Fiction vs. non-fiction

Not sure whether you want to pick a fiction or non-fiction book? It may be helpful to consider your goal or purpose when choosing a book to read. Review the Fiction versus Non-fiction infographic to help you make your decision.

Fiction book recommendations

We've divided our fiction book recommendations into two categories: Classic and Contemporary genre fiction.

Classic fiction

These books are classic works of fiction, listed in no particular order.

-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

-Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

-One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

-The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

-Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

-Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

-Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

-The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

-Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

-The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Contemporary genre fiction

These books are contemporary genre fiction, listed in the order of the NYT Bestsellers list for the week of August 3, 2025.

1. An Inside Job by Daniel Silva

2. The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

4. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

5. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

6. Caught Up by Navessa Allen

7. A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

8. Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

9. Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland

10. Lights Out by Navessa Allen

Non-fiction book recommendations

There were too many great nonfiction books for us to choose just 10. Visit The Guardian's article on the 100 greatest nonfiction books for a comprehensive list: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/14/100-greatest-non-fiction-books

Book club schedule

Reading schedules for the next two months of our book club are listed below in table format. 

September reading schedule

October reading schedule