60 Great Book Club Prompts for When Your Group Gets Stuck

You're having a great book club meeting, sharing drinks and talking about whether you liked or disliked a your latest group read when the unexpected happens: Everyone runs out of things to say, and the room goes silent. What can you do to spark an engaging conversation?

The best book club discussion goes beyond each group member's likes and dislikes, seeking to understand the book on a deeper level than each person could have done on their own. With that goal in mind, ask thought-provoking questions that tap into the building blocks of stories, like plot, characters, settings, and symbolism. Don't stop at what the author is doing. Try to understand why the author made their choices and how those choices affected the story.

Here are some starter questions to help guide your group discussion.

01
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Dissect the Plot
Would you describe the book as plot driven or character driven? In other words, does the story focus more on external events, or on internal changes in the characters?
Is this book based on a classic story, like from mythology or literature? Why did the author choose that particular story to retell?
If the plot is inspired by historical events, did the author stay true to the facts, or did they embellish? Why do you think they made that choice?
What is the inciting incident in the story—the event that launches the entire plot?
Did the author succeed in linking the events together through cause and effect? Did the story unfold logically?
If the book has a dual timeline, how did the author choose to overlap the two narratives? Did each "time jump" involve a thematic link, or was it random?
Were you surprised by any plot twists? How did the author prevent you from guessing what would happen?
Was there a simple solution to the problems in the book? Why didn't the author let the characters use it?
What is the book's climactic scene? How did the author build up to it?
Does the book's ending resolve the conflict? If it doesn't, do you think this was intentional?
02
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Analyze Characters
Does the book mainly focus on the internal life of the protagonist, rather than on external events? If so, what is their primary emotional struggle?
How does the protagonist experience a major revelation or period of growth?
Why did the author choose to follow this protagonist and not another character in the story? Would the story have been different if it was told from another character's point of view?
Do you think the protagonist is a hero or a villain—or somewhere in between?
How do characters change over the course of the book? Who changes the most?
Does this story have an antagonist or villain? What traits does this character reveal about the story's hero?
Do you feel like you know these characters? How did the author make them seem real?
Are there any nontraditional "characters" in the book—such as animals or even places that play a strong role in the story?
Do the characters' physical traits reflect who they are internally? Why do you think the author made them look the way they do?
Other than the main character, is there another character you found compelling? Describe how the book might be different from their point of view.
03
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Explore Themes and Symbolism
Can you identify a message in the book? Is the author trying to communicate a larger truth through the story?
Is the setting symbolic? If it is, what does it symbolize?
Are there any particularly striking visual symbols used in the book? What do you think they represent?
Are there any recurring images or phrases? What meaning do they have to the story?
Do the characters themselves represent anything?
Think about the time period in which this book was written. How would that affect the author's choice of theme?
How does the author's culture affect their choice of themes and symbols?
Are there any motifs from mythology, religion, or fairy tales? Why did the author choose them?
What role does the natural world (trees, water, weather, etc.) play in the book, and how does it affect the plot and characters?
Did the story give you a new perspective on an overarching theme, like love, death, or family? How did the author change your mind?
04
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Critique the Author's Style
How would you describe the author's writing style? Is it flowery and descriptive or succinct and matter-of-fact? Did each sentence seem meticulously crafted, or was the writing more casual?
How does the author's writing style compare to that of other authors you have read?
Did the author take a nontraditional approach to the style or structure? Do you think this enhanced or detracted from the story?
Did the writing style change at different points in the book? For example, were the sentences shorter during high-tension moments?
How did the author use dialogue to tell the story? Were the characters' voices realistic?
If the book was written in first person, why do you think the author made that choice? How did that choice change the story, instead of having it in third person?
If the book was written in the third person, what was the narrator's voice like? Do you think it was the author's natural voice? Was the narrator reliable?
If this book takes place in the past, did the writing style seem appropriate to the time period, or was it modern?
Were any sentences difficult to understand, or any scenes difficult to visualize?
What sentence struck you as particularly beautiful, and why?
05
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Tackle a Memoir
Unlike autobiographies, which cover the entirety of an author's life, memoirs focus on a particular experience or theme. Why did the author choose to write about this one aspect of their life?
Did the author skim over or exclude parts of their experience you would have liked to know more about? Why do you think they did so?
How does the author present themselves? How do you think they want you to feel about them?
What was the author's primary emotional struggle?
How does the author change over the course of the memoir?
Can you identify a climax in this memoir—the part where the author undergoes a major transformation?
How did the author portray the other people in their life? Where the "characters" fully drawn?
If you were in the author's shoes, is there anything you would have done differently?
Do you think the author accurately remembered or portrayed the events in the book? Did anything ring false?
Did you learn any lessons from the book? Do you think it's the lesson the author wanted you to learn?
06
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Just for Fun
If you were making this book into a movie or TV show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Did this book remind you of any songs? Make a playlist as a group.
You are dropped into the world of this book for the day. How would you fare?
Which of the characters in the book do you most relate to?
Which of the characters do you dislike the most?
If you were to spend a day with the protagonist, what would you want to do?
What do you think would happen in a sequel?
What would each character bring to a potluck dinner?
Which setting in the book would you most like to visit?
If you could ask the author one question about this book or anything else, what would you ask?