If you’ve ever wandered around a Barnes & Noble with no clue what to buy, you’re not alone. This happens to the best of us. To the rescue: The popular bookseller has a book club dedicated to helping readers find their next great book. The Barnes & Noble Book Clubs selects books in several genres (fiction, YA, audio, nonfiction) every month. Below, we have rounded up our five favorites from the past few years that are perfect for fall reading. Keep scrolling for the list!
‘Bad Words’ by Ríoghnach Robinson
Barnes & Noble’s most recent book club selection, which was also on the Woman’s World Best New Fall Reads list and landed a spot on the Good Morning America book club, is an ode to book lovers. Parker Navarro’s debut novel was supposed to skyrocket him to fame, but after a brutal review from book critic Selina Chan, his book tanks. Four years later, Selina tears apart Parker’s latest release, and this time, Parker refuses to stay silent. What follows is a fiery, public, enemies-to-lovers feud.
What Barnes & Noble says: “This clever story of ambition, success and sincerity follows debut novelist Parker and literary critic Selina, whose feud goes viral after a scathing review. The two form an unexpected bond as their lives intersect in this will-they-won’t-they rom-com.”
What Goodreads users are saying: Bad Words
What Goodreads users are saying: “Bad Words is everything I want in a novel. It’s well written, perfectly paced, brimming with incredible character work and completely addictive. But what really pushed it over the edge for me is how topical it feels. I absolutely loved what it had to say about criticism, the publishing industry and the ways seemingly small opinions can spiral into something much bigger, especially on the internet.”
‘Like Family’ by Erin O. White
This riveting family saga was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick last year. It follows three couples raising their families in a picturesque New York town. To everyone outside their tight-knit circle, their lives seem perfect. But that all changes when someone in town turns up dead, forcing long-buried secrets and decades-old vendettas to resurface.
What Barnes & Noble says: “Lifelong friends endure the ups and downs of adulthood in this glowing tale of chosen family and complicated love. When secrets and forgotten dreams resurface, three couples confront difficult truths.”
What Goodreads users are saying: The cozy kind
What Goodreads users are saying: “The cozy kind of emotional. This one’s for the moms, the best friends, the tired hearts, and the people who keep showing up. Like Family is the kind of novel that sneaks up on you—quiet, intimate and layered with the kind of emotional truths that feel both tender and unflinching. It explores the complicated, beautiful mess of adult friendships, parenting, marriage and the quiet sacrifices we make for the people we love most.”
‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo’s thrilling dark academia tale was chosen to be a part of the Barnes & Noble Book Club in 2019. After dropping out of school to work with her drug-dealer boyfriend and then surviving an unsolved multiple homicide, Galaxy “Alex” Stern never expected to end up at Yale. But she can’t shake the feeling that her admission comes with a price. Her suspicions prove correct when she’s assigned to keep tabs on Yale’s secret societies, forcing her into a world far darker than she ever imagined. .
What Barnes & Noble says: “Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House is a dark academia novel packed with murder, mystery and ghosts. When Alex Stern, who has the uncanny talent to communicate with the dead, is offered a spot in Yale’s incoming freshman class, she’s more than skeptical of her acceptance. With paranormal occurrences and shady secret societies, Ninth House has earned its spot as your next binge read. Who knew ghost communication was a coveted skill at Yale?”
What Goodreads users are saying: Ninth House
What Goodreads users are saying: “Ninth House is flat out brilliant. There is a reason Stephen King called it one of the best fantasy books he has read in recent years. The main protagonist is well-realized and motivated. The world is our own but twisted enough to draw out a dark fascination from any reader. You MUST know just how deep these dark elements go. How will this mystery play out? These elements come together to become one of the most addicting reads of the year.”
‘Good Joy, Bad Joy’ by Mikki Brammer
This novel was selected as a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick earlier this year. Octogenarian Joy Bridport has spent her entire life following the rules, but when her best friend Hazel learns she only has months to live, Joy’s entire world changes. Now, in an effort to make her last days with Hazel memorable, Joy decides to break some rules, have fun and do things she’s never done before.
What Barnes & Noble says: “After her best friend is given months to live, 89-year-old Joy Bridport sets out to live life to the fullest in this joyful celebration of friendship, growing old and finding peace.”
What Goodreads users are saying: This
What Goodreads users are saying: “This is a story that will sit with me for a while. It prompts you to be thankful for the friendships you have, foster relationships, and be proactive rather than complacent in life. What I liked most was how the story moves between the present day and the past. It was done really well and made Joy and Hazel’s friendship feel real. You get to see all of it—the fun, the history and the harder moments they went through together.”
‘The Listeners’ by Maggie Stiefvater
Maggie Stiefvater’s historical fiction tale was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick in 2025. Set in 1942 in the Appalachian Mountains, the plot follows June Hudson, a hotel manager who was trained by the Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners. For the most part, her hotel is a happy and comforting place, but June’s world is upended when she learns that the Gilfoyles’ heir made a deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats. She must also contend with Tucker Minnick, an FBI agent spying on the diplomats, disrupting her once-peaceful hotel.
What Barnes & Noble says: “Set against the backdrop of World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this is historical fiction that thrives in the time period it’s placed in. With complex and compelling characters and political tension, it’s a read that transports.”
What Goodreads users are saying: “I loved everything about this book—from June’s determination to provide a luxury hotel experience to the detained Germans, Italians, and Japanese, even as she wrestles with her own conflicting emotions, to the themes of found family, the mysticism of the sweetwater and of course, the romance. Five enthusiastic stars for this cleverly written, full-of-heart novel.”
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