The Stacks 100 Book Club Picks Ranked
Plus a fun March Madness inspired tournament for Instagram
Today marks six years of The Stacks. I can’t even go there right now, but holy shit, thank you.
And, with the completion of the book club episode for Interior Chinatown, The Stacks Book Club has officially read 100 books. I do not believe this, but I have counted the list no less than eight times and it appears to be true. To celebrate I am giving you my power rankings of all our book club picks.
What factors did I use to decide where a book would rank? I tried to think about three major factors:
Did I think it made for good conversation on the podcast?
Was it a good book?
Did I like the book?
I want to be really clear, this list is aiming to name our best book club pick, not the best book we’ve read or the best book club episode. So in some cases a book was not great but provoked amazing conversation and moved higher on the list. Other times the book was incredible but didn’t leave us much room for conversation.
When all else failed, I went strictly off my gut feeling, chaos, and vibes.
I have added some annotations in the list below, some behind the scenes nuggets, and moments that have stuck with me through the years.
If you want to hear any of these episodes I have left you links to every single one. You can also search for any episode on your favorite podcast app. Now would be a good time to remind you to subscribe to the show.
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Stitcher
This power ranking is behind the paywall, so if you want to know which book took the top (or bottom) spots be sure to upgrade to paid now! Plus today only you can get 10% off Unstacked.
In addition to this power ranking, it is March Madness time (I know it is April now, but the tourney runs on).and I am sucker for competition. I have decided I will let you (and anyone else who goes to The Stacks Instagram) all crown your winner via IG stories over the next week or so. This tournament will only feature the top 64 books from my ranking below. You’ll vote in stories. We’ll see if you all agree with me. I doubt you will, but that’s none of my business, I know I am right.
Alright, here we go. Don’t sue me.