These versatile book club discussion questions work with any book and get the conversation rolling!
Getting a good discussion rolling at your book club is sometimes easier said than done. Oftentimes, the conversation feels forced and goes something like this:
“So, did you like the book? Why?”
“I liked it. Uh, it had a good story.”
Everyone else agrees and then comes the awkward sound of crickets.
Inevitably everyone starts talking about their own lives. And before long, your group has forgotten the reason the word “book” is included in your “club.” While I do love catching up with friends, the whole point of a book club is to at least spend some time talking about the book.
To combat this issue, some book clubs only choose books that come with discussion questions. But that can be so limiting! Your book club could miss out on some fantastic reads.
To gain the gratifying opportunities to debate, discuss, and really get into the book’s details, make sure you have versatile questions that can work with any book.
Even if your book selection comes with a predetermined discussion guide, bookmark these 77 questions as a backup if the conversation suddenly falls flat.
Need more Book Club inspiration? Check out my For Book Clubs page for awesome book club ideas, more discussion questions, and intriguing book recommendations.
What are good questions to ask about a book?
The best questions get the people in your book club to start talking and keep talking about the book.
The best book club discussion questions:
- Have an open-ended quality
- Encourage the sharing of personal experiences
- Inspire you to form an opinion
- Help you get into different parts of the story
- Make you think about your perspective on issues
For this post, I’ve included various questions that aim to address at least one of these qualities. Some of the questions prompt your book club members to share deeply personal opinions, while other questions are there for amusement and fun. Perhaps these questions will inspire you to come up with your questions, too.
Free Printable! Download and print out these questions for your next book club meeting!
General Book Club Discussion Questions
- What was your expectation about the book before you read it?
- Did the title pique your interest in this book?
- Do you think the book’s title matches the story?
- If you could give this book a different title, what would it be?
- After reading the book, did your expectations change about it?
- How did you feel right after you finished reading the book?
- How did this book compare to similar books you’ve read by other authors?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend or family member?
- If someone asked you to summarize this book in ten words or less, what would you say?
- Do you think the star rating or reviews for this book are accurate? Was it better or worse?
- What rating out of five stars would you give this book?
- Would you like to see this book made into a movie, a series, a play, or all three?
- If this book is already a movie, series, or play, are you planning to watch it? Or did you watch it first and then read it?
- Which do you prefer: reading the book first and watching it second or the opposite?
- If songs were mentioned in the book, did they add more richness to the story or distract?
- If you could make a playlist for this book, which songs would you include?
Save these discussion questions for later!
Specific Book Club Discussion Questions:
About Your Reading Experience
- Was this book more of a page-turner or something you needed to take your time reading?
- How long did it take you to read this book?
- Where and when is your favorite place and time to read?
- Is this book’s genre the type you’d usually read?
- If you usually read this genre, why do you prefer it?
- If you don’t often or ever read this genre, did you enjoy this book or struggle to finish it?
- What emotions did this book cause you to feel?
- Did you learn something new about yourself after reading this book?
- Did this book evoke a new feeling of empathy for other people and their personal challenges?
About the Author
- Did you like or dislike this author’s writing style?
- Did you like how the author structured or organized this book?
- Do you feel how the author uses language enriches or takes away from the story?
- Is there a quote from the book that stayed with you? What is it, and why?
- Is there a line from the book that you found unsettling or cringe-worthy?
- Do you feel like the author properly researched key details in the story?
- Do you like the point of view the author used?
- Do you prefer books written from a certain point of view? (For example, first person vs third person limited vs. third person omniscient.)
- If the author told the story from multiple points of view for different characters, did it work well to help tell the story, or did it cause confusion?
- Have you read other books by this author? If so, how does this book compare?
- Would you or do you plan to read other books by this author?
- If you could interview the author, what questions would you ask?
- Have you ever met this author in person? What were your impressions and experiences?
About Characters
- Did any of the characters feel like someone you know in real life?
- Did you personally resonate with one of the characters?
- Which character bothered you the most?
- If you were making a film adaptation of this book, who would you cast for each main character?
- If you could, would you switch places with a character in this book? Which one and why or why not?
- If you were a character in this book, who would you be?
- Do you agree with the decisions made by the main character or other characters?
- If you could rewrite the actions or decisions of one character, would you and what changes would you make?
- Which character’s transformation had the biggest impact on you?
- What did you think of the characters’ names? Did they match their personalities?
- If you could rename a character, which character and what would it be?
About Setting
- Is the book’s setting somewhere you’d like to travel to?
- Or have you been to the book’s setting?
- How does the setting impact the story?
- If the setting was not a real place, would you want to visit or live there?
- Did the world the author creates in the story feel realistic to you or lacking in certain details?
- If you could make the setting a different location, where would it be, and how would it change the story?
- Did you like the time period featured in the book?
- If the book is set at a different time, is that a time you’d like to visit or live? Why or why not?
- Did the author accurately portray the time period, or did you notice inconsistencies?
About the Plot and Ending
- How would you describe the pace of the plot?
- Were there any plot twists? Were they predictable, or did they take you by surprise?
- What was the main turning point in the story?
- If you could change something that happened in the story, what would it be?
- Is there an event in the story that stands out to you?
- Do you feel the author added enough dramatic elements?
- Do you think the events in the story were inspired by real-life events?
- Do you agree with the ending?
- If you could change how the story ended, what would you have to happen?
- Do you wish the author had added more information about the characters’ future at the end?
- What are your thoughts on what happens to the characters after the end of the book?
About the Theme
- What were some of the themes in the book?
- How were the themes revealed in the story?
- Do you think the author covered the theme beautifully or missed an opportunity?
- Does this book have a hidden message or lesson? What was the author’s goal in writing it?
- Did this book cause you to gain a new perspective?
- Did this book leave a lasting impact on how you think or plan to act in the future?
- How did this book broaden your view of societal, cultural, or worldwide issues?
- Do you plan to read other books with this theme or cover this topic?
The Final Question
Which book club questions will you ask? From deeply personal to just-for-fun, this list contains more than enough discussion questions to get the conversation rolling. Of course, some questions work better for different types of genres.
For best results, pick and choose between five to ten questions that you most want to ask your book club friends. Sometimes all it takes is one good question to spark a fascinating debate. Then, sit back, enjoy, and participate in all the lively and meaningful discussions.
