Jimmy Fallon’s Book Club Has Decided Its Ultimate Winner – See the Books That Were in the Running
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While some celebrity book clubs will always have a special place in our hearts, like Reese Witherspoon’s or Oprah Winfrey’s, there are never too many recommendations for a good, page-turning book. After all, we can always have more books lined up for later on.
On March 25, Jimmy Fallon announced on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that his long-awaited book club is making its return. “If you know me, you know I’m always looking for a good book to read,” the late-night show host said. “And that’s why I’m very excited to announce this, tonight we are announcing the return of the Fallon book club.”
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But, unlike his usual method of narrowing down the book, Fallon announced that this spring’s pick will be a little different. In honor of March Madness, Fallon will make the selection from a 16-book bracket.
“Since March Madness is happening, I thought it would be fun to pick sixteen new books,” he told the audience. “And then we’re gonna have a bracket face-off,” he added, “they’re just going to battle each other out.”
“We have all different genres: mystery, young adult novels,” Fallon said of the books. “We have debut authors, New York Times best-selling authors — it’s a great mix of books.”
Since the initial announcement, the 16 books were narrowed down to the “Elite Eight,” “Final Four,” “Terrific Two” and a final winner. Fallon’s Spring read, which was announced on April 10, is Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra.
“So here’s what’s gonna go down, we’re all gonna read this book together,” Fallon said after the announcement. “I’ll be on social media checking in and, of course, I want to know what you guys think about it.”
To check out all the books that were in the running, and where to buy the final pick, scroll below!
Here are Jimmy Fallon’s book club picks:
'Nightwatching' by Tracy Sierra
ULTIMATE WINNER
$24.98 $29.00 14% off
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, which was selected for the “Elite Eight,” tells the terrifying tale of a mother and her young children during a blizzard when an intruder enters their home and searches for them. After escaping in a secret room, the family tries to keep quiet and not surrender to the man’s temptations.
“But then she catches another glimpse of him,” the description reads. “That face. That voice. And at once she knows her situation is even more dire than she’d feared because she knows exactly who he is—and what he wants.”
'How To Solve Your Own Murder' by Kristen Perrin
TERRIFIC TWO
$25.20 $28.00 10% off
How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin, also chosen for the next round, starts with a teenage girl named Frances Adams in 1965. While attending an English country fair, a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction about her future: One day, Frances will be murdered. What then follows is a lifetime of Frances trying to investigate a murder before it even happened. And then, just like predicted, she’s murdered.
Luckily, her great-niece Annie is close by when the crime happens and becomes determined to find out what happened. Conveniently, Frances had already done all the research. “As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune,” the description details.
'The Fox Wife' by Yangsze Choo
FINAL FOUR
$18.18 $27.99 35% off
After a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway, Detective Bao is called upon to identify the victim and investigate her death in The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (another “Elite Eight” pick). But, with rumors of ancient foxes who lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men roaming around ancient China, the investigation is more complicated than expected.
'The Other Valley' by Scott Alexander Howard
FINAL FOUR
$23.99 $27.99 14% off
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard, which also moved to the next round, follows quite a unique concept: a town that repeats itself endlessly across the wilderness with each of them being 20 years ahead of the next.
In one of the towns, the novel follows a quiet and awkward sixteen-year-old girl named Odile who’s hoping for a seat at the Conseil, the council that decides to enter the town’s heavily guarded borders.
One day, however, Odile sees two people she shouldn’t and the secret could jeopardize her whole future.
'A Short Walk Through a Wide World' by Douglas Westerbeke
ELITE EIGHT
$22.96 $28.99 21% off
After coming across a wooden puzzle ball, nine-year-old Aubry Tourvel becomes sick and realizes that the only way to cure her curse is to keep moving. A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke, also an “Elite Eight” pick, then follows Aubry’s journey around the world as she learns how to survive and ultimately live.
“But the longer Aubry wanders and the more desperate she is to share her life with others, the clearer it becomes that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s…” the description reads.
'James' by Percival Everett
ELITE EIGHT
$18.48 $28.00 34% off
In “Elite Eight” pick James by Percival Everett, the author dives deep into a whole other side of a story Americans know all too well: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this book, Everett shines a light on Jim, a compassionate slave who is ready to do anything to not be separated from his wife and daughter.
“Page turner. Could not put down. Edge of my seat. Illuminating. Hysterically funny and scary,” wrote one Amazon reviewer.
'Grief is for People' by Sloane Crosley
ELITE EIGHT
$13.99
Written by Sloane Crosley and chosen as the top eight books, Grief Is For People is a unique memoir that follows the author as she reckons with the recent death of her closest friend. In a search for greater guidance than just the stages of grief, Crosley looks for answers in philosophy and art and reflects on what makes up a family and one’s possessions as New York City faces the staggering toll of the pandemic.
'Where Sleeping Girls Lie' by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
ELITE EIGHT
$14.98 $19.99 25% off
Top eight selection Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé follows teenager Sade Hussein as she begins the third year of high school in the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. But, when her roommate goes missing on the first night, Sade begins her journey for answers and comfort, especially when it comes to the girl clique named the Unholy Trinity.
“As Sade and [her best friend] Baz keep trying to figure out what’s going on, Sade realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she thought,” the description reads.
'Annie Bot' by Sierra Greer
$22.39 $28.00 20% off
In a story that feels all too timely, Annie Bot by Sierra Greer tells the story of a female robot and her human owner, Doug. In the beginning, Annie Bot’s settings are intricately designed to serve Doug’s every need. With time, however, Annie Bot’s curiosity about being human and human emotions leads to “Annie’s relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult,” the description reads. “Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?”
'Ordinary Human Failings' by Megan Nolan
$21.49 $27.00 20% off
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan is set in London in 1990 and follows the story of an Irish family, the Greens, as they become suspects in the death of a toddler who was found in their property. Knowing the case, budding reporter Tom Hargreaves takes the opportunity to report of the newly-relocated family, including young mom Carmel, her daughter Lucy, Carmel’s struggling older brother Ritchie and their father John (a recent widower consumed with grief).
“Nolan sketches the inner lives of her characters in a way that is emotionally precise,” says one reviewer on Amazon.
'The Fury' by Alex Michaelides
$17.19 $28.99 41% off
The Fury by Alex Michaelides tells the story of Lana Farrar, a reclusive former movie star who invites her closest friends every year to an idyllic private Greek island to escape the English weather. This year, however, the friends’ vacation, which caught the attention of the whole world, ends in murder.
“Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge,” the description reads. “What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.”
'The Bullet Swallower' by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
$16.21 $26.99 40% off
The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James follows the story of two men. The first is of Antonio Sonoro in 1895 who sets out to find a train laden with gold and other treasures in Houston from his hometown of Dorado, Mexico. The heist, however, goes awry and launches him into a quest for revenge after the death of his brother.
The novel also follows Jaime Sonoro, Antonio’s grandson and Mexico’s most renowned actor and singer, in 1964. His world is rocked when he comes upon an ancient book and discovers the horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. “When the same mysterious figure from Antonio’s timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors’ crimes,” the description reads.
'The Year of the Locust' by Terry Hayes
$26.67 $32.00 17% off
The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes follows Kane, a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA who’s tasked to exfiltrate a man with vital information from the borders of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The mission, however, goes rogue when he “meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction,” the description reads.
'The Hunter' by Tana French
$20.31 $32.00 37% off
The Hunter by Tana French, which is a sequel to the author’s The Searcher, follows retired Chicago PD cop Cal Hooper as he’s joined by his new girlfriend Lena and Trey Reddy’s disobedient teenager in a small village in the West of Ireland. Their idyllic life changes when Trey’s roaming father, Johnny, returns and begins to jeopardize everything about their new life. Then there’s a murder.
“I’ve read most of the Tana French novels and this is the best,” one Amazon reviewer stated. “Everything works. The characterization is superb. The use of dialect and description is spot on. The plot is rich and absorbing. A superb novel where each page demands our attention.”
'Wandering Stars' by Tommy Orange
$19.16 $29.00 34% off
Beginning in Colorado in 1864, Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange follows Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre who is jailed at the Fort Marion prison castle where he’s forced to learn English and practice Christianity.
Years later, the book follows Star’s son Charles as he’s tortured by the same institutional violence and prison guard who once plagued his father.
“It was a wild ride, and well worth it,” wrote one reviewer.
'Interesting Facts and Space' by Emily Austin
$23.39 $27.99 16% off
Told from the first-person perspective of Enid, a neurodivergent character full of fears and paranoia, Interesting Facts and Space by Emily Austin follows one woman’s life as she struggles with most aspects of her life, from her relationship with her mother to her possible love interests. Things take a toll, however, when her first serious romantic entanglement turns her paranoia from manageable to out of control.
“At the end of the day there’s only one person she can’t outrun—herself,” the description reads.
Before you go, click here to see 10 of Reese Witherspoon’s best book club picks.
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