In this latest issue of Book Club News, we bring you discussions of two historical novels. Our book club is currently talking about Lars Mytting's fascinating story of a community in 19th-century Norway, The Bell in the Lake, and we're revisiting last year's discussion about Margaret Verble's 1920s Nashville tale of a horse-diver, When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky, now that it's being released in paperback.

It's time for our recommendations of the best books for book clubs in the upcoming year. Enjoy our list of fiction books we think your club will love reading in 2023 (and keep an eye out for our nonfiction list next month).

We also have 50 copies of Billy-Ray Belcourt's highly praised debut novel, A Minor Chorus, to give away — if you win and you're in a book club, books will be provided for all the members of your group (up to a maximum of 12).

Very best,

Davina

As long as people could remember, the stave church's bells had rung over the isolated village of Butangen, Norway. Cast in memory of conjoined twins, the bells are said to ring on their own in times of danger. In 1879, young pastor Kai Schweigaard moves to the village, where Astrid Hekne yearns for a modern life. She sees a way out on the arm of the new pastor, who needs a tie to the community to cull favor for his plan for the old stave church, with its pagan deity effigies and supernatural bells. When the pastor makes a deal that brings an outsider, a sophisticated German architect, into their world, the village and Astrid are caught between past and future, as dark forces come into play.

"I agree with the overall consensus here; I thought this was a fantastic, well-researched, atmospheric read! I haven't read a lot of Norwegian literature, so I learned a lot." - rachelh

"I loved this book as one of the best I've read in a few years. Many decades ago I spent time in Norway... This book brought back the memory of the forests, deep valleys so difficult to traverse, the light, legends and language... I love books where the landscape is so important as to be another character and this book provided that." - Lloster

"This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I was hooked right at the beginning. Once I began, I did not want to stop reading...There is a richness in both the language and description this book." - carolep

"I enjoyed the book so much that I read it twice. I read historical fiction so I can learn something new. I enjoyed learning about the church and the hardships the weather imposed upon the residents. I marvel at the old ways of building." - Holland

Last year, BookBrowse's book club discussed When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky by Margaret Verble. It received many positive comments, so we're revisiting it now that it's available in paperback.

Louise Erdrich meets Karen Russell in this deliciously strange and daringly original novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Margaret Verble: set in 1926 Nashville, it follows a death-defying young Cherokee horse-diver who, with her companions from the Glendale Park Zoo, must get to the bottom of a mystery that spans centuries.

"I really loved this book! The importance of friendship and the acceptance of others really hit a stellar note with me. The setting was so fully developed it became a character in the story. The historical aspects made it even more enjoyable. Two Feathers is an enchanting character and the others were no less memorable." - janeb

"I absolutely loved When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky. The well-developed characters, setting and storyline appealed to me, and the book far exceeded my expectations. I will definitely be reading Margaret Verble’s other books." - BuffaloGirl

"I enjoyed When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky. Ms. Verble is an excellent writer who knows how to entertain while putting forth issues that Tribal members and governments struggle with today: racism, the lack of cultural and historically accurate histories of America's Indigenous peoples, voter rights, blood quantum issues and more. It's put in the context of one woman telling a story that is both universal for women and specific to the Tribal nations. At the same time, this is an entertaining story with allusions to local history in Tennessee and the history of Wild West Shows." - skagitgrits

The discussion of Two Feathers Fell From the Sky took place last winter, so the forum is now closed for new posts, but you can read through all the comments, or explore more about the book, via the links below.

What novels will your book club love reading in 2023? It's never too early to start planning a spectacular lineup. To help you out, we've put together a list of fictional works which will release in paperback during the first half of 2023 that have all received 5-star ratings from our reviewers.

Our list features exciting and significant debut novels, including two from authors who previously established themselves via poetry, Destiny O. Birdsong and Leila Mottley. We've also included books by writers who were already well-known and acclaimed for their fiction, like Douglas Stuart, winner of the 2020 Booker Prize, and veteran bestselling author Victoria E. Schwab. ... continued

In the stark expanse of Northern Alberta, a queer Indigenous doctoral student steps away from his dissertation to write a novel, informed by a series of poignant encounters: a heart-to-heart with fellow doctoral student River over the mounting pressure placed on marginalized scholars; a meeting with Michael, a closeted man from his hometown whose vulnerability and loneliness punctuate the realities of queer life on the fringe. Woven throughout these conversations are memories of Jack, a cousin caught in the cycle of police violence, drugs, and survival.

"An achingly gorgeous debut novel of Indigenous survival…This is a breathtaking and hypnotic achievement." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"With his first novel, wunderkind Belcourt cements what has become increasingly clear across two poetry collections and a memoiristic book of essays: he is a fearless writer... [A Minor Chorus is] a ruminative constellation of ideas regarding colonial trauma, heteropatriarchy, and the innate sociality of writing; Belcourt's boldest, freest, and most linguistically assured work yet." - Library Journal (starred review)

"A Minor Chorus is a feat of technical brilliance, a novel that questions the worth of writing even as it asserts its own value. It is a slippery, scholarly work, rooted in the layered complexity of Indigenous life." - BookPage (starred review)

We have 50 print copies of Billy-Ray Belcourt's debut A Minor Chorus to give away. If a winner is in a book club they will receive a copy for each member of their book club (up to a maximum of 12 copies); if a winner is not in a book club they will receive 4 copies (one for themselves and three to share with friends).

This offer ends Oct 17 and is open to residents of the USA only. The winner(s) will be contacted after the offer closes and sent free copies by mail.

Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your book club among our more than 200 past discussions.

Usually published once a month, Book Club News is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish BookBrowse Highlights every Thursday, Publishing This Week every Sunday; and Librarian News monthly.