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7 Books Perfect For Reading And Discussing With Your Book Club

By Baillie Puckett

The only thing better than reading a book is talking to other people about that book. Maybe you talk about everything you loved, or maybe you have a petty fest about what annoyed you. But at the end of the day, you’ve joined together to discuss your favorite thing: books.


Discussion is why we join book clubs. Check out these 7 options to pitch at your next book club meeting. These picks are book club-tested and book club-approved .

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

“What a thing a bad death was. It made a mythology that caught up in its wake old trees and young women alike, the violence of it reverberating through the years.”

- Zen Cho, Black Water Sister

TW (may contain spoiler):

Violence, Sexual Assault, Homophobia

Jessamyn has no time to worry about a new ghost’s voice in her head. She’s too concerned with helping her parents move back to Malaysia. Except disembodied voices are hard to ignore when they belong to your dead grandmother—especially when Jess’s grandmother decides to take control of Jess’s body.


Before she’d died, Jess’s grandmother was a spirit medium and a conduit for the local spirit called the Black Water Sister. Her grandmother made a deal with the spirit and failed to hold up her end of the deal before she died. If Jess wants to reclaim her autonomy, she’ll have to help Ah Ma settle her unfinished business.

Now, Jess must navigate the world of family secrets, spirits, and gods before the Black Water Sister claims her as her own.


Black Water Sister is a gut-punching contemporary fantasy exploring themes of death, revenge, and religion. This pick is perfect for book clubs with fans of fantasy, ghosts, or stories of family legacy. 

Potential Discussion Question:

Jess believes her inability to belong in either the US or Malaysia and her decision to live halfway in the closet are what allow Ah Ma (and the Black Water Sister) to interfere with her life. How do you feel about Jess’s appraisal of her haunting? How does this change throughout the novel?

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon (Translated by Anton Hur)

“She had a point. I mean, when did my own girlhood begin and end, exactly? I couldn’t quite circle a lasso around it, but I knew, at least, when it had ended.”

- Park Seolyeon, A Magical Girl Retires

TW (may contain spoiler):

Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Domestic Abuse

After losing her job during the pandemic and accumulating debt, which she doesn’t know how to dig herself out of, a Korean millennial is ready to end things. But before she can work up the nerve, a magical girl called Ah Roa pulls up with a shocking revelation.


This nameless, depressed girl is the most powerful magical girl in the world. There’s just one problem—it’s one thing being told that you’re a magical girl. It’s another thing entirely when you have to try activating your powers when the world depends on them.


How can she fight climate change when the only thing she’s good at is failing to meet expectations?

A Magical Girl Retires is a contemporary fantasy centered around destiny, climate change, and living up to expectations. This pick is perfect if your book club loves anime, superheroes, or dissecting the chosen one trope.

Potential Discussion Question:

Think about your previous exposure to fiction with magical girls. Would you normally classify yourself as a fan of magical girls? How does A Magical Girl Retires fit with your preconceived notion of a “magical girl?” How do you think your preconceptions influenced your reception of the novel?

Note: This novel includes illustrations by Kim Sanho! For best viewing experiences, check out either the physical edition or the e-book!

The Temple House Vanishing by Rachel Donohu

“She was sure the school was haunted. She thought it was the dead, but I was more certain it was by the living. With their petty hatreds and awkward, mean desires. They were the shadow that lay on everything.”

- Rachel Donohue, The Temple House Vanishing

TW (may contain spoiler):

Adult/Minor Relationship, Suicide, Homophobia

Louisa enrolls at a Catholic boarding school on a scholarship, hoping to boost her chances at attending a good college. What she finds instead is the companionship of her spunky (and beautiful) classmate, Victoria, and their attractive art teacher. Together, the lines between student and teacher blur, and they daydream of escaping their boring, restrictive lives.


Then one night Louisa and her teacher go missing without a trace, leaving Victoria behind. Twenty-five years later, an unnamed journalist sets out to uncover the mystery that’s haunted her since childhood. Victoria’s the only one who knows the truth, and after years of pretending she doesn’t care about what happened to her former friend, she’s ready to talk.

The Temple House Vanishing is a thrilling mystery that explores art, memory, and obsession. Your book club will love this if they enjoy chatting about cold cases, toxic friendships, and doomed narratives.

Potential Discussion Question:

Louisa and Victoria both spend the novel enthralled in different types of obsessive teenage love. How do you think their adolescent infatuations ultimately inform their identities and overall character arcs?

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

“God knows nothing of loneliness, because God has never tasted companionship as mortals do: clinging to one another in darkness so complete and sharp it scrapes flesh from bone, trusting one another even as the Devil's breath blooms hot on their napes.”

- Isabel Cañas, The Hacienda

TW (may contain spoiler):

Rape, Racism, References to Abortion

Beatriz is pretty, but her skin is too dark for Casta standards, and her father was killed for treason in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence. So when Don Rodolfo asks for Beatriz’s hand in marriage, who is she to refuse? It doesn't matter that Rodolfo’s last wife died mysteriously or his house in the Apan countryside whispers to her at night.


Desperate to claim this house as her salvation, Beatriz calls for Padre Andrés for assistance in healing the increasingly violent abode. Too bad the ghosts haunting San Isidro are rooted deeper than colonial religion can handle. If Beatriz and Andrés want to make it out alive, they'll have to rely on witch magic inspired by indigenous folklore.

The Hacienda is an atmospheric, moody gothic horror novel that weaves together a narrative about duty versus desire, colonialism, and religion. This book is perfect if your book club loves historical fiction, haunted houses, or heartbreaking love.

Potential Discussion Question:

How do Rodolfo and Beatriz’s distrust of the church differ? In what ways are they the same? How does this affect their reactions to the haunting at San Isidro?

Note: If you're a fan of Isabel Cañas, she has a story in OwlCrate’s upcoming Monsters in Masquerade anthology, which will be out later this year! 

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

“It is true that a wish is a piece of your soul. Because a true wish is something that if it never came true, it might break your heart.”

- Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

TW (may contain spoiler):

Child Death/Sacrifice

The ocean has ripped apart Mina’s island for a hundred years, wiping away already scarce resources in the midst of war and conflict. Her village sacrifices a young “bride” every year in hopes to appease the Sea God, who they think is angry with humans.


When Mina’s brother’s love is chosen as the next bride, Mina throws herself into the ocean to save them from suffering grief. She falls into the Spirit Realm, where she finds the Sea God cursed with enchanted sleep.


If Mina wants to make it back home, she must find a way to wake the Sea God before her soul becomes trapped in the Spirit Realm forever. Except the game of fate is trickier than the stories Mina’s grown up hearing.

The other gods are invested in making sure the Sea God never comes back into power. And that’s without mentioning the handsome spirit responsible for guarding the sleeping god, who is adamant nobody disturbs his slumber. The very same spirit attached to Mina VIA a red string of fate.


The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is a lush YA fantasy novel tackling the popular “red string of fate” trope. This book is perfect if your book club is into Spirited Away, Korean mythology, and swoony romance. You can expect to chat about memory, challenging fate, and family.

Potential Discussion Question:

In chapter 10, Mina reflects on the Goddess of the Moon and Memory, thinking, “the most dangerous of gods are the ones who are forgotten.” (Oh 92) How do you think memory influences characters’ behavior?

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

“You mystery writers practice a dark and brutal art, but it’s strangely seductive.”

- Sulari Gentill, The Woman in the Library

TW (may contain spoiler)

Stalking, Sexual Assault, References to Child Abuse

A scream. A murder. Four witnesses. Except one of them is a murderer.


A murder mystery unfolds between a fictional novelist’s work in progress (WIP) and e-mails from her beta reader. In the meta novel, four witnesses are brought together after hearing a scream in a library that ultimately leads to the demise of a local journalist. The new friends believe the murder is only a bewildering coincidence, but it’s quickly evident that something dark lurks beneath this blooming friendship.


Prank calls, a few stabbings, and a secret identity come together to reveal a dangerous game that only the murderer knows they're playing.

The Woman in the Library is a meta literary mystery that poses questions about author morality, reformation, and fanaticism. This book is perfect for your book club if your group enjoys shouting about plot twists, speculating ‘whodunnit’, and books about writers.

Potential Discussion Question:

The novel is framed as a conversation between a creator and a fan. How does the communication between Hannah and Leo ultimately influence the events of Hannah’s WIP?

Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

“Because once you have known Mrs Death there is no unknowing her. You have a mourning that sits inside you.”

- Salena Godden, Mrs Death Misses Death

TW (may contain spoiler)

Death of a Parent, Suicidal Thoughts, Domestic Abuse, Alcoholism

Wolf Willeford first became acquainted with Mrs Death after their mother died when they were a child. Now Wolf is constantly aware of Death’s presence as they navigate their life as a broke writer. Which brings Wolf to their newest project: a collection of memoirs and diary entries from Mrs Death.


It turns out that being responsible for every death throughout history isn’t great for your mental health. Death weighs down on us all. Wolf and Mrs Death engage in an exchange of thoughts, discussing the nature of death, memory, and what it means to live... Even when you’re Mrs Death, the woman who's responsible for all death through history.

Mrs Death Misses Death is an impactful literary novel centered around questions of death (naturally), life, and what it means to exist in the context of history. Your book club will love this if they’re interested in discussing mortality, personifications of Death, or interesting narrative structures.

Potential Discussion Question:

This novel is framed through three major deaths in Wolf’s life. These deaths, like most deaths, help define Wolf’s character—help Wolf create this image of Mrs. Death in their head. Why do you think they can no longer communicate with Mrs. Death after their grandfather’s death?

Baillie Puckett lives outside Los Angeles and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University, specializing in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her hobbies include stabbing (embroidery) and learning the ways of the crows (collecting shiny things). Find her online @BailliePuckett .

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