The Best Books for Book Clubs

Your one stop resource for the best books for book clubs including printable book club discussion questions and tips to make your next book club meeting a fun and engaging event.

Note: This blog contains affiliate links or referral links. Purchases from these links provides a small commission or discounts towards future purchases to me at no extra cost to you. Medical and health information and these recommendations are from my personal experience and do not constitute medical advice. Please seek professional medical advice for your health. Refer to my Full Privacy Policy and Disclaimers here.

Got a quiet book club? Here’s The 20 Best Book Club Suggestions to Get Your Book Club Talking

Printable Book Club Questions

The Poisonwood Bible Discussion Questions & Review

The Story Hour Book Review and Discussion Questions

Shadow of the Wind Discussion Questions, ch 1-28

Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank Book Club Discussion Questions & Review

A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi Book Review & Book Club Discussion Questions Printable

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd Review and Discussion Questions

The Forgotten Garden Discussion Questions ch1-ch27

The Forgotten Garden Discussion Questions ch 28-End

How to Facilitate a Book Club

Here are some tips if you are the facilitator of a book club:

• check out your local library for resources. My library had book club kits where I could request and reserve enough books and printable discussion questions for all the members of my group. It required more preplanning to get the books in time. But it was so great to ensure everyone had a free copy of the book to read.
• consider whether you want to always meet at a designated location (we had a small club so we met at Panera so no one had to clean up their house to host the others!) or take turns hosting at members’ houses.
• determine how often you will meet and if you want to take a break for the summer/holidays.
• consider whether members will vote on the theme/book each month or if the host will decide.
• consider whether it will be an adults only book club or if there are times of the year when kids can join in. When we read through the Harry Potter series, our school age kids came to our moms book club and it made it super fun. I printed games for them too. Reading through middle grade series are a nice break too from some of the heavier material we had been reading.
• consider whether you want to serve book inspired treats/meals to the meeting. Will it be a potluck or does the host of the meeting get to decide what to serve?
• decide how many people you will let into the club. Do you want a smaller gathering so you can have deeper discussions or the more the merrier?
• will you meet virtual or in person? Some authors meet with virtual book clubs, like my favorite author Diane Chamberlain (i’ve met her a few times since she’s local to me!). So reach out to the author and see if they can join your meeting!
• decide whether you will print out discussion questions to facilitate the discussion or go with the flow. I always liked having questions just in case there was a lull in the conversation.
• does your book club have a specific focus or are all genres welcome? Here are some theme/genre suggestions:
  • travel the world in books,
  • diverse authors,
  • historical fiction,
  • classics,
  • nonfiction,
  • personal development
  • a prolific author (like reading through all Agatha Christie’s work)
  • big books (400 pages or more)
  • award winners (like these Nobel Prize winners worth reading)
  • popular reading challenges (like Popsugar or Rory Gilmore, here are the Rory Gilmore challenge books I read/want to read, or create your own book club reading challenge)

What Makes a Good Book Club?

That’s a matter of personal opinion but here’s what I think makes a good book club:

• an atmosphere where all members feel free and welcome to express their opinion without fear of how others will judge their statements
• where members’ suggestions for what to read are considered
• where members’ don’t feel pressured to finish a book on time or a book they didn’t like
• books chosen are easily accessible at the library so that members don’t have to worry about the cost of buying the book
• members make the discussion fun and not like sitting in a boring lit class
• a facilitator who encourages engaging conversation that get members talking, laughing or thinking
• a facilitator and members who bring some bookish creativity to the meetings, like through food, games, comparing a book to it’s movie adaptation or outings like playing an activity they do in the book. Some fun examples:
  • playing tennis (or table tennis would work too) if you’re reading Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarity,
  • playing croquet or having a tea party if you’re reading the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
  • watching The Call of the Wild if you’re reading All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani which is about the relationship between Clark Gable and Loretta Young, the stars of the film
  • hitting a Chanel counter or boutique for a little pampering if you’re reading Mademoiselle Chanel by CW Gortner
  • or unleash your inner child in an all out nerf sword duel if you’re reading The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  • make a bookish bucket list with your club and tick them off one by one!
  • eat food or play games from the country you’re reading about if you are traveling the world in books
  • have a white elephant or secret santa meeting with these book club inspired gifts

Subscribe to my Email Newsletter and Get ALL the Bookish Printables!!!

When you subscribe to my weekly newsletter, you’ll get access to my Exclusive Subscriber Library which has all the bookish printables that I’ve created, including bookish bucket lists, reading challenge trackers, and printable book club discussion questions. Anything I have now and create for free as long as you’re a subscriber. The library also includes free planners, workbooks for crushing your goals and creating your ideal routines, meal planners, holiday planners, summer bucket lists, chore charts and more!

Books for Book Clubs and Book Club Gifts

I put some of my favorite book club books, reading journals and fun book club gifts on Amazon here for you. These gifts would make fun white elephant or secret santa gifts for your book club.

I hope you find these resources helpful so you can read the best books for book clubs and have a memorable reading and book club experience. Let the author’s creativity inspire you to have a book club that has fun for years to come!