If you’ve just joined a book club, or you’ve been in one for a while now, there’s one thing that always happens, you discuss the merits of books.
That’s why it’s important to understand what makes great book club questions and what doesn’t. A good question can lead to interesting conversations, while bad ones can fall flat.
The best book club questions for discussion are ones that are open-ended and allow the group to have a wide-ranging conversation.
If you come to your next meeting armed with these questions, you’re sure to guarantee a wealth of conversations that will go on and on.
Whether you’ve just started a book club or not, you’ll find a lot of value in the questions listed below.
Table of Contents
General Book Club Questions
Whether you’ve read some little-known books or more famous ones such as Crime and Punishment, these are what you can consider your go-to questions.
No matter what genre or topic the book focuses on, all of these book club questions will be applicable and allow the group to discuss the book in detail.
1. Did the book live up to your expectations?
2. What is the significance of the title?
3. Which character did you relate to the most? Why was this?
4. What was your favorite thing about the book?
5. What was your least favorite part of the book?
6. Are there any books that you would compare this book to?
7. Would you recommend the book to others?
8. What did you learn from reading this book?
9. If you could talk to the author about the book, what would you say?
10. Did you find any inconsistencies in the story or plot holes while reading the book?
11. Was there any part of the book that stood out to you? Why?
12. What did you think of the writing style and the structure of the book?
13. Was the ending of the book good or an anticlimax?
14. Do you find the language and style of the book easy to comprehend?
15. Would you have given the book a different title or not?
16. How did the book make you feel?
17. Did your opinion of the book change as you read it?
18. What were the main themes of the book?
19. If you could change one thing about the book, what would it be?
20. Which character did you find the most annoying?
Fun Book Club Questions
These are some more fun book club questions you can use to liven up the discussion once you’ve gone through the ones above.
21. Do you think the book could be adapted into a film or a play?
22. If you could play the part of any character in the book, what part would you play?
23. Did you read the whole book or just part of it?
24. Did you enjoy the book or was reading it difficult?
25. If you could date a character from the book, who would you pick?
26. Did you smell the book before you started reading it?
27. Did you highlight passages from the book as you read it?
28. Who would like to give this book to as a gift?
29. Was there any point where you wanted to quit and stop reading?
30. Were there any particularly cringe-worthy moments or sentences in the book?
31. Summarise the book in five words?
32. What’s your favorite quote from the book?
33. Which character has the best name and which one has the funniest name in the book?
34. Was the book too long or did you think it was a good length?
35. What was your favorite chapter? Why?
36. How did the characters change by the end of the book?
37. What’s your favorite book you’ve read recently?
38. If the book was turned into a film, who would you cast to play the various parts?
39. Is there a real destination in the book you’d love to visit?
40. Did anyone else in your household read the book? What did they think of it?
Genre-Specific Book Club Questions
This section focuses on specific questions depending on the type of book you’re reading. If your mission is to read more books by joining a book club, you’ll soon achieve that!
If you find yourself reading a certain type of book, check below and find the right questions to ask depending on the genre.
Book Club Questions For Discussion on Fiction
41. Did the book seem realistic?
42. Did you think the plot worked well or not?
43. Was the pace of the story too slow or too fast?
44. Do you think the author was successful in building the world in the book?
45. If you were to write fanfic about this book, what kind of story would you want to tell?
46. Did the characters feel like they were believable to you?
47. Did the characters in the book remind you of anyone?
48. Would you read a sequel or a prequel to this book or do you think it’s best as a standalone?
49. How does the book compares to other works of fiction you’ve read recently?
50. Do you think any events in the book were inspired by real life?
Book Club Questions For Nonfiction
51. What new things did you learn?
52. Were you familiar with the subject of the book before you read it?
53. Will you read more books on the same topic soon?
54. Did the book have a lasting impact on the way you think or act?
55. What did you think of the arguments the author made in the book?
56. What do you think about the author’s research?
57. How does this book compares to others you’ve read on the subject?
58. Was the book too long or did the author get the length just right?
59. Did the author manage to bring the topic to life and make it interesting?
60. Has the book inspired you to read more on the subject?
Book Club Discussion Questions For Mystery
61. At what point did you figure out what was happening? What gave it away?
62. Did the author do a good job of building the tension?
63. Did the ending do the book justice? Was it believable or not?
64. Did you enjoy the twists in the book?
65. Could the author have done anything else to make the story more interesting?
Book Club Discussion Questions For Fantasy
66. Would you like to see the book turned into a series? (If it hasn’t been already.)
67. Which characters did you like the most and which ones didn’t you like?
68. Did you enjoy the world the author created or not?
69. What improvements, if any, would you make to the world created by the author?
70. Was the plot too far-fetched or was it enjoyable?
Book Club Discussion Questions For Short Stories
71. What story was your favourite from the collection?
72. Would you read any more of the author’s short stories?
73. Would you have preferred the stories to be longer or did it work well as a short story?
74. What are your thoughts on short stories, in general, as a genre?
75. Did the plot work well despite the shorter length?
Book Club Discussion Questions For Romance
76. Do you think the couple in the story were realistic or not?
77. If the book were turned into a movie, would you want to play the leading roles?
78. What do you think happens after the end of the book?
79. Were you satisfied with the outcome of the story?
80. Were you rooting for the couple to get together or not?
Looking For Some Books To Read?
Best Kazuo Ishiguro Books – Ishiguro writes some of the best and most thought-provoking books. Selecting one of his to centre your book club questions around is a great idea!
Best European History Books – A good selection of non-fiction books that will lead to lengthy and fascinating discussions.
Best Michael Crichton Books – Crichton’s books are fascinating and science-based. They are almost perfect for book clubs as they offer so much to discuss.