Features | 12 Ideas For Our May Book Club Theme

Features | 12 Ideas For Our May Book Club Theme

• Monday 4 May 2020

 Photo by Daily Nouri on Unsplash

There are so many different options for this month's BB book club theme 'with a number in the title' so I thought it might be fun to share a few suggestions. For today's post I scrolled through my Goodreads shelves to find recommended titles with numbers 0 through 11 in them (all of the books listed below I rated between 3 and 5 stars) and I even managed to sneak a few all time favourites in there too! I've also included links to reviews available in the BB archives if you'd like to find out more about any of these titles.

0. Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Instead of kicking off this list by starting at 1, I wanted to include a recommendation for 0 too. If you haven't yet read Malorie Blackman's popluar YA dystopian series Noughts and Crosses, now is the perfect time! Not only does the first book in the series fit in with our book club prompt this month, but the BBC adaptation was also released recently so you can read the book and binge the TV show too; win-win!

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I can't quite remember why I picked up a copy of Ready Player One back in 2012, but I do know I'm glad that I did. This Science Fiction title quickly became one of my favourites and is still a book I often recommend to people today. I haven't yet listened to the audiobook version, but I think this story would be amazing in that format too.

2. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Okay, okay I may be cheating with this one since it's not technically a 2 in the tile, but second definitely contains a number if you imagine it as 2nd, and we encourage you to interpret the book club prompts however you wish! There's just something about Morgan Matson's books that I really enjoy, and you can find out a little bit more about this one in an Author Spotlight post from our archives.

3. Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food Love, edited by Caroline Tung Richmond and Elsie Chapman

I picked up this short story collection last year after being drawn in by the beautiful cover design. In this YA short story collection, all of the tales are connected by the fact that they are set within the same restaurant/cafe area. As with every anthology, there were some stories I enjoyed much more than others, but overall it's a great little collection. Just make sure you have snacks ready because all of the food talk is bound to make you hungry!

4. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

For this pick, I dug way back into my Goodreads archives to 2013. This book was hugely popular upon it's release and I remember lots of bloggers and YouTubers talking about it which is probably what encouraged me to buy a copy. As I said in my review, this book is one for book lovers but also those who love technology and typography. I'm even tempted to put this on my 'to-be-re-read' list!

5. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

One of my more recent reads was the latest release from Rebecca Serle, which has likely been popping up all over your Instagram feed lately. The book is a contemporary tale which follows Dannie who falls asleep one night as normal, only to wake up and find herself five years in the future. Whilst at first she thinks it must have all just been a strange dream, she quickly realises that this might not be the case.

6. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

There's only one book that comes to mind when I think of those with a 6 in the title and that's Daisy Jones and the Six! This novel is made up of interviews with members of a popular 70's band and is a fictional tale that manages to feel 100% real. I would highly recommend the audiobook version of this one (I plan on listening to it again this month!), although it's a fantastic story in any format.

7. The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Similarly to Daisy Jones, this is another work of fiction with characters that feel very realistic and is such an addictive read. Here we follow Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo who decides it's time to tell the truth about her rise to fame and the many marriages that made newspaper headlines throughout her career. Again, I would highly recommend the audiobook version of this one if you can get hold of it.

8. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

I haven't yet finished reading this trilogy (I have the editon with all three books in one and it's a lot of pages) but I really enjoyed the first part of the story as it felt very unique. If you haven't yet read any of Murakami's books, 1Q84 could be a good place to start!

9. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Taking place at a health resort this novel follows nine strangers as they head to what they think is set to be a perfect spa experience, but of course things aren't exactly as they seem. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Big Little Lies as there were a few bits that were a little too over the top for me, but it was still a good read overall and I know a lot of people thoroughly enjoyed it.

10. Ten by Gretchen McNeil

This YA murder mystery style novel is a tale inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None which sees two best friends travel to an island to attend an exclusive party which quickly turns into a nightmare. With the mystery element and creepy setting, this is a read you're sure to fly through.

11. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

My final pick for this list is Station Eleven, another title which was very popular upon it's release back in 2014. Following a selection of characters as they try to navigate a post-apocolyptic world, I remember thinking that this one was such an interesting read. If you like dystopian novels, Station Eleven is the one for you.

If you do join in with our book club this month, don't forget to let us know which book/s you're reading by tagging @bloggersbookshelf or using #bloggersbookshelf on Instagram.