Combining Chinese mythology and fantasy elements, author Emily Renk Hawthornes’s debut novel Of Mountains and Seas tells the story of multiple people who live in a world with magic users called “Shifters” struggling to live amongst the rest of the world. Follow Davis, Nivi, Ling, and Iris on this journey in this young adult novel as they unravel the mystery that pertains to harnessing these magical powers. BookBase was excited to co-host October 2025’s bookclub alongside Emily for this novel.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah is a fiction novel that follows the journey of researcher Joanna Teale as she meets Ursa, a girl that claims that she was sent from outer space to witness five miracles on Earth. Joanna also meets neighbor Gabriel Nash and the two of them learn not only just about each other but how to help Ursa witness her five miracles. Read this book with us during the month of September 2025!
Leave the Light On: A Paranormal Romance by India Vane is a romance novel that ties in ghost stories and the mysteries of the seas. Following life after she leaves her sketchy boyfriend, Odessa goes to visit her parents as they remodel a lighthouse on Corlucius Island and meets Theo. The two of them work together as they unravel the secrets of the lighthouse and try to shed light on a forgotten history. Author India Vane was a great bookclub host as she engaged with every reader and shared many details on her mindset while writing this novel. She was also willing to do multiple interviews with us that you can check out on our YouTube. Read this book with us during the month of August 2025!
James by Percival Everett is a modern retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Following the life of Jim, a secretly intelligent slave, we learn about the cruel realities of racism and slavery, earning awards like Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year award for communicating how these harsh truths are relatable to the world we live in today. Read this book with us during the month of July 2025!
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green follows 23-year-old April May, who stumbles upon a mysterious, 10-foot-tall robot sculpture in New York City and impulsively uploads a video about it—catapulting her into sudden internet fame. As similar statues appear worldwide, April finds herself at the center of a global mystery that challenges her sense of identity, connection, and responsibility in the digital age. Read this book with us during the month of June 2025!
Big Chicas Don’t Cry by Annette Chavez Macias is a women’s fiction novel that revolves around the lives of four cousins. Erica, Gracie, Selena, and Mari are four cousins that struggle to keep the close bond they had as children as they deal with problems in their own lives. It was great learning about Annette’s writing process as she co-hosted a book club with us for the month of May 2025.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton is a science fiction novel set in a dystopia society where people could make copies of themselves. Mickey Barnes is one of these people that decides to become an Expendable on an experimental colony in Nilfheim. This book was chosen to celebrate the release of the movie, Mickey17, starting Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo.
Burn This Night was our second pick for the month that was also a collaboration with an author. Alex Kenna’s murder mystery novel focuses on the tribulations of private investigator Kate Myles as she finds out that she’s distantly related to a cold case killer. It was an exciting opportunity to get behind the scene details about Alex Kenna’s process when creating the novel in our BookBase Gold chat.
A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson was our first pick for the month that was also a collaboration with an author. Carole Hopson writes a historical fiction novel that centers around the life of Bessie Coleman, the world’s first Black, Native American, and woman pilot. Carole Hopson, after learning about Bessie, decided to leave her corporate job to chase her dream of being a pilot. After realizing that Bessie’s story wasn’t talked about enough, Carole decided to create a novel that could help with that.
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel was our pick for the month of December 2024. Set during World War 2, this historical fiction tells the brave story of Eva Traube, a woman who decides to risk her life to save the lives of Jewish children. This story is inspired by people who lived during the war, risking their lives to help others escape persecution.
Never Lie is a thriller that was written by Frieda McFadden. Taking place within an isolated mansion in the middle of a winter storm, Tricia and Ethan learn that their place of refuge has a secret that can forever change their lives. This was a great novel that wrapped up our 2024 year.
Stoner by John Williams was our pick for the month of November 2024. Follow William Stoner on his life’s journey after he decides to pursue his dream of studying literature. From a student to professor to family man, Stoner touches the themes of identity and purpose in this classic novel.
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell was our first book for the month of October 2024. Laurel is a mother who struggles with the disappearance of her daughter a couple years ago. But when she meets a new man and his child, Poppy, Laurel decides that she won’t stop investigating until she gets to the bottom of Ellie’s dissapearance.
