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Susan Orlean's Private Collection
Susan's Book Club reads an intriguing mix of fiction, hand-picked from her personal library.
Susan's Book Club reads an intriguing mix of fiction, hand-picked from her personal library.
About the Club
Private Collection showcases an array of books from Orlean’s personal library. Explore heartfelt stories about identity, historical fiction, and creative nonfiction—together. Expect to read exquisite writing and unforgettable narratives that you won't want to put down.
Susan Orlean is a writer of true stories and bestselling books whose bylines have filled the pages of The New Yorker, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside. Her words leap from the page into your heart. And sometimes to the big screen. She penned The Library Book, The Orchid Thief, and Adaptation. Her unique humor colors her prose and paints a literary mural for audiences that can't visit art galleries right now.
How It Works
Literati membership includes books curated by Susan Orlean and exclusive access to thoughtful conversations about the stories we read.
New Book Each Month
A new hardcover or paperback book delivered to your door
Sent with Exclusive Notes
A note for you from your club's Luminary, Susan Orlean
To Spark Conversations
Engage with Susan Orlean & readers in the Literati app
Literati membership is $25 a month. Annual members save 20%.
What kind of books does Susan Orlean pick for her book club?
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
Dept. of Speculation is a piercing portrait of a marriage, crafted in language that shimmers with rage, wit, and fierce longing. The New York Times called this suspenseful love story one of the 10 Best books of 2014.
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, The Good Lord Bird follows a young slave unwittingly swept up in abolitionist John Brown’s crusade. It’s a moving exploration of identity and survival, told with McBride's meticulous eye for detail.
News of The World by Paulette Jiles
Set in post Civil War Texas, News of the World follows an aging news reader who is transporting a young captive back to her people. This exquisitely-rendered, morally-complex novel explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.
10 Minutes & 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
How long do we live on after we die? In the fleeting 10 minutes and 38 seconds after she has been murdered, Leila’s brain re-lives her memories in vivid detail. You’ll come for the secrets and wonders of modern Istanbul. But you’ll stay for the captivating tales of the friends we make—and the families we choose—that bring this story, and this life, to its breathtaking conclusion.
Literati membership is $25 a month. Annual members save 20%!
Discover New Books
Each month, Susan Orlean will pick a new book to read together that will transport and transform you.
Read Susan's Insights
Receive a signed note from your Book Club Luminary, and a bookmark to save your place.
Share Ideas In The Literati App!
Explore new topics in the Literati app. Now available on iOS and Android.
Come read through my library, which is packed with the books I love the most.
