Wondering what your book club should be reading in 2018? Here are 12 great choices to take your reading group through the year; all ideal for book club discussion. If you want a little help in structuring your reading group meeting, Book Club Study Guides are available for a number of these recommended titles.

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If the dismal winter weather is getting you down, be grateful you don’t live in Beartown: the isolated Swedish community at the centre of Fredrik Backman’s latest novel. Punished by the harshest of weather conditions, the town sees only a few hours of sunlight each day. To make matters worse, it is also suffering economic decline. The potential of the junior ice hockey team is Beartown’s last hope. When a scandal erupts around one of the star players, however, members of the small community are forced to decide where their loyalties lie.

Darker in tone than A Man Called Ove, Beartown (published as The Scandal in the UK) is a gripping exploration of the dark side of small communities and the moral responsibility of the individual.

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. This quirky novel involves a heart-warming romance but is, above all else, a love letter to books. Its hero is a reclusive bookstore owner who sees little point in existence after his wife dies.  The discovery of an abandoned baby in the children’s section of his store, however, soon forces him to re-engage with the world and rediscover its joys.

This novel explores the many different forms that love can take (friendship, romance, parental etc.) while radiating the author’s passion for reading. Peppered with references to great literature, it will speak to the heart of every bibliophile.

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As St Patrick’s Day approaches lose yourself in the Irish brogue of the characters in John Boyne’s stunning new novel.  The Heart’s Invisible Furies follows the trials and tribulations of a gay man who has the misfortune to be born in the oppressive atmosphere of Ireland in the 1950s. Spanning the entirety of Cyril Avery’s life, from boyhood to old age, this is a moving portrayal of one man’s quest to find his place in the world. Although, in parts, horrifying and heartbreaking.  The Heart’s Invisible Furies is also packed with hilarious dialogue and absurd incidents. Rich, rewarding and entertaining, this book is a joy from beginning to end.

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April is Pulitzer Prize month and, as we speculate on this year’s contenders, why not discuss last year’s fiction winner: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Set in nineteenth-century America, it describes the adventures of a slave girl, Cora, as she escapes her owner and travels across the country in an attempt to reach a state where she will finally be free.

Combining the realism of a slave narrative with elements of fantasy, The Underground Railroad has been hailed as one of the most remarkable fictional depictions of American slavery since Toni Morrison’s Beloved.  Presenting a damning portrait of the U.S. past it also raises some uncomfortable questions about the present state of race relations.

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The month of May heralds Mother’s Day in the USA. To mark the occasion try Celeste Ng’s new offering which has the theme of mothering at its heart. By focusing on the explosive interaction of two very different families, the novel explores a loaded question: what makes a mother?

Ng’s debut novel, Everything I Never Told You was a runaway book club success and her follow-up has all the same ingredients: vividly drawn characters, the sensitive portrayal of family dynamics and an exploration of the themes of race and privilege.

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With the longest day of the year looming, why not discuss Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time? In this new novel, the author encourages readers to contemplate what it would be like if our lives as a whole could be extended. His narrator, Tom Hazard is 400 years old but only looks around 40. Tom is no Dorian Gray, however, as his perpetual youth has become the bane of his life.  Over the course of four centuries, he has been doomed to watch those close to him (including the love of his life) age and die.

Tom’s lengthy life allows him to encounter many of London’s major historical events, including witch hunts and the Black Death (first-hand experiences which come in handy in his present life as a history teacher). It also leads to encounters with great literary figures such as Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

A must for fans of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, How to Stop Time is soon to be adapted for the big screen with Benedict Cumberbatch in the starring role.

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With the arrival of summer, many readers thoughts turn to beach reads. Books that make suitable holiday companions, however, may not always prove meaty enough for book club discussion. Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend is the perfect compromise. Set in the heat of 1950s Naples, this coming-of-age tale is as compelling as a soap opera but written with a fierce intelligence, leading one critic to compare Ferrante to an “angry” Jane Austen.

The first of a series of novels known as the Neapolitan quartet, My Brilliant Friend follows the toxic friendship of Elena and Lila. Determined to escape the fates of their downtrodden mothers the spirited twosome plan to educate themselves out of poverty. As they become teenagers, however, rivalry and raging hormones hinder their progress. So addictive you’ll be glued to your sun lounger until the very last page.

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Ah, the summer holidays and the temperature is (hopefully) soaring. What better book to read than F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby? 

In the summer of 1922, Nick Carraway moves to Long Island and finds himself surrounded by dazzling wealth. Quickly, he falls under the spell of his languorously beautiful cousin Daisy and his mysterious neighbour, Jay Gatsby, who holds the most spectacular parties. As the heat of the summer reaches its peak, however, disaster looms. Faced with the tragic consequences, Nick is forced to confront the moral decay that lies beneath this glittering yet vacuous world.

This wonderful novel has the dual advantages of being short (to match our attention spans at this time of year) and perfectly conjuring the atmosphere of a long, hazy summer.

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As a new academic year begins, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies paints an entertaining picture of the lion’s den which some parents may be stumbling into. Set in a desirable neighbourhood close to one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, this is a tale of yummy mummies with murderous intent. Recounting the events leading up to a murder that takes place during a school fundraiser, this novel incisively delineates the politics of the playground not only among children but also between warring parents. Recently brought to the small screen with a stellar cast, Big Little Lies nicely balances humour and page-turning drama while exploring the serious issues of bullying and domestic abuse.

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The leaves are turning and there’s a chill in the air. This is the perfect time to pick up a copy of Benjamin Ludwig’s debut novel, Ginny Moon.  Told from the perspective of the eponymous heroine, this book describes a few months in the life of the troubled autistic teenager. Although recently adopted by a ‘forever family’, Ginny feels unable to settle and secretly plans to sabotage her new life at the upcoming school Harvest concert.

While despairing of Ginny’s attempts to derail her life, readers will be hard-pushed not to fall in love with her as she recounts her difficulties in negotiating with the world. Hearts will also go out to her adoptive parents whose efforts to be compassionate and supportive towards their new family member go largely unappreciated.

Benjamin Ludvig writes from personal experience, having adopted an autistic teenager himself. This first-hand experience shows in the author’s sensitive exploration of the double challenge of taking on an autistic child who has been indelibly scarred by an abusive childhood. While there are many serious issues to muse over here, this is a life-enhancing read, written with compassion and humour.

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As the nights draw in it’s the perfect time to get your teeth into a really substantial read. Perfectly fitting this bill is Margaret Atwood’s 1996 novel Alias Grace. A tribute to the great Victorian novel (albeit with a feminist twist), Alias Grace is a fictional interpretation of the true story of Grace Marks. In 1843, the Irish-Canadian servant girl became notorious when she was imprisoned for her involvement in the murder of her employer and his housekeeper. Polarising Victorian opinion, Grace was either condemned as a she-devil or presented as an innocent victim.

Atwood uses the uncertainty surrounding Grace’s innocence or guilt to examine ideas about women and crime which remain depressingly current in the 21st century. In doing so she creates one of the most tricksy, enigmatic female protagonists readers are ever likely to encounter.

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During this month of festivities, reading your book group choice should add to your festive anticipation, rather than becoming another entry on your endless -to-do’ list. For this reason, Jeanette Winterson’s Christmas Days is the ideal choice. This book can be dipped in and out of in between shopping, wrapping presents and making mince pies. An eclectic mix of ghost stories, love stories and modern fairy tales (one for each of the twelve days of Christmas), this collection encourages readers to reflect on what Christmas means to them by exploring its traditions and associations (including both its Christian and its pagan roots). Interspersed with the stories are festive recipes and the author’s reflections on her own festive customs. Get your book club together by a roaring fire, enjoy one of Winterson’s recipes with some mulled wine and read your favourite story aloud. A perfect end to the reading year!

The post 12 Great Book Club Reads for 2018: a month-by month guide to a year in books appeared first on Study Guides for Book Clubs.