SCLS Book Club Picks 2026

What our book clubs are reading in 2026. Take a look at our events calendar to learn more about the book clubs offered at each SCLS location.

Updated January 14, 2026
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1776
McCullough, David G
Paper Book
America's beloved and distinguished historian presents, in a book of breathtaking excitement, drama, and narrative force, the stirring story of the year of our nation's birth, 1776, interweaving, on both sides of the Atlantic, the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to undertake a war...
American born Chinese
Yang, Gene Luen
Paper Book
Original Series Now Available on Disney+ A tour-de-force by New York Times bestselling graphic novelist Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to...
Before she disappeared : a novel
Gardner, Lisa
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, a propulsive thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten Frankie Elkin is...
Big lies in a small town
Chamberlain, Diane
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes a novel of chilling intrigue, a decades-old disappearance, and one woman's quest to find the truth... "A novel about arts and secrets...grippingly told...pulls readers toward a shocking conclusion."--...
The book woman of Troublesome Creek : a novel
Richardson, Kim Michele
Paper Book
RECOMMENDED BY DOLLY PARTON IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE! A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A USA TODAY BESTSELLER A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER A PBS BOOK PICK The bestselling historical fiction novel from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy...
The book woman's daughter : a novel
Richardson, Kim Michele
Paper Book
Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free.
Booth : a novel
Fowler, Karen Joy
Paper Book
Best Book of the Year Real Simple * AARP * USA Today * NPR * Virginia Living Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize From the Man Booker finalist and bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves comes an epic...
Brave the wild river : the untold story of two women who mapped the botany of the Grand Canyon
Sevigny, Melissa L.
Audiobook
In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off to run the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious and entrepreneurial expedition leader, a zoologist, and two amateur boatmen. With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous...
Broken country : a novel
Hall, Clare Leslie
The cage : a novel
Kistler, Bonnie
Paper Book
"A delicious thrill-ride of breakneck twists and turns. . . . Evoking Grisham and Highsmith, Bonnie Kistler is a masterful plate-spinner of plot, deftly weaving together the worlds of fashion, high finance and white-shoe law to reveal their seamiest secrets and shared underbellies, all via...
The children on the hill
McMahon, Jennifer
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying novel, inspired by Mary Shelley's masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us. ...
Christmas presents : a novella
Unger, Lisa
Ebook
Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days...
The comfort of crows : a backyard year
Renkl, Margaret
Audiobook
Daisy Darker
Feeney, Alice
Paper Book
" The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns...with a family reunion that leads to murder. After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker's entire family is assembling for Nana's 80th birthday party in Nana's crumbling gothic house on...
The disappearing act : a novel
Steadman, Catherine
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water and Mr. Nobody comes "an unputdownable mystery about the nightmares that abound in the pursuit of Hollywood dreams" (Caroline Kepnes, author of the You series). "Stylish,...
Eight perfect murders : a novel
Swanson, Peter
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller "Swanson rips us from one startling plot twist to the next... A true tour de force." --Lisa Gardner "[A] multilayered mystery that brims with duplicity, betrayal and revenge." --USA Today From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing...
El deafo
Bell, Cece.
Paper Book
Cece Bell's #1 New York Times Bestseller graphic novel El Deafo is the origin story of a student with hearing loss and a hearing aid becoming a superhero. A John Newbery Medal Winner Now an Apple+ Animated TV Series! ...
The escape room
Goldin, Megan
Paper Book
"One of my favorite books of the year." --Lee Child "Cancel all your plans and call in sick; once you start reading, you'll be caught in your own escape room--the only key to freedom is turning the last page!" --Kirkus Reviews (starred) "A sleek,...
Finlay Donovan is killing it
Cosimano, Elle
Paper Book
"Getting the job done" for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It. A USA Today bestseller! One of Suspense Magazine's "Best Thrillers of 2021" One of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021 Nominated for...
The frozen river : a novel
Lawhon, Ariel
Ebook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GMA BOOK CLUB PICK * AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha...
Funny farm : my unexpected life with 600 rescue animals
Zaleski, Laurie
Paper Book
An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals. Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie's dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a...
The glassmaker
Chevalier, Tracy
Ebook
Named a Best Historical Novel of 2024 by The Sunday Times, The Independent, and BookPage "The Glassmaker is as finely wrought as a dazzling Murano bead. . . . Chevalier reaffirms her status as one of the reigning queens of historical fiction." --The...
The god of the woods
Moore, Liz
Ebook
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR "Extraordinary . . ....
Golden Girl : a novel
Hilderbrand, Elin
Paper Book
In this satisfying page-turner from "the queen of beach reads" (New York Magazine), a Nantucket novelist has one final summer to protect her secrets while her loved ones on earth learn to live without their golden girl. On a perfect June day, Vivian Howe, author of thirteen...
The Great Alone A Novel
Hannah, Kristin.
Audiobook
H is for Hawk
Macdonald, Helen
Paper Book
Soon to be a Major Motion Picture starring Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century One of Kirkus Reviews's Best Books of the 21st Century One of the New York Times Book Review's 10...
Hamnet : a novel of the plague
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Now a major motion picture starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, and Joe Alwyn, directed by ACADEMY AWARD® winner Chloé Zhao. The bestselling author of The Marriage Portrait...
I have some questions for you /
Makkai, Rebecca
Ebook
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Named a Best Book of 2023 by The Washington Post, People, USA Today, NPR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, The Boston Globe, CrimeReads and more "A twisty, immersive...
Heartwood : a novel
Gaige, Amity
"The best thriller of 2025." --The Boston Globe * "Genius." --The Washington Post "A literary thriller of the highest order" (Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Couple), Heartwood takes you on a gripping...
Home is where the bodies are
Rose, Jeneva
Ebook
House of glass
Pekkanen, Sarah
Ebook
"Wow, I loved this one so much! I didn't want it to be over because I was enjoying it so much, but I couldn't stop turning pages! House of Glass is a gripping thriller that was packed with surprises and compelling characters." -- Freida McFadden The next...
How to sell a haunted house
Hendrix, Grady
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Wildly entertaining."-The New York Times "Ingenious."-The Washington Post New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that...
How to solve your own murder : a novel
Perrin, Kristen
Ebook
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Jimmy Fallon's Book Club Finalist for 2024 | A Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist | A GMA Buzz Pick | A USA Today Bestseller One of Jimmy Fallon's favorite books for Spring 2024, The Top LibraryReads pick for March 2024, A...
In five years : a novel
Serle, Rebecca
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Good Morning America, FabFitFun, and Marie Claire Book Club Pick "In Five Years is as clever as it is moving, the rare read-in-one-sitting novel you won't forget." --Chloe Benjamin, New York Times...
A is for alibi
Grafton, Sue.
Paper Book
READ THE SENSATIONAL BLOCKBUSTER THAT STARTED IT ALL! Take it from the top in #1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton's knockout thriller that introduced detective Kinsey Millhone--and a hot new attitude--to crime fiction... A IS FOR...
Isola : a novel
Goodman, Allegra
Ebook
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history."--Jodi Picoult, author of By Any Other Name "A new generation of survival story . . . an extraordinary book that reads like a...
It ends with us
Hoover, Colleen
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING BLAKE LIVELY AND JUSTIN BALDONI! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and All Your Perfects, a "brave and heartbreaking novel that digs its claws into you and doesn't let go, long after you...
The Jackal's mistress : a novel
Bohjalian, Chris
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * In this Civil War love story, inspired by a real-life friendship across enemy lines, the wife of a missing Confederate soldier discovers a wounded Yankee officer and must decide what she's willing to risk...
Life in five senses : how exploring the senses got me out of my head and into the world
Rubin, Gretchen
Audiobook
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. "An inspiring and practical guide to living in the moment."--Susan Cain, #1 New...
Life on delay : making peace with a stutter
Hendrickson, John (Atlantic senior editor)
Paper Book
A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * USA TODAY BOOK CLUB PICK * ONE OF AUDIBLE'S BEST BIOS AND MEMOIRS OF 2023 * "A raw, intimate look at [Hendrickson's] life with a stutter. It's a profoundly moving book that will reshape the way you think about people living with this...
The Lincoln highway
Towles, Amor
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER More than ONE MILLION copies sold A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick A New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Readers' Choice Best Book of the Century, and Chosen by Oprah Daily, Time, NPR,...
Lula Dean's little library of banned books : a novel
Miller, Kirsten
Ebook
"Kirsten Miller has that rare ability to take a serious subject and make it very, very funny. I enjoyed this novel and you will too."--James Patterson The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of The Change...
The many daughters of Afong Moy : a novel
Ford, Jamie
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! "One of the most beautiful books of motherhood and what we pass on to those that come after us." --Jenna Bush Hager, Today The New...
Mother-daughter murder night : a novel
Simon, Nina
Audiobook
A fun, fresh, and twisty debut whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio who come together as amateur sleuths to solve a murder in their coastal California town. "A lively and tender story of family that Simon deftly transforms into an edge-of-your-seat murder...
Murder takes a vacation : a novel
Lippman, Laura
"Whenever a new Laura Lippman comes out there is reason to celebrate!" --Louise Penny Highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with an irresistible cozy mystery featuring Muriel Blossom, a former private investigator and middle-aged...
The names
Knapp, Florence
THE YEAR'S BREAKOUT NOVEL AND WORD-OF-MOUTH HIT--A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND READ WITH JENNA PICK "Dazzling. . . Knapp tirelessly and beautifully replicates not just loss and grief but endless rebirth and delight." --The Washington Post "Elegant. . ....
North woods : a novel
Mason, Daniel
Ebook
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD A sweeping novel...
Once there were wolves
McConaghy, Charlotte
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Blazing...Visceral" (Los Angeles Times) · "Exceptional" (Newsweek) · "Bold...Heartfelt" (New York Times Book Review) · "Thought-provoking and thrilling" (GMA) · "Suspenseful and poignant" (...
Our missing hearts : a novel
Ng, Celeste
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller * A New York Times Notable Book * Named a Best Book of the Year by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more * A Reese's Book Club Pick * New York Times...
The Paris Express
Donoghue, Emma
NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the bestselling and "soul-stirring" (Oprah Daily) author of Room, a sweeping historical "nail-biter" (People) of a novel about the infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station. Based on an 1895...
People we meet on vacation
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
NOW A NETFLIX FILM! * From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Funny Story comes a sparkling novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations. Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall...
The perfect wife : a novel
Delaney, JP
Paper Book
The perfect life. The perfect love. The perfect lie. From the bestselling author of The Girl Before comes a gripping psychological thriller. . . . "Mind-bending . . . Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone."--The New York Times Book Review
The quiet tenant
Michallon, Cle?mence
Ebook
NATIONAL BEST SELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR * GMA BUZZ PICK * "A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying." --James Patterson, #1 best-selling author A PULSE-POUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER NARRATED BY THOSE...
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club
Stradal, J. Ryan
Ebook
"Stradal serves up another saga of food and family, hurt and healing, pitched between cliff-hanger moments. . . that make the pages fly." --People From the New York Times bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families...
The searcher
French, Tana
Paper Book
Best Book of 2020 New York Times |NPR | New York Post "This hushed suspense tale about thwarted dreams of escape may be her best one yet . . . Its own kind of masterpiece." --Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post "A new Tana French is always cause...
The sequel
Korelitz, Jean Hanff
Ebook
"Sequels are notoriously tricky. Even the characters in The Sequel acknowledge it. "They're never as good as the first book, are they?"... Well, this one is. By shifting the focus to Anna, Korelitz gives the novel what many sequels lack: a sense of newness. While the story grows more...
Small things like these
Keegan, Claire
Paper Book
**OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK 2024** **NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB PICK 2024** NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CILLIAN MURPHY A New York Times Bestseller * Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize * Winner of the Orwell Prize for...
The spellshop
Durst, Sarah Beth
Ebook
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER! A #1 LibraryReads pick! An Indie Next pick! The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst's romantasy debut-a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships,...
The stranger in the lifeboat : a novel
Albom, Mitch
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared? In Mitch Albom's profound new novel of hope and faith, a group of shipwrecked passengers pull a strange man from the sea. He claims to be "the Lord." And he says he can...
The sun does shine : how I found life and freedom on death row
Hinton, Anthony Ray
Paper Book
Winner of the 2019 Christopher Award Oprah's Book Club Summer 2018 Selection The Instant New York Times Bestseller A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty years on...
There there
Orange, Tommy
Paper Book
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A wondrous and shattering award-winning novel that follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. A contemporary classic, this...
This tender land
Krueger, William Kent
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestselling AuthorIn 1932, Minnesota's Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to Odie O'Banion, a lively boy whose exploits upset the superintendent. Forced to...
Three days in June
Tyler, Anne
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding. "What a treat." --Washington Post "Simply exquisite." --Liane...
Verity
Hoover, Colleen
Paper Book
Whose truth is the lie? Stay up all night reading the sensational psychological thriller that has readers obsessed--the inspiration for the major motion picture starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson--from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of...
The war that saved my life
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.
Paper Book
* Newbery Honor Book * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York Public...
We solve murders
Osman, Richard
Ebook
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "Madcap fun, with an entertaining new cast of characters and Osman's trademark wit. Delightful!" --Shari Lapena From the #1 bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club Series A brand new mystery. An...
When you are engulfed in flames
Sedaris, David.
Paper Book
"David Sedaris's ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art," (The Christian Science Monitor) is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book. Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David...
Who is Maud Dixon? : a novel
Andrews, Alexandra
Paper Book
"Part Patricia Highsmith, part All About Eve and pure fun."―Maria Semple Florence Darrow has always felt she was destined for greatness, but after a disastrous affair with her married boss, she starts to doubt herself. All that changes when she sets...
The women
Hannah, Kristin
Audiobook
Wrong alibi
Dodd, Christina
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Karin Slaughter and Sandra Brown, New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd delivers a heartstopping thriller, featuring a bold and brash female protagonist that will have readers keeping the lights on all night.  WRONG JOB...

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