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It’s the start of a new year, and the air is filled with possibilities, new reading trackers, and renewed optimism in tackling that TBR pile. And what better way to keep the momentum going than joining a book club! From Mocha Girls Read to Jack Edwards’s new book club, there’s a club and a pick for every reading mood. Below, you’ll find a slew of book clubs, each with a different focus, that all offer a virtual component (some also meet in person!), and many connect with the author and hold discussions.
These January picks range from a book that will challenge your ’90s nostalgia to a weird, funny novel with a six-year-old who has a corgi inhabiting his body. There’s also a popular Fredrik Backman novel, a family saga over six decades, a historical fiction looking at post-Emancipation Appalachia, an emotional romance full of yearning, the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction winner, and more!
At the time of writing, some of the big book clubs (Reese’s Book Club, Good Morning America Book Club, and Read With Jenna Book Club) haven’t shared their January picks. This post will be updated when those are announced.
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine
About the book club: Tiffany and Alexandra, longtime friends, created the Subtle Asian Book Club in 2020 with the goal of uplifting Asian voices and storytellers. You can read along with the monthly book pick, join in on discussions on social media, and watch videos of their live author interviews.
About the book: If you’re in the mood for a family saga that spans six decades, this is your book club!
Follow Subtle Asian Book Club on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Discord
In The Club
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The Hitch by Sara Levine
About the book club: Author Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Ayiti, The Banks) selects a book every month with the goal of uplifting “authentic and necessary perspectives from writers who fearlessly share their stories.” Here are the Book Club FAQs.
What Roxane said about the book: “Next month in the Audacious Book Club, we’re talking about The Hitch by Sara Levine (@HitchFace) — which also happens to be the next title we’re publishing at my imprint, Roxane Gay Books (@RoxaneGayBooks)! I hope you’ll join us at The Audacity to discuss this wonderful novel throughout the month of January.”
Follow Roxane Gay on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
About the book club: Mocha Girls Read is a monthly book club of Black women who love to read. They currently have chapters in 14 cities across the United States. Anyone can join an Instagram Live every first Saturday of the month at 5 p.m. PT to hear Alysia, the founder of Mocha Girls Read, discuss the current book club selection.
What Mocha Girls Read said about the book: “We’re stepping into 2026 with our new global theme — AROUND THE WORLD — celebrating stories, voices, and settings that take us across borders and beyond the familiar. Each month, we’ll explore books set in or written by authors from different countries and cultures that remind us how reading connects us all.
We’re beginning our journey in Sweden with the January 2026 Monthly Book Selection: 📘 Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (translated by Neil Smith).”
Follow Mocha Girls Read on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, MeetUp, Goodreads, Pinterest
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
About the book club: Dawnshaeé Reid is a self-proclaimed eclectic blogger who created this book club with Black authors as a priority. It aims to highlight a wide range of genres. There’s an in-person, once-a-month meeting option if you’re in Louisville, KY, and a virtual option that meets on the last Tuesday of every month.
What Eclectix The Book Club said about the book: “Many of you have recommended her other novel, Take My Hand, to me so many times, and you’ve praised her writing endlessly. So when I came across Happy Land, I knew instantly that a novel that is inspired by true events on honoring memory and legacy, as a way to strengthen our personal courage to dream, felt very fitting for the beginning of the year. Reflection is vital to progression.”
Follow Eclectix The Book Club on social media: Instagram, Discord, TikTok
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert
About the book club: The Stacks is a podcast that chats all about books, and there’s a monthly book club. The book chosen for the month is discussed on the podcast in the last week of the month with a selected special guest.
What The Stacks Book Club said about the book: “New year, new book club pick. We’re kicking off 2026 with Sophie Gilbert’s 2025 book Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves. This book challenges our nostalgia for the ‘90s and early 2000s by exposing the insidious ways pop culture objectified and sexualized young women—and how this has continued to influence and undermine feminist movements.
Who is ready to kick off 2026 with a big ideas work of cultural criticism?”
Follow The Stacks on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
The Best Worst Thing by Lauren Okie
About the book club: Lillianne Leight and Amanda Spivack created this book club, which focuses on Jewish books and characters “with varying relationships to Judaism” that welcomes all readers—Jewish and non.
What Matzah Book Soup said about the book: “Our January pick is none other than The Best Worst Thing by @LaurenOkieAuthor! We’re so excited to be reading this emotional romance book (with the ultimate yearning book boyfriend) with you all, and can’t wait to meet to discuss with you all and the author via zoom on JANUARY 26th @ 8 PM EST! We hope to see you there!”
Follow Matzah Book Soup on social media: Instagram, Facebook
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
About the book club: Book influencer Jack Edwards has started a book club with the fable app: “Inklings will celebrate compelling and captivating storytelling from around the world, fostering a community of book lovers. That’s YOU!!”
About the book: If you’re interested in historical fiction set in post-war Holland that follows two women, you might want to join this book club this month with its 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction winner.
Follow Inklings Book Club on social media: Instagram, YouTube, Fable