Book Club Questions for fiction
When Amazon blew open the doors of the traditional publishing model and paved the way for Indie authors to compete and get their books directly into the hands of their readers, there was a lot to celebrate.
Especially for book clubs. Now you have soooo many more books to choose from!
But there was a downside: many Indie authors don’t have the time or resources to create book club questions for all their books.
And, there’s nothing worse than having a book club meeting and not having anything to talk about.
Never fear; I’m here to help!
Below is a list of book club questions for discussion that will work for nearly every fiction genre.
(In addition, if you’re reading psychological thrillers or supernatural books, you may want to check out these book club questions I created specific to those genres.)
Happy reading!
Looking for some general book club questions for your next book club meeting? I've got you covered! Check them out. Share on XGeneric Book Club Questions:
1. Overall, what were your thoughts about the book? Did you like it? Didn’t like it? Why?
2. Who was your favorite character? Why?
3. Which character did you like the least? Why?
4. Was the story believable to you? Why or why not?
5. What was your favorite scene in the book? What made it stand out?
6. What didn’t make sense to you?
7. Was there anything that felt “unfinished” or left you with questions? What do you think happened? What do you wish happened?
8. What do you feel was the deeper message of the book? What was the author trying to say?
9. If there was a love interest, did it feel natural to you? Did the chemistry work? Why or why not?
10. If there was a mystery to the book, was it resolved in a way that felt satisfying? Why or why not?
11. Did the setting/location feel natural? If it was a completely different world (i.e. in space, in the future, in the past, in a fantasy world), did it work for you? Why or why not?
12. Was there a supernatural element (ghost, vampire, etc.)? How did the supernatural element contribute to the deeper messages of the story? (Note: This post explains the main messages of different supernatural beings. If there is a psychic or a character with psychic powers, it has a similar meaning to the witch.)
13. Did you have a favorite quote? What made it stand out?
14. Would this book make a good movie? Why or why not?
15. If it would make a great movie, which actor/actress should play the main characters?
16. Would you like to visit any of the places in the book? If so, which ones?
17. Did this book feel original? If not, what other book did it make you think of?
18. Did the characters feel natural? Could you relate to them, or at least, understand what they were trying to accomplish?
19. Did you enjoy the pacing of the book? Was the book too long or too short?
20. Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
If you’re looking for some book club book suggestions, you may want to check out one of my books right here, or direct from Amazon.
Feel free to download the book club questions pdf here.
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This information was extremely helpful when writing comments about how my overall feeling toward a book a finished reading.
Question #9…why does there have to be a deeper message to a book? I read to escape the current politics crap, do not read terrorists, unless it’s a historical story, same with spies and terrorists, as I get enough of that from the headlines.
Also what about whether the “inst-love” is believable, no matter the genre of romance. I do not mind graphic sex in my romances, however it seems to be done because readers expect it, not to add to the storyline. Some stories seem to be mostly sex with little actual mystery, suspense, other story to go with. I need the story first, then if sex seems a natural progression fine.
Of course, too many authors throw in cursing because they believe all PIs do it…maybe they should watch the old film noirs for good examples of PIs, police, etc…think Maltese Falcon here.
Getting technical, what about the editing of the story/book? Or Did the author know correct word usage…to, too, two? where, were? and so many other words I have found authors seem to not know the correct usage.
Thinking on many Indie books I’ve read, I think that all authors should have at least a small group of readers and those readers should have a responsibility to point out some of the things I’ve mentioned.
Thanx for letting me input my thoughts…
Hi Shelia, thanks for adding your input. These questions are meant to be a starting point to stimulate deeper discussion, and perhaps that would be a good discussion whether or not there is a deeper meaning or if the sex was simply gratuitous. Whatever works!
Thanks for the questions. I always have difficulty deciding what to write in a review. I’ve saved the questions to help me think about review content.
What irks me are the errors in books by fairly popular authors. I still purchase paperbacks instead of ebooks for a few of my favorite authors. It’s difficult to get past the errors when there is more than one option available for proofing.
I am a rapid/rabid reader but I don’t have time available to become a proof reader for every author whose books I read! Trust me, I would if I could.