by Margaret Atwood
In a world driven by shadowy, corrupt corporations and the uncontrolled development of new, gene-spliced life forms, a man-made pandemic occurs, obliterating human life. Two people find they have unexpectedly survived.
Looking for your next book club pick? Get everyone in your club talking with these carefully selected books that include our helpful reading group guides.
Paperback
- Little Bee
Chris Cleave - A Gate at the Stairs
Lorrie Moore - Zeitoun
Dave Eggers - The Bishop's Man
Linden MacIntyre - Girl in a Blue Dress
Gaynor Arnold - Her Fearful Symmetry
Audrey Niffenegger - One Day
David Nicholls - Waiting for Columbus
Thomas Trofimuk
Hardcover
- A Man in Uniform
Kate Taylor - Beatrice & Virgil
Yann Martel - The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise
Julia Stuart - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
Alan Bradley - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Bender - The Armageddon Factor
Marci McDonald - Corduroy Mansions
Alexander McCall Smith - A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan
If you liked the storytelling qualities of Yann Martel's Life of Pi, and the idea of animals as characters in a novel, then you'll love Fauna by Alissa York. Set in Toronto's ravines, Fauna follows men and women — and animals — who live on the outer edges of society. An extremely lyrical, modern gothic tale, Fauna is ultimately a love letter to a city. I loved it.
If you liked Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner for its emotional heft, you'll love Little Bee by Chris Cleave, which also deals with a single moment of crisis in a young person's life that leaves an indeliable mark. It is a novel about two cultures coming together, about reconciling history and healing wounds, both literal and physical, and it will take your breath away.
photo credit: Terence W. Bailey
Sara Gruen author of Ape House
Bestselling author Sara Gruen's new novel Ape House was inspired by the bonobos and scientific research at Great Ape Trust in Des Moines. In this video Sara and scientist Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh talk about Ape House and Great Ape Trust's language competent bonobos.
Bestselling author Sara Gruen's new novel Ape House was inspired by the bonobos and scientific research at Great Ape Trust in Des Moines. In this video Sara and scientist Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh talk about Ape House and Great Ape Trust's language competent bonobos.
photo credit: George Whiteside
Margaret Atwood author of The Year of the Flood
Margaret Atwood explains her vision for the final installment of the Madd Addam trilogy.
Margaret Atwood explains her vision for the final installment of the Madd Addam trilogy.