No Pressure Book Club

 

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

Leigh is certain about one thing: When her mother died, she turned into a bird. In her search for her mother, she travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents and winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. As she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, her mother was taking her own life.

 

 

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.

 

 

The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez

When Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she decides that it might be the place to bury her untold stories—literally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and revisions, and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life. But the stories aren’t done yet and soon take on a life of their own.

 

 

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

When digging foundations for a new housing development, workers didn’t expect to find a human skeleton. But Chicken Hill, a dilapidated neighborhood of immigrant Jews and African Americans side by side, has long shared ambitions, sorrows, and secrets at the margins of white Christian America.

 

 

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach

The start of the summer before Sally enters eighth grade is uneventful, a time for her and her older sister Kathy to hang out at the pool and ogle the cute boy, Billy, at concessions. But the summer ends in tragedy. Set over the span of 15 years, Sally addresses Kathy before, during and after that fateful summer. It’s a love story and a letter to the ways people we love can shape us even after they’re gone.

 

 

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Little Dog, in his late twenties, writes to his mother, who cannot read. The letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. It is as much about the power of telling one's own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

 

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

In a series of letters written by new high school student Charlie, we find thoughts and stories singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory.

 

 

The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

Set in Seoul, South Korea, the elderly owner of a corner store takes in an unhoused man who does a good deed, a man with no memory of his life before. Despite the wariness of the other employees, Dok-go soon wins over the quirky neighborhood. A heartwarming tale of community and redemption.

 

 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality, they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.

 

 

There There by Tommy Orange

A wondrous and shattering 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. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American--grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism.

 

 

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

When Luc O'Donnell is forced back into the spotlight in the worst possible way, he must think fast if he wants to save his floundering reputation. Enter Oliver Blackwood. Stunningly handsome and effortlessly put together, Oliver is successful, and has never appeared in a scandal mag even once. In other words, perfect boyfriend material. But soon their fake relationship starts to feel real, and Luc and Oliver have to decide if they're willing to fight for love…scandal, and consequences, be damned.

 

 

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Annabelle Archer has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the Duke of Montgomery, a man who opposes everything she stands for. She soon finds herself locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own.

 

 

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with six directives to help her “Get a Life”. But it’s not easy being bad. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job: Redford ‘Red’ Morgan, a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs.

 

 

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to Georgie. And you'd be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women—including Georgie—on an ice planet. One of the only ones capable of exploring, Georgie sets out into the frigid, desolate landscape in search for help, finding more than she bargained for.

 

 

Like in Love with You by Emma R. Alban 

When country-bred Catherine Pine relocates to Bath in 1817, she and her mother come face-to-face with her mother’s arch nemesis, Lady Tisend, and her daughter, Lady Rosalie. Seeking to ruin the Tisends’ lives, Mrs. Pine directs Catherine to win over Lady Rosalie’s suitor. Only Catherine soon discovers that she'd rather win over Rosalie, and the feeling might just be mutual. A regency rivals-to-lovers inspired by Mean Girls.

 

 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees to convince Anh she’s in a relationship. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, young hotshot professor and well-known jerk. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend.

 

 

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

Anna Green thought she married Liam “West” Weston for subsidized family housing at school, and that was it. But Liam must be married five years to receive his inheritance and just when he’s in the home stretch, his wealthy family insists on meeting his mysterious wife. Bringing Anna into the toxic world of wealth, Liam has to question if the price is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.

 

 

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez 

Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down by Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come. The opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. With their chemistry undeniable, Alexis must choose between her wealthy parents — and the family legacy they want her to uphold — and the peace she’s found with Daniel in his tight-knit town.

 

 

The Wingman by Stephanie Archer

After years with the wrong guy, Darcy needs a boost of confidence and who better than her best friend, new roommate, and certified playboy, Hayden Owens, to be her wingman and coach in modern dating. Quickly, Darcy begins to notice that their “lessons” definitely push the bounds of friendship. And all the relationship stuff that Hayden has always avoided? He doesn’t seem to mind anymore. There’s also the jealousy when Darcy tries to pick up other guys. Maybe they’re not just roommates and best friends after all.

 

 

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade

The first major zombie breach in two decades, and Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, harmless human neighbor, only to be stunned when he saves her instead. Turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. Gaston "Max" Boucher wants her to stay in his safety bunker but Edie won’t let more innocent people die. As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity.