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Section: Arts

Book Your Club Picks Now
By Emily Chabala

Does selecting a title for your next book club discussion conjure up anxiety-filled memories of choosing your first-born’s name? Between the neverending stacks at Barnes and Noble and the more than 100 books on the New York Times bestseller lists, the gravity of such a decision can feel daunting. Combine that with different members’ personalities and genre preferences, and you’ve got an all-out quandary on your hands. To help with your next selection, here are three possible book club picks that are sure to make every member of the group happy.


A Mercy by Toni Morrison
If you miss the days of analyzing historical literature in high school English class, you may want to consider choosing Toni Morrison’s latest work, A Mercy. Set in the late 17th century, Morrison’s novel tells the story of five women affected by slavery, poverty and the instability of early colonial America.

While this 176-page narrative might seem like a quick read, be prepared to read it twice, or at the very least, set aside plenty of time prior to discussion to prepare your questions, as you will surely have many. Interspersing first- and third-person narration styles, Morrison uses the unique voice of each woman to weave together a complex and at times, confusing, story. The combination of colloquial African-American dialect and Morrison’s own distinct use of language make this a challenging, but fulfilling read.

Like her other acclaimed novels, The Bluest Eye (1993) and Beloved (2004), A Mercy explores some of life’s darkest issues.


A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is the perfect way to christen your spring book club season. Based on Bryson’s humorous and often arduous experience hiking the Appalachian trail, this non-fiction, nature-lover’s cult classic is sure to make you laugh out loud many times over, and awaken your senses to the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors.

Though Bryson often finds himself awkwardly fumbling along the trail, his writing style does no such thing. He effortlessly ties together his physical journey and personal transformation with interesting historical and environmental factoids. By the time you’re done you’ll feel smarter, greener and ready to take on one of mother nature’s adventures yourself — or not. Those of you who like to avoid roughing it at all costs may simply feel grateful that you’re safe and warm in your humble abode.

Readers of all kind are sure to enjoy a fun, light discussion with A Walk in the Woods. If you enjoy Bryson’s wit, you may want to check out his other popular works.


The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diáz
Who is Oscar Wao and why is he so wondrous? Well, he’s an acne-faced, comic-book reading, greasy-haired Dominican-American kid from New Jersey, and he’s the hero of this 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Junot Diáz, who, based on his brief back-page bio, seems a bit similar to Oscar himself, tells the fictional — or is it autobiographical? — story of your average nerd’s coming-of-age struggle. However, Oscar’s life is far from average. Amidst the pressures of machismo, gangs, drugs, sex and a dysfunctional home life, Oscar’s only hope of surviving high school is immersing himself even further into his Lord of the Rings-esque writings. If you’re looking for a quirky, allegorical read that combines Dominican culture, fantasy and that brutal teenage angst into one, than this might be the book for you.

But quick skimmers beware: Junot Diáz’s writing style is far from ordinary. For one, this novel takes the word footnote to a whole new level. If you found Marisha Pessl’s use of footnotes in Special Topics in Calamity Physics annoying, this book may drive you to tears. Diáz’s stylistic choices, such as his frequent spattering of Spanglish, certainly add a bit of no sé qué to this book. It may just leave you with the distinct feeling you’ve stumbled onto something wondrous.


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