Indy Book Club
Calling all book nerds! We are hosting a 2020 Reading Challenge. We are challenging you to read one book per month that fits into a specified theme. Download this handy worksheet and keep track of the books you read throughout the year that fulfill our challenge. Every month, we will feature our book of the month – a book on that month’s theme that we are reading and encourage you to read with us. Also, we have partnered with the Santa Barbara Public Library, which will carry extra copies of the book of the month.
To find out more about the Indy Book Club, keep an eye on the print issue and this page, as we will be announcing more details as they unfold. Get started by picking up this month’s pick and joining our Goodreads group!
December’s Theme: Fantasy
In December we are exploring fantasy.
Our book of the month is Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Further Reading Suggestions:
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Vita Nostra by Marina Dyachenko
The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
November’s Theme: Books About Food
In November we are indulging in books about food.
Our book of the month is With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Read our full review.
Further Reading Suggestions:
Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir, by Kwame Onwuachi
Number One Chinese Restaurant, by Lillian Li
October’s Theme: Mystery / True Crime
In October we are diving into mysteries and true crime.
Our book of the month is The Cutting Season by Attica Locke
Read our full review.
Further Reading Suggestions:
One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus
Evil Under the Sun, by Agatha Christie
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI, by Kate Winkler Dawson
September’s Theme: Science Fiction
In September we are jumping into Science Fiction.
Our book of the month is The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
Read our full review.
Further Reading Suggestions:
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin
This is How You Lose a Time War, by Amal el-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
August’s Theme: Historical Fiction / History
In August we are reading books about history and historical fiction. Read our review here.
Our book of the month is The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami
Further Reading Suggestions:
The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson
She Would Be King, by Wayetu Moore
July’s Theme: Books About Animals
In July we are diving into books about animals.
Our book of the month is The Bees by Laline Paull. Read our review here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
The Moon by Whale Light, by Diane Ackerman
H is for Hawk, by Helen Macdonald
June’s Theme: LGBTQ+
In June we are focusing our reading on LGBTQ+ novels.
Our book of the month is Cantoras: A Novel by Carolina de Robertis. Read our full review here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
The Lost Coast, by Amy Rose Capetta
Red, White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston
The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
May’s Theme: Young Adult
The month of May was all about Young Adult novels.
Our book of the month is Sadie by Courtney Summers. Read our full review here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
The Astonishing Color of After, Emily X.R. Pan
Michigan vs. The Boys, Carrie S. Allen
April’s Theme: Journalism/ Investigative Reporting
April is all about journalism and investigative reporting.
Our book of the month is She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey. Read our interview with Megan Twohey here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann
American Fire, by Monica Hesse
March’s Theme: Retellings
In March, we’re taking an interesting twist and focusing on retellings.
Our book of the month is Boy, Snow, Bird, by Helen Oyeyemi. Read our full review here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
The Fishermen, by Chigozie Obioma
Six-Gun Snow White, by Catherynne M. Valente
February’s Theme: Black History Month
In February we are focusing only on books written by authors of color.
Our book of the month is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Read our full review here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
On The Come Up, by Angie Thomas
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Faster Than Light, by Marilyn Nelson
January’s Theme: Memoirs
For our first month and first theme of the Indy Book Club, we are reading memoirs.
Our book of the month is Know My Name, by Chanel Miller. Read our full review here.
Further Reading Suggestions:
Monsoon Mansion, by Cinelle Barnes
The Yellow House, by Sarah M. Broom
Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church, by Megan Phelps-Roper
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