The Next Best Book Club discussion

CHRONIC TOWN (1982)

1. "Wolves, Lower" – read a book that centers on wolves or prominently features wild dogs

2. "Gardening at Night" – read a book that takes place primarily at night

3. "Carnival of Sorts (boxcars)" – read a book about a carnival, or that features a circus

4. "1,000,000" – read a ‘doorstopper’ (a book that is more than 600 pages long)

5. "Stumble" – read a book that you just happened to 'stumble' upon

MURMUR (1983)

1. "Radio Free Europe" – read a book that takes place in Europe
"Pilgrimage" - read a book about a character who goes on a long journey

2. "Laughing" – read a book that will make you laugh

3. "Talk About the Passion" – read an erotica book

4. "Moral Kiosk" – read a book in which one of the characters is struggling with their morality

5. "Perfect Circle" – read a book about a tight knit group of friends or family

6. "Catapult" – read a book set in medieval times

7. "Sitting Still" – read a book in which nothing seems to happen

8. "9-9" – read a book with 9 in the title, or a book that has only 9 chapters

9. "Shaking Through" – read a scary book

10. "We Walk" – read a book about a protagonist, or group of characters, who’s main mode of transportation is walking

11. "West of the Fields" – read a book about someone who has gone away, or is gone from home too long

RECKONING (1984)

1. "Harborcoat" – read a book that is left open for interpretation, whose plot is ambiguous

2. "7 Chinese Brothers" – read a book about pain, loss, bereavement

3. "So. Central Rain" – read a book in which the character or characters are waiting for something

4. "Pretty Persuasion" – read a book that someone recommended to you

5. Time After Time (AnnElise)" – read a book that spans a large period of time

6. "Second Guessing – read a book that you’ve been hesitant to pick up

7. "Letter Never Sent" – read a book that is told primarily in letters or diary entries

8. "Camera" – read a book that centers on photography or on a particular photograph

9. "(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville" – read a book you promised yourself you would never revisit

10. "Little America" – read a book set in the western era

FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION (1985)

1. "Feeling Gravity’s Pull" – read a space opera or a book that takes place in outer space

2. "Maps and Legends" – read a book that contains its own map/legend

3. "Driver 8" – read a book that prominently features a train as the main mode of transportation, or features a protagonist who has to travel a long distance

4. "Life and How to Live it" – read a self-help book

5. "Old Man Kensey" – read a book that features an old man as the protagonist

6. "Can’t Get There From Here" – read a book that seems to go nowhere

7. "Green Grow the Rushes" – read a book that is set in summertime

8. "Kohoutek" – read a book that revolves around astronomy, or prominently features stars, a sun, or a moon.

9. "Auctioneer (Another Engine)" – read a book about wanderlust

10. "Good Advices" – read a book written by an author you’d never heard of before

11. "Wendell Gee" – read a book about a dream or in which dreams are prominently featured

LIFE’S RICH PAGEANT (1986)

1. "Begin the Begin" – read a book you’ve already read

2. "These Days" – read a book that takes place in present day

3. "Fall on Me" – read a book about oppression

4. "Cuyahoga" – read a book that takes place on or near a river, in which a river is prominently featured

5. "Hyena" – read a book with an animal in the title

6. "Underneath the Bunker" – read a book about the end of the world

7. "The Flowers of Guatemala" -read a book that takes place in a foreign country

8. "I Believe" – read a book about fairy tales or a book that is a spin on a fairy tale

9. "What if We Give It Away" – read a book about giving up or giving something up

10. "Just a Touch" – read a book that uses multiple formats or gimmicks in which to tell its story

11. "Swan Swan H" – read a book with a word repeated in the title

12. "Superman" – read a book about a superhero

DEAD LETTER OFFICE (1987)

1. "Crazy" – read a book about a protagonist who goes crazy

2. "There She Goes Again" – read a book about a prostitute or that features prostitution

3. "Burning Down" – read a book that has the word burn or fire in the title

4. "Voice of Harold" – read a book that gives you goosebumps

5. "Burning Hell" – read a book that prominently features religion or a religious protagonist

6. "Toys in the Attic" – read a book that exudes nostalgia

7. "Windout" – read a book with multiple twists and turns

8. "Ages of You" – read a book with the word You in the title

9. "Pale Blue Eyes" – read a book that gives you all the feels

10. "Bandwagon" – read a book that everyone else is reading

11. "Femme Fatale" – read a book that features a woman who plays hard to get

12. "Walter’s Theme" – read a book with a man’s name in the title

13. "King of the Road" – read a book that takes place mostly on the road or prominently features a motel/hotel

DOCUMENT (1987)

1. "Finest Worksong" – read a book that revolves around music

2. "Welcome to the Occupation" – read a book about a blue collar protagonist

3. "Exhuming McCarthy" – read a book about politics or that features politics in some way

4. "Disturbance at the Heron House" – read a book about rioting or a world gone to chaos

5. "Strange" – read a “bizarro” or “experimental fiction” book

6. "It’s the End of the World as We Know It" – read a book that deals with some form of corruption

7. "The One I Love" – read a book that is an anti-love story

8. "Fireplace" – read a cozy mystery

9. "Lightnin’ Hopkins" – read a book that prominently features freakish weather

10. "King of Birds" – read a book that features birds, or has the name of a bird in the title

11. "Oddfellows Local 151" – read a book about firemen or that features a firehouse/firemen

GREEN (1988)

1. "Pop Song 89" – read a book that is about another book

2. "Get Up" – read a book that sounds boring

3. "You are the Everything" – read a book in which the protagonist is pining for someone

4. "Stand" – read a book that deals with direction (either literally or figuratively)

5. "World Leader Pretend" – read a book that revolves around war

6. "The Wrong Child" – read a non-YA book in which the protagonist is a child

7. "Orange Crush" – read a book about a protagonist who is called away or forced to leave

8. "Turn You Inside Out" – read a book that hinges itself on dishonesty

9. "Hairshirt" – read a book with a weird title

10. "I Remember California" – read a book that takes place in California

11. "Untitled" – read a book that deals with protection in some way

OUT OF TIME (1991)

1. “Radio Song” – read a book that has to do with music, or prominently features a radio station

2. “Losing My Religion” – read a book that is considered an author’s “biggest” hit

3. “Low” – read a book about the morning after, or regrets

4. “Near Wild Heaven” – read a book that deals with the end of a relationship

5. “Shiny Happy People” – read a book about a utopia, or the search for utopia

6. “Belong” – read a book that revolves around a child, but does not feature a child as the protagonist

7. “Half a World Away” – read a book about a band

8. “Texarkana” – read a book in which the main character is searching for something

9. “Country Feedback” – read a book about heartbreak, about unrequited love

10. “Me in Honey” – read a book with the word Sweet or Sweetness in the title

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (1992)

1. “Drive” – read a book that revolves around youth

2. “Try Not to Breathe” – read a book about giving up

3. “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight” – read a book about a humorous love

4. “Everybody Hurts” – read a book about depression

5. “Sweetness Follows” – read a book about death, or that prominently features a funeral

6. “Monty Got a Raw Deal” – read a book in which one of the characters gets “a raw deal”.

7. “Ignoreland” – read a book that similarly features the word ‘land’ in its title

8. “Star Me Kitten” – read a book that features the F-word, either in title or in text, or uses asterisks in the title

9. “Man on the Moon” – read a book that is a tribute to someone or something else

10. “Nightswimming” – read a book on a dare (have someone dare you to read something)

11. “Find the River” – read a book with River in the title

MONSTER (1994)

1. “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth” – read a book that encapsulates Generation-X

2. “Crush with Eyeliner” – read a book about discovering identity

3. “King of Comedy” – read a book that makes you laugh

4. “I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” – read a fantasy book, as a distraction from real life

5. “Star 69” – read a book by an author you are crazy obsessed with

6. “Strange Currencies” – read a book that features a strange obsession, or OCD

7. “Tongue” – read a book with a body part in the title

8. “Bang and Blame” – read a book about a one night stand

9. “I Took Your Name” – read a book in which something is taken away

10. “Let Me In” – read a book that messes with your emotions

11. “Circus Envy” – read a book that revolves around jealousy

12. “You” – read a book written in second person

NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI (1996)

1. “How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us” – read a book set in the wild west

2. “The Wake-Up Bomb” – read a book about drugs, or drug addiction

3. “New Test Leper” – read a book about a character who is struggling with a disease

4. “Undertow” – read a book that takes place primarily on or under the water/ocean

5. “E Bow the Letter” – read a book that revolves around two best friends

6. “Leave” – read a book with the word leave or leaving in the title

7. “Departure” – read a book that is unlike the rest of a particular author’s bibliography

8. “Bittersweet Me” – read a book that features a bitter protagonist

9. “Be Mine” – read a collection of love poems

10. “Binky the Doormat” – read a book that is known for being strange or bizarre

11. “So Fast, So Numb” – read a book with a coma in the title

12. “Low Desert” – read a road-trip book

13. “Electrolite" – read a book that was written in the 20th century

UP (1998)

1. “Airportman” – read a book that takes place primarily in an airport or features a character who spends time in or around one

2. “Lotus” – read a book that is highly symbolic or allegorical

3. “Suspicion” – read a book you have been putting off

4. “Hope” – read a book with just one word in the title

5. “At My Most Beautiful” – read a book about goofy, silly love

6. “The Apologist” – read a book with ‘ist’ in the title

7. “Sad Professor” – read a book that features a teacher as the protagonist

8. “You’re in the Air” – read a book with the words Your or You’re in the title

9. “Walk Unafraid” – read a book that others have found incredibly scary

10. “Why Not Smile” – read a book about a protagonist who is habitually unhappy

11. “Day Sleeper” – read a book that features a protagonist who works the grave yard shift

12. “Diminished” – read a collection of flash fiction or short stories

13. “Parakeet” – read a book that’s told from an animal’s POV

14. “Falls to Climb” – read a book that features a character who is viewed as a martyr

REVEAL (2001)

1. “The Lifting” – read a prequel

2. “I’ve Been High” – read a book that is told in past tense

3. “All the Way to Reno” – read a book that features a protagonist who is trying to get their big break

4. “She Just Wants to Be” – read a book written by a female author- Jax by Kelly Gendron 2/8/2016 DONE

5. “Disappear” – read a book that involves magic or a magician

6. “Saturn Return” – read a book about a character who does what they want, who goes against the norm

7. “Beat a Drum” – read a book with an instrument in its title

8. “Imitation of Life” – read a book that revolves around art, or a specific piece of art

9.“Summer Turns to High” – read a book with Summer in the title

10. “Chorus and the Ring” – read a book about forgetting or denying

11. “I’ll Take the Rain” – read a book that takes place during a storm, or features a lot of rain

12. “Beachball” – read a book that is typically referred to as a ‘beach read’

AROUND THE SUN (2004)

1. “Leaving New York” – read a book that takes place in New York-These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly finished 2/7/16 DONE

2. “Electron Blue “– read a book with a color in the title

3. “The Outsiders” – read a book that takes place primarily outside

4. “Make it All Ok” – read a book that makes you feel good

5. “Final Straw” – read the last book in a series

6. “I Wanted to Be Wrong” – read a book that you wish you could have changed the ending to

7. “Wanderlust” – read a book about a character who is running away from something

8. “The Boy in the Well” – read a non-YA book that features a young boy as the protagonist

9. “Aftermath” – read a book about the survivors of an apocalypse

10. “High Speed Train” – read a book that has a mode of transportation in the title

11. “The Worst Joke Ever “– read a book that others found funny but you did not

12. “The Ascent of Man” – read a book about books

13. “Around the Sun” – read a book that features space travel

ACCELERATE (2008)

1. “Living Well is the Best Revenge” – read a book that has a great revenge scene

2. “Man Sized Wreath” – read a Christmas themed novel

3. “Supernatural Superserious” – read a book that takes place in a summer or day camp

4. “Hollow Man” – read a book that has failed to meet the hype that surrounded it

5. “Houston” – read a book that is set in a big city

6. “Accelerate” – read a book that is less than 125 pages long

7. “Until the Day is Done” – read a book in one sitting

8. “Mr Richards” – read a book that prominently features a president

9. “Sing for the Submarine” – read a classic dystopian/apocalyptic novel

10. “Horse to Water” – read a book that involves a fight of some sort