Join us as we explore a world of stories, one theme at a time! ✨📖
Welcome to Picky Readers Book Club, where every month comes with a new theme—but the book choice is all yours! If you never fully vibe with your book club's book choices, this club is for you. Instead of reading the same book, members select any title that fits the theme, giving everyone the freedom to explore stories that interest them while still sharing a common thread.
For May, our theme is Genre Jumpers! This month, we're diving into books that refuse to fit into just one category—stories that blend mystery with magic, romance with sci-fi, or historical fiction with fantasy. Whether it's a genre-bending adventure or a mash-up of unexpected elements, these books will keep us on our toes and challenge the way we think about storytelling!
At our meetup, we’ll share our thoughts, discuss common themes, and recommend books to one another—without spoilers! Whether your pick was a hit or a miss, your insights will help fellow members discover their next great read.
Join us as we explore a world of stories, one theme at a time! ✨📖
Check Out these Titles at NLR Libraries for this Month's Theme!
Fantasy + Mystery + Historical Fiction
📖 The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern (A dreamy mix of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction with a mysterious magical competition.)
📖 The Ten Thousand Doors of January – Alix E. Harrow (A historical fantasy with portal magic and a touch of literary mystery.)
📖 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke (Historical fiction meets fantasy with political intrigue and footnotes galore.)
Science Fiction + Romance + Literary Fiction
🚀 The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger (A love story mixed with time-travel science fiction.)
🚀 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers (A space opera that blends adventure, found family, and cozy slice-of-life storytelling.)
🚀 This Is How You Lose the Time War – Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone (A sci-fi love story told through letters across time and space.)
Horror + Fantasy + Thriller
👁️ Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia (A gothic horror novel with supernatural and historical elements.)
👁️ The Library at Mount Char – Scott Hawkins (Dark fantasy meets psychological thriller with a dash of horror.)
👁️ House of Leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski (A literary horror novel that also reads like a psychological mystery.)
Magical Realism + Literary Fiction + Mystery
🌿 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón (A mix of historical fiction, mystery, and magical realism set in post-war Barcelona.)
🌿 The House in the Cerulean Sea – TJ Klune (A heartwarming fantasy with LGBTQ+ themes and a cozy mystery feel.)
🌿 Piranesi – Susanna Clarke (A surreal, dreamlike mystery set in an endless labyrinth filled with statues and tides.)
Fantasy + Sci-Fi + Dystopian
✨ Gideon the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir (A gothic fantasy with necromancers, sci-fi elements, and a locked-room mystery.)
✨ Kindred – Octavia Butler (A mix of historical fiction, sci-fi, and social commentary about time travel and slavery.)
✨The Water Knife – Paolo Bacigalupi (A mix of dystopian climate fiction and thriller with sci-fi worldbuilding.)
This is the secondary branch of the William F. Laman Public Library located in the heart of the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock.