Book Club Best Practices
Book clubs are a fun and engaging way to bond with other book lovers and explore new ideas and authors. By showing respect for each other and the book, we create a friendly atmosphere for discussion.
Here are a few simple rules to guide us:
- Take turns. When someone has something to say about the book, we want to make sure that they are heard.
- Remember to talk about the book. All of you committed to reading the book. With that in mind, let’s stick to the book discussion.
- If you didn’t read the book, that’s okay. Please participate anyway. You probably have some good general input to give, even without reading the book.
- Be gracious and respectful in your comments. If you didn’t like the book, consider a statement such as “This book was horrible!” might halt the conversation and be seen as disrespectful to those who did enjoy it. It’s fine to say that it wasn’t your favourite title. Beyond that, find constructive ways to contribute to the conversation. And remember, there are many ways of interpreting a book/passage.
- Bring some questions for discussion if you want. Book clubs are always more enjoyable when members are participating and engaging with one another. Feel free to ask the group your questions.
- Keep an open mind. Even if this book isn’t something you think you’re interested in, please give it a chance. It might surprise you. Un Livrel/One eReads Canada promotes Canadian authors and we hope to introduce you to some new favourite titles.
From Oakville Public Library
Questions for Consideration
- What did you like best about this book?
- What did you like least about this book?
- What other books did this remind you of?
- Which characters in the book did you like best?
- Which characters did you like least?
- If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?
- Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?
- What other books by this author have you read? How did they compare to this book?
- Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
- What feelings did this book evoke for you?
- What did you think of the book’s length? If it’s too long, what would you cut? If too short, what would you add?
- What songs does this book make you think of? Create a book group playlist together!
- If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?
- Which character in the book would you most like to meet?
- Which places in the book would you most like to visit?
- What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?
- What do you think of the book’s cover? How well does it convey what the book is about? If the book has been published with different covers, which one do you like best?
- What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was he or she trying to get across?
- How original and unique was this book?
- If you could hear this same story from another person’s point of view, who would you choose?
- What artist would you choose to illustrate this book? What kinds of illustrations would you include?
40 Great Book Club Discussion Questions from Book Riot by Teresa Preston
Source: https://bookriot.com/book-club-discussion-questions/