Book Club Recommendations (2026): 12 Discussion-Worthy Picks, With Reading Times
These 12 picks total about 99 h 15 min at the average 238 WPM; every one is backed by a verifiable award, bestseller run or public recommendation.
These 12 picks all come from a checkable source: an official book club selection (Oprah's Book Club, Read With Jenna, Reese's Book Club, or the GMA Book Club) confirmed on that club's own site, or a major literary prize (the Booker Prize, the Women's Prize for Fiction, a Goodreads Choice Award) with a public results page.
That gives a group looking for a discussion-worthy pick a reason to trust the selection beyond "we liked it": these are books that have already prompted thousands of readers to talk about them, in a book club or in a prize jury room, and each card links to that original announcement.
Each pick here is a confirmed official selection from Oprah's Book Club, Read With Jenna, Reese's Book Club, or the GMA Book Club, or the winner of a major literary prize such as the Booker Prize, the Women's Prize for Fiction, or a Goodreads Choice Award.
Last reviewed 18 July 2026.
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Books on this list
12
Total reading time at 238 WPM
99 h 15 min
At 400 WPM that drops to 59 h 3 min.
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver · 2022
Oprah's Book Club pick, October 2022.
How long does it take to read Demon Copperhead? About 10 h 47 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (560 pages), or around 6 h 25 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano · 2023
Oprah's Book Club pick, March 2023.
How long does it take to read Hello Beautiful? About 7 h 42 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (400 pages), or around 4 h 35 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Tell Me Everything
Elizabeth Strout · 2024
Read With Jenna (Today Show) book club pick, September 2024.
How long does it take to read Tell Me Everything? About 6 h 10 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (320 pages), or around 3 h 40 min at a trained 400 WPM.
An American Marriage
Tayari Jones · 2018
Oprah's Book Club pick, February 2018.
How long does it take to read An American Marriage? About 6 h 10 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (320 pages), or around 3 h 40 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt · 2022
GMA Book Club (Good Morning America) pick, May 2022.
How long does it take to read Remarkably Bright Creatures? About 7 h 5 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (368 pages), or around 4 h 13 min at a trained 400 WPM.
The Covenant of Water
Abraham Verghese · 2023
Oprah's Book Club pick, May 2023.
How long does it take to read The Covenant of Water? About 14 h 10 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (736 pages), or around 8 h 26 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens · 2018
Reese's Book Club pick, September 2018, confirmed on the official Reese's Book Club site.
How long does it take to read Where the Crawdads Sing? About 7 h 24 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (384 pages), or around 4 h 24 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: verify this claim
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus · 2022
Goodreads Choice Award winner, Best Debut Novel, 2022 (per the official Goodreads Choice Awards results page).
How long does it take to read Lessons in Chemistry? About 7 h 42 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (400 pages), or around 4 h 35 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: verify this claim
Circe
Madeline Miller · 2018
Goodreads Choice Award winner, Best Fantasy, 2018.
How long does it take to read Circe? About 7 h 42 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (400 pages), or around 4 h 35 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: verify this claim
Shuggie Bain
Douglas Stuart · 2020
Winner of the Booker Prize, 2020, per the official Booker Prizes site.
How long does it take to read Shuggie Bain? About 8 h 17 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (430 pages), or around 4 h 56 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: verify this claim
Hamnet
Maggie O'Farrell · 2020
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction, 2020.
How long does it take to read Hamnet? About 7 h 10 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (372 pages), or around 4 h 16 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: verify this claim
Girl, Woman, Other
Bernardine Evaristo · 2019
Joint winner of the Booker Prize, 2019 (shared with Margaret Atwood's The Testaments), per the official Booker Prizes site.
How long does it take to read Girl, Woman, Other? About 8 h 56 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (464 pages), or around 5 h 19 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: verify this claim
How Long Would the Whole List Take?
Based on 1,417,350 total words across every book on this list.
| Reading speed | Speed band | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| 200 WPM | Slower than average | 118 h 7 min |
| 238 WPM | Average adult (Brysbaert, 2019) | 99 h 15 min |
| 400 WPM | Fast reader | 59 h 3 min |
| 600 WPM | Trained speed reader | 39 h 22 min |
Most people can roughly double their reading speed with practice. Take the 2-minute speed test to see where you are.
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Book Club FAQ
How many books are on this list?
This page covers 12 books.
How long would it take to read them all at 238 WPM?
Reading every book on this list back to back comes to roughly 99 h 15 min at the average adult reading speed of 238 words per minute (Brysbaert, 2019), or about 59 h 3 min at a trained speed reader's pace of 400 WPM. Your own time will vary with your reading speed and how closely you read each one.
How were the Book Club picks chosen?
Each pick here is a confirmed official selection from Oprah's Book Club, Read With Jenna, Reese's Book Club, or the GMA Book Club, or the winner of a major literary prize such as the Booker Prize, the Women's Prize for Fiction, or a Goodreads Choice Award. No book is included on vibes alone: every pick links to the award, official pick announcement, or bestseller record backing it up.
More Book Recommendations
Looking for a specific person's picks instead? See our Famous Reading Lists.