Book Club Discussion Questions

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You’ve likely joined a book club because you enjoy reading, and you probably also love discussing books with your friends and colleagues. While you’re preparing for your book club discussion, here are a few questions, intended to start you thinking about what you thought about the book.

So, let’s start off with:

1. What was your first impression of the book, and where did the impression originate? (Book cover? Synopsis? Friend’s recommendation or negative review? Other resource?)
2. Does the book live up to your exceptions–whether positive or negative? Why? Why not?
3. Please share 2-4 “quotable quotes” from the novel, and explain why you enjoy those passages/lines.
4. Which character(s) do you identify with? (Or, were there any such characters?) Does your connection with that character/those characters affect your overall impression of the book?
5. Did the author seem to appear in the book? How? Why? Is the presence of the author disruptive? Or does it seem appropriate/fitting?
6. How does this novel compare with other books by the same author and/or in the same genre?
7. Was the characterization believable? Did they seem to “come alive” for you on the page? Would you want to meet any of the characters?
8. What is your impression of the central theme (or idea) of the book? Is it meaningful to you?
9. Were the conflicts physical, moral, intellectual, or psychological? Would you have acted in the same way?
10. How does the setting figure into the book? Is the setting a character? Does it come to life? Did you feel you were experiencing the time and place in which the book was set? How would the book have been different if it had taken place in a different time or place?

Now, we’ll cover the most important part of a book discussion: Would you recommend the book to a friend?