We are now in February which means it’s time to find out what a bunch of great book clubs selected as their book pick this month. *and the book crowd cheers!*
I love putting together this roundup because it offers so many different ways for readers to engage (as little or as much as they prefer) with books, authors, and fellow readers. Almost all the book clubs are virtual and offer different ways to engage on social media and have author discussions. And, if—for whatever reason—you shy away from joining in on the book club aspect, this is a great list to find your next read (or many reads) and to be in the know of what books people are talking about!
Plus, this month, I added a banned book club from NYPL that offers access to the selection throughout the US.
So, what else do the book clubs have for you this month? There’s a love story that’s deconstructed; contemporary fiction with humor and hope; a heartwarming Japanese novel; a debut novel that delves into the search for life’s meaning through art; a love-cursed family drama; and a university-set novel. But that’s not all! There’s a classic; a part memoir, part manifesto nonfic; dual timeline suspense; an archeologist and architect romance; a short story collection following Arab American residents in Dearborn, Michigan; a coming-of-age novel in the ’90s; and a thriller by Marie Claire’s digital director.
What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama
About the book club: Tiffany and Alexandra, longtime friends, created the Subtle Asian Book Club in 2020 with the goal of uplifting Asian voices and storytellers. You can read along with the monthly book chosen, join on social media, and watch videos of their live author interviews.
About the book: If you’re a fan of fabulism, the power of books, and Japanese novels, this is your book club this month!
Follow Subtle Asian Book Club on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Discord
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
About the book club: the NYPL is selecting young adult books that have been challenged or banned from schools and offering them free, nationwide, via digital access along with hosting the authors for a book club event.
What The New York Public Library’s Teen Banned Book Club said about the book: “Our latest Banned Book Club pick is All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. Readers anywhere in the U.S. can borrow the book for free from the “Books for All” library on SimplyE, NYPL’s e-reader app. All American Boys is available to all readers ages 13 and above through February 29, 2024.”
Banned Book Club Event with Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely: Wed, Feb 21 | 3 PM ET | Online
Follow The New York Public Library on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram
Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
About the book club: Mocha Girls Read is a monthly book club of Black women who love to read and currently have chapters in 14 cities across the U.S. Starting in 2024, you can join “an IG Live every first Saturday of the month at 5 pm PT. Alysia, our founder, will chat about our current book club selection.”
About the book: If you’re a fan of fabulism, love curses, and family dramas, this is your book club this month!
Follow Mocha Girls Read on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, MeetUp, Goodreads, Pinterest
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
About the book club: Read along with Good Morning America Book Club, which aims to “showcase book picks from a wide range of compelling authors.”
What GMA said about the book: “A fierce and honest story, Come and Get It promises expertly paced plot hurtling toward its comically horrifying climax. The highly anticipated sophomore outing by Reid provides readers with a searing indictment of materialism and life under capitalism while painting an intimate portrait of desire, consumption and reckless abandon.”
Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want by Ruha Benjamin
About the book cub: Hosted by Traci Thomas, The Stacks is a podcast that chats all about books, and there’s a monthly book club! The book chosen for the month is discussed on the podcast the last week of the month with a selected special guest.
What The Stacks Book Club said about the book: “And now it is time for our February book club pick announcement. The book is Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want. It is part memoir. It is part manifesto and it is written by the absolutely brilliant Ruha Benjamin. The book is all about taking the small daily actions that lead to big structural change. You’ll have to listen on February 7th to find out who our guest will be on February 28th [f]or our discussion of Viral Justice.”
Follow The Stacks on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Since She’s Been Gone by Sagit Schwartz
About the book club: Lillianne Leight and Amanda Spivack created this book club with a focus on Jewish books and characters “with varying relationships to Judaism” that welcomed all readers — Jewish and non.
What Matzah Book Soup said about the book: “This month we are so excited to be reading SINCE SHE’S BEEN GONE by @sagitschwartz! We’re so excited to be switching up the genre and reading a thriller – we hope you’re as excited as we are! The book comes out on February 6th, so you still have time to pre-order and support this debut Jewish author!
This book is a fast-paced, dual-timeline suspense story that follows one woman’s journey to uncover the truth about her mother’s death while also grappling with her own mental health. AND it has Jewish rep!
This book does contain some triggers, so check out our stories to see CWs — make sure to take care of yourself when reading about sensitive topics!”
Follow Matzah Book Soup on social media: Instagram, Facebook
Lizards Hold the Sun by Dani Trujillo
About the book club: A monthly book club run by two Latinas with the goal of amplifying romance novels written by Latinx authors.
About the book: If you’re a fan of workplace romance, museums, archeologists and architects, this is your book club this month!
Follow Amor en Páginas on social media: Instagram
Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine
About the book club: “A modern book club for the modern reader” that invites casual readers to bibliophiles to join in on social media to talk about exciting books.
What Amerie said about the book: “Loves and losses, triumphs and regrets—Ghassan Zeineddine explores these and more in his short story collection about the inner lives of the Arab American residents of Dearborn, Michigan, AKA the Arab American Capitol of the United States. At times tender, sad, wistful, and hilarious, there always exists a sense of endearment throughout the collection, whether from myself or between the characters themselves. There is struggle and tension, yes, but there is perpetual love as Dearborn’s Arab American citizens navigate family, marriage, sexuality, and nostalgia—not to mention ICE and the IRS. Zeineddine’s deft characterization and sense of place left me feeling as if at any moment I could put the book down, jump on a plane, and meet in real life my new Dearbornean friends.”
Follow Amerie’s Book Club on social media: Instagram, YouTube
Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander
About the book club: Marie Claire editors created an online monthly book club for people with busy schedules to still be able to read. “Consider it socializing without actually socializing because, really, we all just want to take off our bra and lay down after a long day,” they explain. You can also share reviews online with the chance to have them featured on the site.
What MC said about the book: “In February, we’re reading Jenny Hollander’s Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead, a sharp, witty, nail-biting thriller that will firmly plant you on the edge of your seat—and keep you there. The book follows Charlie Colbert, editor-in-chief at C magazine, who’s rebuilt her life following nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve nine years prior—events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas.” The press and the police called Charlie a “witness,” but Charlie knows she’s so much more than that. In the midst of her well-crafted life, a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for—and Charlie is determined not to let anything, even the people she once loved most, get in her way. It’s the debut novel by Hollander, who we are so proud to call one of our own. She’s the digital director at Marie Claire, but we would have picked this page-turner even if she wasn’t—it’s hard to imagine a novel gripping us more than this one does. Read an excerpt from chapter two of the book below, then find out how to participate. (You really don’t have to leave your couch!)“
If you’re curious about what book clubs previously picked, here’s a roundup: March 2023, April 2023, May 2023, June 2023, July 2023, August 2023, September 2023, October 2023, November 2023, December 2023, and January 2024.