2025 Book Club Picks
Next year is going to be full of fun and interesting reads
Hello, Protagonists! In this post, you’ll find:
🤓 Our Book Club Picks for the first half of 2025
📖 Behind the Scenes: How I Choose our Book Picks
🤓 2025 Book Picks - Our Book Club for Writers & Curious Readers
It’s the time of year when wishlists get made, so here’s a preview of what we’ll be reading in the first half of 2025!
You’ll notice that I’m trying something new—alternating fiction with non-fiction. We had a great time discussing Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert earlier this year, finding it inspirational as well as interesting in how it was narratively structured.
Adding in some non-fiction will also give us more time to read the novels.
At least for me, reading non-fiction (or listening to the audio versions) feels like a lighter effort than reading fiction. I do enjoy both, in different ways!
January:
Deep Work by Cal Newport - This book completely changed my career and how I approach not only my writing, but also my life. If you’re trying to figure out how to fit creative work into a busy, distracted world, this is a great way to kick off the new year!
February:
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - a mind-bending mystery, this book must have been quite a challenge for the author to plot out. I can’t wait to re-read it and discuss the structure and more with you.
March:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - This modern classic has been beloved by writers for over a quarter of a century, and… I haven’t read it! I’m looking forward to reading it with you and not only seeing how the book is “constructed,” but also comparing how we interpret its advice from different points in the writing journey: as beginning writers, authors with a couple books under their belts, and old fogeys like me who’ve been publishing for nearly a decade.
April:
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel - Told from the points-of-view of triplet sisters who are very different, this novel will be an interesting look at voice, perspective, and character development vis-a-vis the other characters in a story.
May:
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday - This book has sold over a million copies and is beloved by business leaders. We’ll talk about whether it resonates in the same or different ways for creative people like us, as well as analyze the psychology and philosophy behind how this book has been such a mega-bestseller for so many years.
June:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - This is a beautifully tender story that slowly peels back the layers of a woman’s life as she works at an aquarium. We’ll discuss how the author shares backstory bit by bit while weaving in the present, as well as the unique incorporation of an octopus’s point of view.
Looks like the paperback is slated for release in April
📚 Reminder: Book Club “Holiday Party”
Join us for our low-key, introverted, book people “holiday party”— by which I mean, we all grab a cozy blanket and a mug of hot chocolate and talk about books and writing from the comfort of our own homes. 😊
Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 8pm EST/5pm PST
More details here!
📖 Behind the Scenes: How I Choose our Book Picks
Based on my many years of running another book club for writers, I’ve come up with some guidelines for our Book Picks:
We never read our members’ books — this was a hard and fast rule from my last writers’ book club, because even though we discuss our book picks with kindness and curiosity, it’s still virtually impossible for a writer to listen to other people critique their work, especially if it’s already published and there is nothing they can do to change things. (And sometimes, hearing analysis from their friends is the hardest thing!) So if I ever accidentally choose one of your books (or one of a dear friend whom you’d rather not hear analyzed), please let me know and I’ll pick something else. We are a supportive community and want everyone to feel buoyed by what we do!
Paperbacks, not new releases — For the most part, I will pick books that have been out for a while and already in paperback, because this makes them more affordable to buy and/or accessible via libraries (because new releases tend to have longer wait lists). There may be occasional exceptions if you all are hankering to read a specific new release, though.
Varying genres — We have writers and readers of all different genres in our wonderful community, so I’m going to try to reflect that. I find that even when a novel might not initially be what I’m normally inclined to read, I am often the most surprised and delighted by those very books. Plus, there is always something interesting to study and learn, no matter what the genre.
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2025 is shaping up to become a very good book year!! 😍😍😍
I haven’t read Bird by Bird either, though I know many writers love it. I’m eager to join and read the other books too!