One of the best ways to hold the interest of your book club members is to come prepared with an interesting set of book club questions.
A great list of book thought-provoking discussion questions will keep things lively and keep your book club members interested in interacting in the book discussion.
Just in case you haven’t had time to find book club questions specific to the book you’re currently reading, I’ve put together a list of generic book club questions that can work for any book in any genre.
Contents
Generic Book Club Questions
These questions are split into groups for general questions, and then questions that would coincide with a specific part of a book.
You can modify or add to it as you wish!
Book Club Questions – General
- What were your initial impressions of the book?
- What themes or messages did you take away from the book?
- Did the book prompt any strong emotional reactions from you? Which scenes evoked those feelings?
- Did you find the pacing of the book satisfactory? Were there any sections that seemed too slow or rushed?
- Do you think the title fits the story?
- Can you think of a better title?
- Did the book change your perspective or challenge your beliefs in any way? How?
- Was it an easy read? Or did you struggle to get through it?
- Which part of the book did you like the most, and why?
- Did you dislike any part of the book, and why?
- Would you read this book again?
- If you were writing a sequel to this book, what would it be about?
- Would this book make a good movie adaptation?
- What aspect of the book do you think will stay with you for a long while after you finish it?
- Did the book bring up any memories or experiences from your own life?
- Did the book make you think differently about a specific subject or issue and if so, what was it and how did your perspective change?
- Did this book cause you to Google any facts while you were reading it?
- Did you learn anything by reading this book?
- Should this book have a sequel?
- Did this book remind you of any other books you’ve read?
- Was there a recurring theme throughout the book?
- Do you have a favorite quote from the book?
- On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, how would you rate this book?
Book Club Questions – About the Beginning
- Did the book grab your attention right away within the first few pages or the first chapter?
- How did you feel about the book after the first chapter? Bored, intrigued? Explain your feelings.
- Was it easy to keep track of the characters at the beginning?
Book Club Questions – About the Characters
- Which character did you like the most and why?
- Which character did you dislike the most and why?
- Did you find the main characters believable?
- Which characters would you like to meet in real life and why?
- Did the characters remind you of the characters in any other book?
- Did the characters remind you of any real people you know? Why?
- Which character experienced the biggest struggle in the book and what was it?
- Were all the characters’ struggles resolved by the end of the book?
- Did you get angry with any of the characters? Why?
- Who would you cast to play the main characters if this book were adapted into a movie?
- Were there any moral or ethical issues in the book? If so, how did the characters navigate these issues, and what would you have done in their place?
- Did you feel sympathy for any character? Which one?
- What do you think happens to the characters after the book ends?
Book Club Questions – About the Plot
- Were there any plot twists or surprises that caught you off guard? How did they impact your perception of the story?
- Were you happy with the way the author built tension throughout the book?
- Did the plot keep you in suspense?
- Were there any parts of the book that you found confusing? If so, how would you have improved that section?
- If this book were to happen in real life, would the plot be realistic? What about the characters, would they be realistic in real life?
Book Club Questions – About the Setting and Timeframe
- Did the setting play a significant role in the book? How did it contribute to the overall atmosphere or theme?
- Did the book have a strong sense of place? Could you see the place in your mind as you read the book?
- Have you ever visited the place or places where the book was set? If not, has reading the book inspired you to travel to that place?
- Would the plot of this book work in a different timeframe?
- Did the timeframe and chronology of the book make it easy to understand the events? Or were you feeling lost at any point and not quite sure what timeframe you were in?
- How did the book handle the passage of time? Did it use flashbacks? Multiple timelines? Or some other technique to indicate the passage of time either forward or backward?
Book Club Questions – About the Ending
- Did you find the ending satisfying?
- Were there any loose ends that you wish would have been resolved differently?
- Did you guess the ending before you got there?
- Did the book end like you hoped it would?
- Did the end surprise you or challenge your expectations in any way?
- Was it a clear ending? Or did it leave you hanging, not really knowing what happened to one or more characters?
Book Club Questions – About the Author
- Is this the first book that you’ve read by this author?
- If you’ve read other works by this author, how does this book compare?
- Did the author’s writing style enhance or detract from your reading experience?
- How would you describe the author’s writing style?
- Did this book entice you to read another book by this author?
- How good of a storyteller would you say the author is?
- If you could ask the author any question, what would it be?
Printable PDF of Generic Book Club Questions
Book Club Questions For Any Book – Conclusion
I hope you find this list of generic book club questions useful for your next book club meeting.
I recommend spending some time and trying to come up with some additional questions of your own that you can add to the list.
The more questions you have, the more interaction you’ll get from the members of your book club.
If you’re still a book club newbie, start here with my Book Club 101 Ultimate Guide.
Just in case you prefer to “listen” to your books rather than read them, here’s a nice opportunity to try Audible free for 30 Days.
Try Audible Free For 30 Days & Get Your First Audiobook Free!
Is this your first visit to Looks Like Books? If so, check out our About page so you can learn a little more about me and my Looks Like Books mission.
Mary Emmer, the founder of Looks Like Books, is an avid book enthusiast and self-employed entrepreneur, with an inspiring passion for reading and learning. With a background in the travel industry spanning four decades, Mary has cultivated a diverse range of experiences that have shaped her unique perspective on life and storytelling. Books have always held a special place in Mary’s life and have served as a constant source of comfort, inspiration, and personal growth. Her mission is to ignite the same passion for reading in others and to encourage them to explore new worlds within the pages of a book. More about Mary.