Discover The Nod Book Club's past books and authors of the month--A Guardian and a Thief, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Remarkably Bright Creatures.

The Nod Book Club's Past Picks | List of best books to read

'One Golden Summer' by Carley Fortune

Why ‘One Golden Summer’ is the perfect pick this February

About: Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.

one_goldern_summer_08e9341cd8-ekppoyedcatsivb-16x9.jpg

one_goldern_summer_08e9341cd8-ekppoyedcatsivb-1x1.jpg

one_goldern_summer_08e9341cd8-ekppoyedcatsivb-3x2.jpg

one_goldern_summer_08e9341cd8-ekppoyedcatsivb-3x4.jpg

one_goldern_summer_08e9341cd8-ekppoyedcatsivb-4x3.jpg

medium_one goldern summer.jpg

small_one goldern summer.jpg

thumbnail_one goldern summer.jpg

one goldern summer.jpg

19 years ago, she wrote a Booker-winning novel. Now she’s back with another contender

About: In the snowy mountains of Vermont, Sonia is lonely. A college student and aspiring writer homesick for India, she turns to an older artist for inspiration and intimacy, a man who will cast a dark spell on the next many years of her life. In Brooklyn, Sunny is lonely, too. A struggling journalist originally from Delhi, he is both beguiled and perplexed by his American girlfriend and the country in which he plans to find his future. As Sonia and Sunny each becomes more and more alienated, they begin to question their understanding of happiness, human connection, and where they belong.Back in India, Sonia and Sunny's extended families cannot fathom how anyone could be lonely in this great, bustling world. They arrange a meeting between the two—a clumsy meddling that only drives Sonia and Sunny apart before they have a chance to fall in love.The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next.&nbsp;Themes: Family saga, Immigration, Love

The_Loneliness_of_Sonia_and_Sunny_by_Kiran_Desai_4dde80be1e-lrkdaymdbmzkqfm-16x9.jpg

The_Loneliness_of_Sonia_and_Sunny_by_Kiran_Desai_4dde80be1e-lrkdaymdbmzkqfm-1x1.jpg

The_Loneliness_of_Sonia_and_Sunny_by_Kiran_Desai_4dde80be1e-lrkdaymdbmzkqfm-3x2.jpg

The_Loneliness_of_Sonia_and_Sunny_by_Kiran_Desai_4dde80be1e-lrkdaymdbmzkqfm-3x4.jpg

The_Loneliness_of_Sonia_and_Sunny_by_Kiran_Desai_4dde80be1e-lrkdaymdbmzkqfm-4x3.jpg

medium_‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ by Kiran Desai.jpg

small_‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ by Kiran Desai.jpg

thumbnail_‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ by Kiran Desai.jpg

‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ by Kiran Desai.jpg

'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny' by Kiran Desai

Why you need to read ‘A Guardian and a Thief’ by Megha Majumdar  

About: In a near-future Kolkata beset by flooding and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma’s husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After procuring long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for the flight to America. But in the morning they awaken to discover that Ma’s purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen.Set over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two stories: the story of Ma’s frantic search for the thief while keeping hunger at bay during a worsening food shortage; and the story of Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to care for his family drives him to commit a series of escalating crimes whose consequences he cannot fathom. With stunning control and command, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, each discovering how far they will go to secure their children’s future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe.Themes: Climate change, Family saga, DisplacementRelease date: October 31, 2025

A_guardian_and_a_thief_by_Megha_Majumdar_38eac8ea64-mqolrboxygfgdui-16x9.jpg

A_guardian_and_a_thief_by_Megha_Majumdar_38eac8ea64-mqolrboxygfgdui-1x1.jpg

A_guardian_and_a_thief_by_Megha_Majumdar_38eac8ea64-mqolrboxygfgdui-3x2.jpg

A_guardian_and_a_thief_by_Megha_Majumdar_38eac8ea64-mqolrboxygfgdui-3x4.jpg

A_guardian_and_a_thief_by_Megha_Majumdar_38eac8ea64-mqolrboxygfgdui-4x3.jpg

large_A guardian and a thief by Megha Majumdar.jpg

medium_A guardian and a thief by Megha Majumdar.jpg

small_A guardian and a thief by Megha Majumdar.jpg

thumbnail_A guardian and a thief by Megha Majumdar.jpg

A guardian and a thief by Megha Majumdar.jpg

'A Guardian and a Thief' by Megha Majumdar 

Why ‘Half Light’ by Mahesh Rao is our November pick 

About: In the misty mountains of Darjeeling, a landslide entraps the guests and staff of a dilapidated hotel. Cooped up inside, two men exchange lingering glances. For carefree Neville, this is one of many exhilarating encounters, stolen kisses in stairways and parked cars. But for Pavan, an employee desperate to avoid detection, their entanglement prises open his carefully contained and solitary existence with unforgettable consequences.Four years later, their paths cross again amidst the towering skyscrapers and ghostly smog of Mumbai. Pavan has fled the hills, burying all memories of their encounter, while Neville is now a flailing graduate, craving something more than the naked torsos blowing up his phone. When he glimpses Pavan working behind the reception of a luxurious hotel, he demands a meeting, pursuing him with mischief and menace as the secrets of their time together threaten to tumble into the light.Themes: LGBTQ+ romance, IdentityRelease date: October 31, 2025

Half_Light_by_Mahesh_Rao_1_9845dc633f-pmagiscvvkccmwh-16x9.jpg

Half_Light_by_Mahesh_Rao_1_9845dc633f-pmagiscvvkccmwh-1x1.jpg

Half_Light_by_Mahesh_Rao_1_9845dc633f-pmagiscvvkccmwh-3x2.jpg

Half_Light_by_Mahesh_Rao_1_9845dc633f-pmagiscvvkccmwh-3x4.jpg

Half_Light_by_Mahesh_Rao_1_9845dc633f-pmagiscvvkccmwh-4x3.jpg

medium_Half Light by Mahesh Rao 1.jpg

small_Half Light by Mahesh Rao 1.jpg

thumbnail_Half Light by Mahesh Rao 1.jpg

Half Light by Mahesh Rao 1.jpg

'Half Light' by Mahesh Rao

Why ‘Help Wanted’ by Adelle Waldman is our October pick 

At a big-box store in a small town in upstate New York, the members of Team Movement clock in every morning at 3:55. Under the eye of a self-absorbed and barely competent boss, they empty the day’s truck of merchandise, stock the shelves, and scatter before customers arrive. When a golden opportunity for a promotion presents itself, the diverse members of Movement―among them a comedy-obsessed oddball who acts half his age, a young woman clinging to her “cool kid” status from high school, a college football hopeful trying to find a new path―band together and set a just-so-crazy-it-might-work plot into motion. A darkly comic workplace caper that explores the aches and uses of solidarity, Help Wanted is a deeply human portrait of people trying, against increasingly long odds, to make a living.&nbsp;

Help_Wanted_by_Adelle_Waldman_5291cdee39-xhutgrhceepvqdk-16x9.jpg

Help_Wanted_by_Adelle_Waldman_5291cdee39-xhutgrhceepvqdk-1x1.jpg

Help_Wanted_by_Adelle_Waldman_5291cdee39-xhutgrhceepvqdk-3x2.jpg

Help_Wanted_by_Adelle_Waldman_5291cdee39-xhutgrhceepvqdk-3x4.jpg

Help_Wanted_by_Adelle_Waldman_5291cdee39-xhutgrhceepvqdk-4x3.jpg

large_Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman.jpg

medium_Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman.jpg

small_Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman.jpg

thumbnail_Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman.jpg

Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman.jpg

Help Wanted_Main Thumbnail.jpg

 Beyond the Book: Namita Dubey in conversation with Adelle Waldman

We’re still not over Adelle Waldman’s 'Help Wanted'—our October pick for The Nod Book Club. So, we called in actor and bookworm Namita Dubey to do what she does best: ask a lot of questions. In this chat, Waldman spills on how her day job inspired the book, who she’d cast in a movie version, and a whole lot more.~The Nod Book Club's Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbaiNjee79flVG5f/More about The Nod Book Club here: https://thenodmag.com/book-club?utm_source=wa

'Help Wanted' by Adelle Waldman

Why ‘Real Life’ by Amrita Mahale is our September pick 

About: In the remote Mahamaya Valley in the Himalayas, wildlife biologist Tara has vanished. Hunting for answers, Tara’s best friend Mansi sets out to retrace her whereabouts in the days before her disappearance. The prime suspect Bhaskar sits in police custody, his obsession with Tara laid bare, his testimony a labyrinth of contradictions and half-truths. As the investigation deepens, the valley reveals its own mysteries—a backpacker paradise where the timeless and the ephemeral collide, where technology and nature clash, and where a woman's voice can be silenced in countless ways.Themes: Friendship, Feminism, Indian society

Real_Life_CS_Revised_2_page_0001_4497e17766-ltwaffwuiclllzx-16x9.jpg

Real_Life_CS_Revised_2_page_0001_4497e17766-ltwaffwuiclllzx-1x1.jpg

Real_Life_CS_Revised_2_page_0001_4497e17766-ltwaffwuiclllzx-3x2.jpg

Real_Life_CS_Revised_2_page_0001_4497e17766-ltwaffwuiclllzx-3x4.jpg

Real_Life_CS_Revised_2_page_0001_4497e17766-ltwaffwuiclllzx-4x3.jpg

large_Real Life CS Revised (2)_page-0001.jpg

medium_Real Life CS Revised (2)_page-0001.jpg

small_Real Life CS Revised (2)_page-0001.jpg

thumbnail_Real Life CS Revised (2)_page-0001.jpg

Real Life CS Revised (2)_page-0001.jpg

maxresdefault.jpg

Beyond the Book: Ria Chopra in conversation with Amrita Mahale

'Real Life' by Amrita Mahale

A virtual literary hangout where we handpick one unputdownable book every month

The Correspondent

About: Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.&nbsp;Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

The Nod Book Club The Correspondent.jpg

'The Correspondent' by Virginia Evans

large_Book club FINAL.jpg

medium_Book club FINAL.jpg

small_Book club FINAL.jpg

thumbnail_Book club FINAL.jpg

Book club FINAL.jpg

Join our Instagram channel to discuss the book of the month as we read it. From every-thought-you-had-while-reading to the author's notes, there's a lot going on here. 

Want to be a member of The Nod Book Club?

For book recs that will make you ditch your TBR, sign up for our newsletter.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Nod Book Club 

YT cut_v2.00_08_45_03.Still001.jpg

Kiran Desai in conversation with Sonam Kapoor for The Nod Book Club

Getting Kiran Desai and Sonam Kapoor in a room to talk about 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny' (and then some) was pure magic. There was laughter, goosebumps, a few misty eyes—and everything in between. We couldn’t have dreamed up a better duo to kick off The Nod Book Club’s very first event.