How to Choose a Book Club Book: 3 Tips for Better Discussions

Historically, I’ve not been a fan of book clubs. It seems ironic, but with ~300 books on my to-read list at any given time, it’s hard to make space for other people’s picks. However, when I agreed to head up my local book club, I wanted to put in more effort than I had previously, both toward my own preparation and toward creating a high-quality group experience. Over the next few blogs, I’ll share my experience setting up a book club for success. The first topic? How to choose a book club book that people will actually read—and want to discuss.

1. Choose a book you’ve already read.

This is not the time to pick an interesting-looking book off the library shelf, to choose whatever’s new by a favorite author, or to select something “everyone” is talking about. You need to know the book will launch a good book club discussion, and that means you need to have read it (or at least highly vetted it).

2. Choose a book with high discussion potential.

Many people choose books just because they like them. I’ve done this, too—book club feels like the perfect place to share favorite reads. But favorite reads are books you recommend to friends. Books that spark discussion are for book club. Consider books that raise questions, invite different interpretations, or give people something meaningful to disagree about.

3. Choose a book that’s accessible.

Accessibility matters when you're choosing a book club book—for two reasons: First, people need to be able to find your book. If everyone has to purchase the book, that may hurt the chance people will read it. Second, the book needs to be the right fit for the group. You may love a book and know it would launch a great book club discussion, but if it has content that will turn group members off or if it’s too quirky/slow-paced/specialized for your group, they won’t read it. You can definitely encourage your group to try new things, but you need to be realistic about what they’ll actually get through.

From experience, I can attest that choosing a book club book isn't just about picking a book you love. It's about finding a book your group will actually read—and one that gives them something worth talking about.

Photo by Valentina Ivanova on Unsplash