The 2024 Everyday Reading Book Club List
It’s here!
The 2024 Everyday Reading Book Club list!
This is, unbelievably, the SEVENTH year of Everyday Reading Book Club (although it wasn’t really until 2020 that I found my rhythm for book club and was actually consistent) and I love seeing more people join each year!
Nothing thrills me more than messages from people saying they never would have picked up a specific book or tried an unfamiliar author or genre without Everyday Reading Book Club.
The Everyday Reading Book Club list is ALSO the single most stressful project of the year for me (indeed, up until yesterday, I was sweating over the last slots trying to decide which of the MANY books on my short-list of options would take those last slots).
When it comes to the Summer Reading Guide (one of my other biggest projects of the year), it is a list of books I liked that you can pick and choose from.
But for Book Club, this is a list of books that I’m committing to reading and discussing for a full year, week after week. AND I’m asking you to read them along with me.
Not only do I want YOU to feel excited (or at least interested) by the majority of the books on the list, I also want a good variety of genres and formats, a mix of old and new titles, fiction and non-fiction.
And I’m looking for books that are reasonably readily available at your library or included on Audible or Everand or Hoopla or can be bought for a decent price.
Plus, to keep it fun for me, I like a mix of books I’ve already read and loved, plus books that I’ve been anxious to get to and have had on my own TBR list for a while.
Most of all, I need books that have enough substance to talk about them for weeks in a row. There are lots of books that are very fun but that I’d struggle to have anything very meaningful to say about them.
All of which is to say that I take the weight of picking these twelve books each year VERY SERIOUSLY.
Each week on Wednesdays, we’ll be talking about that month’s book on Instagram Stories (if you’re new to Everyday Reading Book Club, I have a whole post here about how it works!).
And if you’d like monthly updates about the upcoming books, the reading schedule and where to find copies on the cheap, plus occasional fun extras related to these books, just pop your email address in below and you won’t miss a thing!
And now, after that much-too-long intro, here is the 2024 Everyday Reading Book Club list!
JANUARY
Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin
I’m a long time fan of Gretchen Rubin and her newest book was a total home run for me. Within a chapter or two, I knew this would make SUCH a fun book club pick and it was one of the first books on this list to snag a spot! After an appointment at the eye doctor makes her realize how little she uses her five senses and, in true Gretchen Rubin fashion, starts a personal experiment to try and maximize her awareness of the world around her through her senses.
FEBRUARY
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Wilis
This time travel book (a genre I usually really enjoy!) was a gift from my in-laws more than a decade ago and I LOVED it. Ned is a professional time traveler but he’s so overworked that his boss finally sends him to the Victorian era to hide out and get some much needed rest. Naturally, very little resting goes on and instead time travel goes wild. I am so looking forward to revisiting this one. (Full review here)
MARCH
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
I’m pretty sure this is the first novel in verse we’ve ever done for Everyday Reading Book Club and I cannot wait for this one. This one is TERRIFIC (I highly recommend the audio version!) – it follows a young boy who’s father is a professional football player and hugely beloved. And now he’s starting to act strangely with angry outbursts followed by long periods of silence. I won’t lie – I sobbed through the end of this one.
APRIL
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
My husband and now my two oldest daughters are HUGE Brandon Sanderson fans and I’ve never read a single book by him! This one has sky high reviews (pun totally intended) plus it’s included on Audible Plus with your membership, which is always a bonus! This one takes place in the future where pilots are the heroes of the human race and Spensa dreams of becoming one like her father. But her father’s actions years earlier look like they’ll keep her from recognizing her dream.
MAY
Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins
I love a good money book, but this one is very different than any other money book I’ve ever read and Bart and I have been talking about it to everyone we know for the last year. It’s been such a fascinating and useful way to think about how I spend my life and what I want out of the money I make. It feels like one of those books that almost everyone would get something out of and I can’t wait to discuss it!
JUNE
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
I read this a decade ago and LOVED it. A few years ago, Ella blew through the whole series (she counts it among her all-time favorite books) and was such a fan that she begged Bart to listen to it after she finished. Now Ani is listening to it and I can’t wait to revisit this middle grade book about a tricky nobleman looking to find an orphan to play the role of the king’s long-lost son so he can install him on the throne and control both the “prince” and the throne.
JULY
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
I read this book after it won basically every award known to man and it’s just SO GOOD, so if you haven’t read it yet, this is your signal that now is the time to go pick it up. I vaguely remembered when the boys’ soccer team in Thailand got stuck in a cave during the rainy season and that they were rescued, but I knew basically nothing beyond that. This book made the whole thing come vividly to life for me and even though I knew the ending, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And seeing the efforts made to get them out makes it even more incredible that they actually succeeded. I’ve heard the audio is incredible too so this time around I’ll probably read it that way!
AUGUST
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, illustrated by Rose Bousamra
This graphic novel is a quick read but packed with things to talk about – the way we see ourselves, our relationships with our parents and their dreams and fears for us. I’ve had a graphic novel on the Book Club list most of the last several years and I can’t wait to chat about this one.
SEPTEMBER
Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott
This Pulitzer Prize has been on my to-read list for more than a year and after the massive popularity of Empire of Pain last year in Book Club, I’m excited to read another narrative non-fiction book by a journalist.
OCTOBER
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
This year I went on a Ruth Ware kick and read several of her books in quick succession. But I haven’t read this one – which is one of her highest rated ones! – yet so I’m excited to dive into this mystery novel during October.
NOVEMBER
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
I love a good historical fiction book but I’ve never read ANYTHING by beloved author Lisa See – this is the year to change that! This book is about two young girls living on the Korean island of Jeju who are part of their village’s all-female diving collective and their experiences together and separately over many decades.
DECEMBER
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
I rarely do a non-fiction book in December but this one, all about the moments that impact us, feels like a perfect fit for the holidays. I’ve had so many people in my personal life recommend this one to me plus the reviews are through the roof. I can’t wait!
And if you’d like a printable copy of this book club list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
Curious about what we’ve read in previous years? You can see the 2023 list here, 2022 list here, 2021 list here, 2020 list here, the 2019 list here and the 2018 list here!
Is this year I finally read my copy of ALL THIRTEEN cover to cover?! We’ll see! I loved FRIZZY and BEFORE THE EVER AFTER too.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I’ve also never read a Lisa See book. I tried this SEA WOMEN book a couple of years ago when it came out and it felt like such a drag but I’ll give it another shot! Great picks!
I enjoyed the Lisa See book on audio— I can see (no pun intended 😉) where it might be hard to get into if reading it. I really liked the audio version! Maybe give that a try this time! Good luck!
This looks like a really interesting selection of books & it appears my library has all of them. I just finished Die With Zero based on a previous recommendation of yours & I absolutely loved it, It gave me so much to think about & talk with my spouse about.
I JUST found your book club, so I jumped in for the December ’23 book! I’m absolutely loving it!! These ’24 titles look great! I’m pretty sensitive to some topics in books.
Do you have any way that you “filter” books that you read for your own sake? I’ve been known to dive into a book with very little context, and I’ve been shocked to find some material in it that wasn’t easy to digest. Thanks! 🤍
Use Storygraph or look at the 1 and 2 star reviews on Goodreads or Amazon!
I’m also a sensitive reader and I haven’t read all the books on the list but The Island of Sea Women was a tough one for me. It’s a great book but one scene in particular was very challenging for me to read as a mother and stuck with me for a long time.
As a huge Sanderson fan myself, I will say that Starward is my least favorite. It’s just okay. I hope it doesn’t turn you off to his whole atheneum!
Frizzy is so good!! I haven’t read any of the others, but I’m especially looking forward to Gretchen Rubin’s book!
Thank you Janssen. I am excited to dig into these. I have read a few titles and really liked them and can’t wait for the discussion.
Such a great list! Particularly excited to read Die with Zero, To Say Nothing of the Dog, All Thirteen, and The Power of Moments!
Hi 🙂
Is there a way to join without social media? I don’t have Instagram or Facebook. Does the group ever meet on Zoom or other such platforms?
We’ve done Zoom once but generally it’s all hosted on Instagram.
I joined Instagram exclusively for this book club. I would also love another option for joining besides social media! However, I can see how the platform makes it easier for Janssen.
Are there any of these that you have heard have stellar audiobooks? I have an Audible credit to use!
All Thirteen!
It will be my first time joining in on the book club next month! Just wondering if there is a schedule to follow for each book/how many chapters to read each week? Looking forward to getting started!
This page updates each month with the current reading schedule https://everyday-reading.com/everyday-reading-book-club-info/
I read To Say Nothing of the Dog YEARS ago and loved it! Maybe I’ll join y’all for a reread!
I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan and was excited to see one of his books on your list this year! The skyward series is fun, and just recently finished! I’m excited to read the false prince, the island of sea women & the mystery! I always love following along with your book club.
I am so excited that you chose Invisible Child. I read it two years ago because I saw it on a new release shelf at my library. I have NEVER done that before. Best decision ever. I thought the book was so well done. I am excited to hear your “discussion” on the book. No one I know has read it. I’ve read 4 of the 12 and am looking forward to the rest.