GVUMC Book Club

Reading List

 

September 16, 2026

The Women — Kristin Hannah (war, gender, trauma)

⭐ 4.33 | 480 pages

Set during the Vietnam War, this novel centers on women who served as nurses and the lasting effects of war on their lives. The story highlights courage, friendship, and sacrifice while also confronting the physical and psychological toll of combat. Though dramatic in scope, the narrative remains grounded in relationship and memory. Readers should expect emotional intensity paired with recognition of women’s often-overlooked contributions to wartime history.

Content Warnings: War violence; death; PTSD; sexual assault

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October 21,2026

The People We Keep — Allison Larkin (chosen family, creativity)

⭐ 4.09 | 368 pages

April Sawicki leaves a painful home life behind and builds a sense of belonging through music, travel, and relationships formed along the way. As she moves from town to town, the novel explores abandonment, creativity, and the courage to claim a life not defined by origin. While the story includes trauma, it is driven by connection and forward motion. Readers should expect a warm, accessible narrative centered on chosen family and the healing power of art.

Content Warnings: Abandonment; sexual assault; pregnancy; grief

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Life, and Death, and Giants — Ron Rindo (faith, difference, community)

⭐ 4.42 | 336 pages

This novel follows Gabriel Fisher, a boy of extraordinary size raised by Amish grandparents who value humility and obscurity. As Gabriel’s gifts become impossible to hide, the story explores faith, fear of difference, and the cost of being seen. Blending realism with mythic elements, the narrative holds sorrow and wonder together. While the novel includes grief and loss, it emphasizes connection, generosity, and moral courage. Readers should expect a thoughtful, story-driven exploration of how communities respond to what they cannot fully understand.

Content Warnings: Suicide; grief; illness; sexual violence

 

January 20, 2027

The Making of Biblical Womanhood — Beth Allison Barr (faith & church, gender, patriarchy)

⭐ 4.24 | 320 pages

Historian Beth Allison Barr challenges the idea that contemporary gender roles reflect timeless Christian teaching. Drawing on medieval history, theology, and church practice, Barr traces how patriarchy became embedded in religious culture. The book combines scholarly research with personal reflection, asking readers to engage both history and faith critically. While it is fact-heavy, the argument is clear and purposeful. Readers should expect sustained engagement with historical material alongside a call to rethink assumptions about gender and authority in the church.

Content Warnings: Misogyny; religious abuse; sexism

 

February 17, 2027

The Tell — Amy Griffin (sexual abuse, healing, truth-telling)

⭐ 4.00 | 288 pages

Amy Griffin examines the cost of perfectionism and silence as she uncovers long-buried childhood trauma. Moving through memory, therapy, and healing practices, the memoir traces the slow process of naming truth and integrating pain. The book is emotionally demanding and direct, asking readers to sit with vulnerability and honesty. While it does not promise resolution, it affirms the power of truth-telling as a path toward wholeness and connection.

Content Warnings: Sexual abuse; child abuse; mental health struggles

 

Ordered up to here

March 17, 2027

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman (mental health, loneliness)

⭐ 4.15 | 368 pages

Eleanor Oliphant lives a rigid, isolated life shaped by routine, social misunderstanding, and unresolved trauma. When unexpected relationships begin to crack her carefully constructed solitude, Eleanor is forced to confront both her past and her longing for connection. The novel balances dark humor with emotional seriousness, exploring mental health, loneliness, and healing without sentimentality. While the story includes painful revelations, it steadily moves toward connection and self-understanding. Readers should expect a character-driven narrative that finds hope not through sudden change, but through ordinary acts of kindness and courage.

Content Warnings: Emotional abuse; mental illness; alcoholism; suicide references

April 21, 2027

Sanctuary — Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher (immigration, refugees, young adults)

⭐ 4.20 | 336 pages

Sanctuary follows two teenage girls navigating friendship, love, and survival after one becomes an undocumented immigrant facing deportation. Written for a young adult audience, the novel moves quickly and emotionally, exploring immigration policy through personal stakes rather than abstract debate. While fear and urgency drive the story, the narrative emphasizes loyalty, courage, and mutual care. Readers should expect immediacy and moral clarity, with hope grounded in solidarity and the willingness to act on behalf of others.

Content Warnings: Immigration detention; deportation; violence; political unrest

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May 19, 2027

The Personal Librarian — Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray (race, gender, literary history)

⭐ 4.29 | 352 pages

This historical novel imagines the life of Belle da Costa Greene, the personal librarian to J.P. Morgan, who passed as white while hiding her Black heritage. Set in early twentieth-century New York, the book explores ambition, secrecy, and the cost of access in a racist society. While the story includes historical detail, it remains character-driven, focused on identity and moral compromise. Readers should expect a fast-moving narrative shaped by tension and personal stakes.

Content Warnings: Racism; passing; sexism; identity concealment

 

June 16, 2027

Anxious People — Fredrik Backman (mental health, community)

⭐ 4.12 | 416 pages

A failed bank robbery leads to an unlikely hostage situation in this novel that blends humor with deep compassion. As a group of strangers are forced together, their hidden anxieties, regrets, and longings slowly surface. The story addresses mental health, loneliness, and grief, but does so with warmth and wit. While characters are deeply flawed, the narrative moves steadily toward understanding and connection. Readers should expect emotional insight wrapped in accessible storytelling, with hope grounded in shared humanity rather than the resolution of every problem.

Content Warnings: Anxiety; depression; suicide references; grief

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July 21, 2027

Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life by Maggie Smith

⭐ 4.49 | 320 pages

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age three, Mallory Smith grew up determined to live fully despite knowing her life would likely be short. A gifted writer and Stanford graduate, she became an advocate within the CF community while privately recording her fears, anger, faith, and fierce desire for joy. Published posthumously from journals she left behind, Salt in My Soul offers an intimate portrait of a young woman who refused to be reduced to her illness. The memoir is candid about medical realities and mortality, yet grounded in connection, purpose, and the conviction that a life need not be long to be meaningful.

Content Warnings: Death, medical procedures, grief

 

August 18, 2027

The Girl with the Louding Voice — Abi Daré (gender, education, resilience)

⭐ 4.33 | 384 pages

Adunni, a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl, dreams of education in a world that repeatedly denies her agency. Written in a distinctive voice, the novel traces her journey through forced marriage, exploitation, and determination to learn. The story does not minimize suffering, but it remains driven by Adunni’s clarity, humor, and persistence. Readers should expect emotional intensity paired with strong narrative momentum. Hope here is grounded in voice, education, and the refusal to accept silence as fate.

Content Warnings: Forced marriage; sexual assault; domestic abuse; poverty

 

September 15, 2027

Spellbound — Phil Hanley (learning disability, mental health, self-acceptance)

⭐ 4.26 | 272 pages

Comedian Phil Hanley recounts growing up with severe dyslexia in a school system that dismissed him as incapable. Unable to read well into adolescence, Hanley’s early life was marked by shame, bullying, and exclusion. His story takes unexpected turns—from modeling in Europe to an obsessive pursuit of meditation—before landing in stand-up comedy. While the memoir addresses emotional neglect and substance use, its tone is candid and often humorous. Readers should expect struggle paired with levity, with hope grounded in creativity and self-acceptance.

Content Warnings: Bullying; emotional abuse; drug use; learning disability stigma

 

October 20, 2027

The Many Lives of Mama Love — Lara Love Hardin (addiction & recovery, incarceration)

⭐ 4.27 | 320 pages

Lara Love Hardin chronicles her descent into opioid addiction, incarceration, and the long work of rebuilding her life. The memoir examines shame, motherhood, and the unequal consequences of the criminal legal system. While the story includes loss and failure, it is propelled by accountability, repair, and transformation. Readers should expect honesty without romanticizing addiction, and hope rooted in sustained effort rather than sudden change.

Content Warnings: Addiction; incarceration; child separation; theft

 

November 17, 2027

When the Cranes Fly South — Lisa Ridzén (aging, mortality, companionship)

⭐ 4.33 | 320 pages

Bo, an elderly man nearing the end of his life, fears losing his beloved dog as his independence fades. Through quiet reflection, the novel revisits memory, regret, and imperfect expressions of love. The pacing is gentle and attentive, focused on dignity, care, and small choices rather than dramatic turns. While decline and death are present, the story emphasizes tenderness and the meaning shaped through lifelong connection.

Content Warnings: Aging; death; animal harm; suicidal ideation

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January 19, 2028

The House of My Mother — Shari Franke (abuse, coercive control, family)

⭐ 3.58 | 352 pages

Shari Franke recounts growing up under the rigid control of her mother, whose public image masked profound emotional and psychological abuse. The memoir details years of manipulation, punishment, and fear, alongside Shari’s gradual awakening to the harm inflicted in the name of discipline and faith. The narrative includes long, difficult stretches that reflect the endurance required to survive coercive environments. While clarity and separation eventually emerge, readers should expect a demanding account shaped by repetition and emotional weight rather than narrative ease.

Content Warnings: Child abuse; coercive control; religious extremism; neglect

*These books are non-fiction accounts of personal/cultural situations. My disclaimer is that each of them reads less like a novel, in that, there are sections of technical information that may or may not be of interest to you.