All About Book Club Discussions

Getting book club discussions started are often the hardest part of the book club meeting.

Many book clubs turn more into a "social hour" than an intelligent conversation on books! Of course, social time can be fun, too.

Why not consider setting aside 30 minutes for social conversation, and then 60 or 90 minutes for book discussion?

Getting Started

To get your book discussion rolling, ask a thought-provoking and open-ended question, such as "What is one passage of the book you found particularly meaningful and why?" or "What was the most pivotal point in this book?".

Questions such as these will open up the floor and make book club members feel comfortable chiming in with their responses.

From there, you can ask more specific or challenging questions. Find more suggestions for book discussion questions here. Or, you can simply allow the book conversation to flow naturally.

Set Ground Rules

Remember to be polite in your book discussions. Everyone should feel comfortable expressing their opinions, there are no right or wrong answers.

People relate to books in many different ways based on their own interpretations, culture and personal experience. That's what makes reading so much fun!

To keep your book discussions on track, many book clubs set some ground rules. These rules could include:

• Always respect other people's opinions and be polite.
• Social discussion happens before and after book club discussion, remember to stay on track during the book discussion.
• Don't talk over or interrupt other members.
• Take turns, talk for a few minutes at a time, and then give someone else a chance to speak.

One final tip: don't forget that book discussions are supposed to be fun! People may have strong opinions about books, but if you disagree do it politely, and be open to the experience of hearing other people's point of view.

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