiscuit, Boys in the Boat.
posted by RoadScholar at 9:40 AM on October 6, 2018