non fiction book review questions

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30 Non-Fiction Book Club Questions For Your Next Read (+PDF Download)

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Non-fiction books make great book club reads because there’s just so much to discuss – theories, experiments, quotes, real-life events and more.

In this non-fiction book club question guide, you’ll find 20 discussion questions that can be used for any non-fiction book.

Most of these are open-ended questions for non-fiction books. Meaning you’ll never again hear just a “yes” or “no” from your fellow book-club members.

The aim of these questions is to aid them to “open up” about the book more so your bookclub can have an active discussion session.

The Viscount Who Loved Me Book Club Questions

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30 Non-Fiction Book Club Questions

What were your expectations before diving into this book?
What do you think about the title of this book?
If you could rewrite the title if this book, what would it be?
What do you think about the cover of this book?
How would you design this book’s cover art?
Have you read this author’s books before? If yes, did you enjoy them? If no, why did you choose to try reading this book?
What is your preferred format for reading non-fiction books like this one? Why? (E-book, audiobook, paperback)
Did you find any note-worthy quotes from this book? What were they?
How long did it take for you to read this book?
What parts of the book did you enjoy?
What parts of the book did you dislike?
If you were able to meet the author, what would you say to him/her?
Did do any additional reading or research for this book club session? Would you like to share them?
What emotions did this book evoke in you?
What is something new you’ve learned from this book?
What was the main idea the author was trying to get across to its readers?
To whom would you recommend this book and why?
Is there a similar author or similar book you’d recommend and why?
Did this book meet your expectations and why?
Is this type of book your usual cup of tea or did it make you read out of your comfort genres?
Do you have any thoughts on the writing style of this book?
Describe this book in one sentence.
Did you take away anything from this book and apply it in any part of your life?
Describe this book using 3 emojis.
What songs would you add to a playlist for this book?
How do you think the author could have improved this book?
Is the topic of the book something you’re familiar with?
How often do you see yourself reaching out for this book again?
What do you think about the length of this book?
Do you have any tips on reading non-fiction books?

Printable Non-Fiction Book Club Discussion Questions

My top 3 non-fiction books for your next book club session, atomic habits by james clear.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a self-help book that discusses how the accumulation of tiny changes can lead to big, impactful results.

Positive tiny changes or negative tiny changes can have a compounding effect. This is where Clear’s very famous 1% better everyday concept comes to play.

This book teaches how to build tiny habits instead of giving in to instant gratification.

Read More: Atomic Habits Book Club Questions & 30 Note-Worthy Atomic Habits Quotes By James Clear

How To Change by Katy Milkman

Written based on a combination of principles of psychology, Milkman’s own research and findings. The book sheds insights into understanding our own internal obstacles – laziness, procrastination, forgetfulness, among others.

Milkman points out that failure is inevitable so it’s important to shift our focus to learning how to navigate around those situations instead.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

7 Habits of Highly Effective People different from Atomic Habits is the approach – the former is more strategic and the latter is more tactical.

This is one of those books that readers would either hate or love. Some readers found that the 7 habits helped remind and rekindle what lies within them.

Hi there, i'm Sonia. The founder and author at Brewing Writer, a blog that features detailed book reviews, bookstagram tips, book blogging tips, thoughtfully curated book lists (which my readers love!) and cozy aesthetic photography that’ll make you crave a cup of coffee and a good book.

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Best non fiction book club discussion questions

Home » Questions » Best non fiction book club discussion questions

Joining a book club is a fantastic way to connect with other avid readers, share your thoughts, and delve deeper into the themes and ideas presented in the books you read. For those who enjoy non-fiction books, a non-fiction book club can provide a unique opportunity to explore real-life stories, gain new knowledge, and engage in lively discussions. To help guide your next non-fiction book club meeting, we have compiled a comprehensive list of discussion questions that will spark thought-provoking conversations and enrich your reading experience.

Non-fiction books cover a wide range of topics such as history, biographies, self-help, science, and more. Each book offers its own unique perspective and key takeaways. By using discussion questions, you can explore different aspects of the book, challenge one another’s interpretations, and gain a deeper understanding of the author’s intentions.

Whether you are a seasoned book club member or just starting out, our extensive list of non-fiction book club discussion questions will provide you with a solid foundation for meaningful conversations. Feel free to adapt and tailor these questions to suit your book club’s needs and preferences.

See these non fiction book club discussion questions

What was the most surprising fact or piece of information you came across in this book?
Did the author present a convincing argument? Why or why not?
What did you learn from this book that you did not know before?
Were there any parts of the book that you found difficult to understand or follow? Why?
How did this book challenge your preconceived notions or beliefs?
Did you find the author’s writing style engaging? Why or why not?
Which chapter or section of the book resonated with you the most? Why?
Were there any parts of the book that you disagreed with? Why?
What questions would you ask the author if given the opportunity?
How did the book change your perspective on the subject matter?
Did the book inspire you to take any action or make any changes in your life?
How did the book relate to current events or societal issues?
Were there any personal anecdotes or stories in the book that you found particularly impactful?
Did the book meet your expectations? Why or why not?
What other books or authors would you recommend to someone who enjoyed this book?
Did the author present a balanced view of the topic? Why or why not?
What unanswered questions or lingering thoughts do you have after reading this book?
How did the book make you feel? Did it evoke any strong emotions?
Were there any parts of the book that you found biased or one-sided? Why?
Did the book provide any practical advice or useful insights?
What impact do you think this book will have on future generations?
Did the book challenge any of your beliefs or assumptions? How?
What additional research or further reading would you recommend to gain a deeper understanding of the topic?
Do you think the author effectively supported their main arguments? Why or why not?
What aspects of the book did you find most thought-provoking?
How did the book compare to other books you have read on similar topics?
Did the book change your perspective on the author or their work?
Were there any sections of the book that you found particularly enlightening or eye-opening?
What emotions or reactions did the book evoke in you?
Did the book leave any unanswered questions for you? What were they?
How did the book challenge or reinforce your existing knowledge on the subject?
What did you enjoy most about reading this book?
How did the book impact your understanding of the world or society?
What did you find most memorable about the book?
Did the book have any personal resonance with your own experiences or beliefs?
What aspects of the book do you think will stay with you long after reading?
Did the book offer any fresh or unique perspectives on the subject matter?
What broader implications does the book have for society or the world?
Did the book change your opinion on any contentious issues? How?
What audience do you think would benefit most from reading this book?
What aspects of the book do you think could be improved or expanded upon?
Did the book prompt any new questions or areas of interest for you?
What impact did the book have on your knowledge or understanding of the topic?

By utilizing these non-fiction book club discussion questions, you can ensure that your book club meetings are engaging, thought-provoking, and enjoyable. Remember, the purpose of a book club is to foster open dialogue, encourage diverse perspectives, and deepen our appreciation for the books we read. Happy reading and discussing!

best thursday murder club book club questions

101 Comprehensive Book Club Questions (and Printable PDF)

Even though we write tons of book club discussion guides , sometimes it’s also handy to have a toolkit of generic book club questions at the ready. You can certainly use them if you don’t care for the discussion questions that you find around the web. But you can also assign out a few questions in advance and ask your club members to do some light prep. Or you could use some of the more entertaining questions as an ice breaker for new members.

However you use them, these book club discussion questions are designed to help your group have a fun and stimulating conversation.

Handy book club questions, universal prompts for all genres.

(This article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase, I’ll make a small commission.)

In addition to the questions below, we also suggest that you mine a few other sources for book club content. All of our book club guides include the publisher’s synopsis. We do this not only to describe the book…but also because they sometimes do a terrible job of describing the book! You can have a whole conversation about whether the publisher properly marketed the book or accurately reflected your experience of it.

We also love looking at the Goodreads reviews. Even super popular books (like those from Colleen Hoover or Jenna’s book club ) have their detractors and there is often thoughtful fodder in the reviews. You can also consider assigning some multi-media to the club by putting author interviews or movie adaptations into the mix.

This guide is divided into three sections. The first has generic questions, the second lists a bunch of ideas for fiction related to plot, character development, setting, author intent and some genre-specific questions. And the final section has some prompts for non-fiction books. Here’s a table of contents if you want to jump around.

Generic book club questions
Book club questions for fiction (format, author intent, plotting/pacing, characterization, mood and genre)
Non-fiction discussion questions

Generic Book Club Discussion Questions

If you could describe this book with one word, what would it be?
Is this the kind of book that you can read a little bit of before going to bed? Or is this the kind of book that demands some concentrated reading time?
(Share some Goodreads reviews) Do these reviews reflect your experience of the book? Why or why not?
What level of Goodreads star would you give the book?
Did you listen on audio? If so, how was the performance?
If the book gets adapted for the screen, who would you like to see play the main characters? What do you think would have to change?
Of all the books that your club has read in the past year, how does this one rank for you?
Have you read other books by this author? If so, how is this one different?
Will you read another book by this author? If so, what will you be looking for?
Have you read another book that is similar in plot, tone, setting or theme? What was it and how do the two books relate?
Were you feeling the feels while reading this book? If so, which feels were you feeling?
Did the book land a gut punch on you? Or did you cry? It’s OK, we’re all friends here.
Did the book ever frustrate you or make you mad? Why?
Pull a quote from the book and share with the group. Why did you find the quote meaningful?
Will the book be worth a re-read someday?
Were there elements of the book that were completely unique? If so, what?
If the book was outside of your normal reading wheelhouse, has it inspired you to read more books in this vein?
Was there something about the book that you still find yourself ruminating on? If so, what?
Will you be recommending this book to others? If yes, what’s your elevator pitch in one sentence?
You’ve just been hired-on as this book’s editor. What sort of changes would you suggest?

Want a clean, printable version of these generic discussion questions? Simply sign-up on the form below:

Book Club Questions for Fiction

Formatting and presentation.

The book was written in (first, second, third) person point-of-view. How do you think it affected the presentation of the story?
(If not told in a linear format) The book went back and forth in time (or space). Were you able to follow the threads?
How did you find the writing style? What did or didn’t work for you?
How was the title significant to the book?
What did you think of the book cover? Did it accurately reflect what the book was about?
Was the book too long, too short, just right?
(If there was an unusual formatting structure, such as letters, monologues or poetry) What did you think about the structure of the prose? What did it add to the reading experience?
Was the book more plot driven or more character driven?

The Author’s Point of View

What did you think of the official synopsis of the book? Was it an accurate representation of your experience?
If you were to invite the author to dinner, what would you ask them? And what would you serve them?
Do you think that the book was at all semi-autobiographical?
Would you call this an owned voices book? Why or why not?
In terms of theme or plotting, how does this book line up relative to the author’s other works?

Plotting & Pacing

How did you find the pacing? On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the tortoise and 10 is the hare.
How satisfied were you with the ending of the book?
Did the plot hang together? Were there some holes or lose threads?
What were the book’s central themes?
Where there any plot devices that you found too trite or convenient?
Did you find the book believable?
Were there some tried, true and perhaps over-used tropes in the book?
Was there a lot of lying, subterfuge and betrayal going on? If so, how did you untangle it?
Were there elements of the plot that were a stretch? And if so, were you able to suspend your disbelief?
What was your key takeaway from the book?
Were there some interesting racial, cultural or gender dynamics at play in the book? If so, what did you take away from them?
Is the book’s timeframe (or place in history) critical to the story?
Were there magical or fantastical elements in the story? Did they work? Were they believable?
Is there a moral to this story?
Was there a scene or section that has really stuck with you?
If the book is part of a series, are you now motivated to continue in the series?

Character Development

Who was your most favorite character, and why?
Which was your least favorite character, and why?
Which character did you most relate to?
If you could choose a character to be, which character would you choose?
Did you develop expectations for certain characters? If so, did they live up to your expectations?
Have you found yourself thinking about what may have happened to the characters after the events of the book have ended?
Were the characters reliable narrators of their stories and lives?
Have you ever experienced some of what these characters were going through?
How did you feel about the (family, friend, work, school) dynamics in the book?
Did you find yourself judging the decisions that the characters were making?
Choose a thorny issue or impossible choice that one of the characters had to deal with. What would you have done in their circumstance?
How did the characters evolve over the course of the book? Did they find themselves? Did they lose their way?
What is the main character’s worldview?
Can we allow the characters’ past to excuse their behavior or choices in the present?
Were there any interesting power dynamics going on in the book?
Did any of the characters remind you of someone you know? And is that a good thing…or a bad thing?

Mood & Setting

How did the setting contribute to the mood, atmosphere or tension of the story?
Could the book have been set somewhere else?
Did the book make you want to visit the location?
What sort of emoji would you assign to the mood of the book?
Is there a thread of feelings that percolate throughout the book?
Was there something about the book’s setting or culture that was unfamiliar to you? If so, what did you learn from it?
Pick a color that best describes the mood of the book.

Genre-Specific Discussion Questions

(For thrillers and mysteries) Are you the kind of reader who likes to puzzle out whodunnit? If so, who did you think dunnit and how did your opinion over the course of the book?
(For thrillers and mysteries) Were there some red herrings in the storyline?
(For thrillers and mysteries) Were you able to follow the twists?
(For thrillers and mysteries) On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is a wet noodle and 10 is a tight rubber band, how strong was the tension in the book?
(For romances) Well, will they live happily ever after, or not?
(For romances) Do they belong together?
(For romances) On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is a cold glass of milk and 10 is a house afire, how high was the heat level in the romance?
(For sci-fi/fantasy) Was the world building complete?
(For sci-fi/fantasy) What lessons from the book are relevant to our current space and time?
(For sci-fi/fantasy) Did the book present an alternate reality that you can relate to?
(For historical fiction) How might some of these events or cultural attitudes play out in our modern world?
(For historical fiction) Did the events of the book change your perception or knowledge of history?
(For historical fiction) Why do you suppose that the author chose this time period?

Discussion Questions for Non-Fiction

(For memoirs) Did you find the author’s memory to be reliable and believable?
(For memoirs) Could you relate to their lived experience? If so, which parts?
(For memoirs) Can there be such a thing as a perfectly true memoir?
(For memoirs) What were you hoping to learn from the author?
(For memoirs) How did you feel about the author’s voice?
(For memoirs) What did you think of the author’s worldview?
(If business or self-help) If the book contained tools, worksheets or further reading, will you follow up and use them?
(If business or self-help) What was your key takeaway?
(If business or self-help) Has the book inspired you to make a change?
(If business or self-help) Was the book predicated more on inspiration, or action?
(If business or self-help) Will this book help you solve a problem?
(For narrative non-fiction) Did the story line hang together?
(For narrative non-fiction) Do you think that the book was well-researched?
(For narrative non-fiction) Why were you interested in this topic? And did the book answer your questions?
(For narrative non-fiction) Has the book made you rethink your position on the topic?

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More Book Club Resources

Get some ammo for the key benefits of book clubs and why they are so worth it.
And also some useful tips for starting your own book club .
Have a smooth running book club using these rules and expectations .
Tips for facilitating a great book club discussion .
Develop winning strategies for choosing book club books .
Browse our book club guides for fiction and non-fiction .

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101 book club questions, universal questions for all genres.

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4 thoughts on “101 Comprehensive Book Club Questions (and Printable PDF)”

These questions look great! Can’t wait to use them with my new book club. Thank you!

This has been such a great resource for me. I love to read and my book club is excellent but I have so much stress leading the discussion! Thank you so much!

where is the printable pdf?

There’s a sign-up form just above the section for fiction questions. If you aren’t seeing it. You can sign up for the newsletter on the link below. Your welcome email will include a link to the PDF. You can unsubscribe any time. https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/234155/72593102432371913/share

The Best Nonfiction Book Club Questions

Do you love the idea of a book club, but find yourself reaching for nonfiction rather than fiction? Perhaps you like discussing books with others, but you want those discussions to be more than just a social event. Nonfiction book clubs are totally a thing, and while the core principle might be the same as book clubs that focus primarily on fiction and discussion, you can make a nonfiction book club into an organization dedicated to growth and action! Here are some ideas and nonfiction book club questions to get you started!

Getting Started

Check out our guide to how to run a book club for some nuts and bolts on how to get started , and stay organized. While the advice is geared towards a fiction book club, it can be adapted for a nonfiction one as well.

One of the most important things you might want to do is create a mission statement. What is the purpose of your book club? This will be a guiding principle for how you pick books, but also how you discuss them, and what action you might take in your meetings. Some things to consider might be who makes up your group (e.g. are you colleagues, or do you serve on a committee together?), what your group’s goals might be, and the amount of time and resources you can devote to this book club. You might also want to decide how often you meet and how you choose the books you read, paying special attention to ensuring the you’re reading widely and diversely, and learning new things.

Nonfiction Book Club Questions

Once you’ve set up your club, and you’ve picked your first book, here are some book club questions for personal development and deeper conversation!

What are the central themes in this book?

What did you learn from reading this book? Did the book confirm something you already knew?

What resources did the author consult? Is the author an authority on this subject? Do they have credibility in this field?

Is there a piece of advise or wisdom that you disagreed with? Why? What would you suggest as alternative?

If the book discusses strategies or solutions for a problem raised, how might you apply these strategies and solutions in your own life? Walk through various scenarios, and role play with other members if necessary.

Does this work make you rethink current policies or procedures that are currently in place in your organization or place of business? Do your policies and procedures need to be updated?

How does this book address conflict, or conflicting information or opinions?

What questions do you still have after reading this book? What other resources might you look into? Do any of your members recommend any news articles on the subject?

How familiar are you with this topic? Have you read anything else about the subject that you’d recommend to your group members?

What personal or group action can you take after reading this book?

Secondary Activities

Aside from discussing the book you’ve read, you can really take your club to the next level by brainstorming a way to pair your discussion with an activity that ties to the book in some way. For example, if you read a book about the opioid crisis, is there a documentary you can also watch that will complement your book? If you read a memoir about sustainability, is there a class you can take that will aid your members in their sustainability journey? Is your book politically minded? Consider attending a lecture or event that centers on an issue important to your club. Does the book talk about a need in communities that your group can fill? Look into volunteering opportunities, or discuss ways that your group can work collectively to make a positive impact.

By taking what you learn and discussing ways to put the concepts into action, you can grow as a group, and as individuals. Your book club will be more than just a social event, but a learning opportunity a nd force for positivity and change in your community!

Looking for some great nonfiction recommendations for your new nonfiction book club? We can help! Sign up for TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations! TBR is a personalized book recommendation service that sends you books you’ll love to read. Here’s how it works: Simply fill out the reader survey and let us know what you want more of–such as fairy tales for adults–and what you’re not keen on. Then, an expert Bibliologist will read your responses and recommend three books just for you. Receive your recommendation letter via email in about two weeks, or opt to receive your recommendations as brand new hardcovers in the mail in about three to four weeks. Learn more and sign up now!

50 Great Book Club Discussion Questions For Any Book

The best book club discussion questions are open-ended and unique. Here are 50 of the best questions, along with a printable list.

Teresa Preston

Since 2008, Teresa Preston has been blogging about all the books she reads at Shelf Love . She supports her book habit by working as a magazine editor at a professional association in the Washington, DC, area, which is (in)conveniently located just a few steps from a used bookstore. When she’s not reading or editing, she’s likely to be attending theatre, practicing yoga, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer again, or doting on her toothless orange cat, Anya. Twitter: @teresareads

View All posts by Teresa Preston

I’ve been in a lot of book clubs, and I know it’s not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. I’ve found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are open-ended and that get people to share their personal opinions. If you’re ready to start a book club , here are 50 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Find a printable list to bring to your meeting here !

How did I create this list of book club discussion questions?

Simply put, I’ve assembled a list of the kinds of questions that are likely to get people talking. Most of these are non-specific and designed to work for any book. Although, of course, some will work better than others for particular books).

I’ve also included a few questions that are meant for specific types of books, like fiction or nonfiction. Just pick and choose the discussion questions that work best for you and your book group, and get the conversation going! Bring the printable questions along for help.

a stack of books agains a teal background. Text above the image reads "50 Great Book Club Discussion Questions"

General Book Club Discussion Questions

1. What did you like best about this book?

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2. What did you like least about this book?

3. What other books did this remind you of?

4. Which characters in the book did you like best?

5. Which characters did you like least?

6. If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?

7. Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?

8. What other books by this author have you read? How did they compare to this book?

9. Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?

10. What feelings did this book evoke for you?

11. What did you think of the book’s length? If it’s too long, what would you cut? If too short, what would you add?

12. What songs does this book make you think of? Create a book group playlist together!

13. If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?

14. Which character in the book would you most like to meet?

15. Which places in the book would you most like to visit?

16. What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?

17. What do you think of the book’s cover? How well does it convey what the book is about? If the book has been published with different covers, which one do you like best?

18. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was he or she trying to get across?

19. How original and unique was this book?

20. If you could hear this same story from another person’s point of view, who would you choose?

21. What artist would you choose to illustrate this book? What kinds of illustrations would you include?

22. Had you heard about the book before starting it? Do you think it was overhyped or should be celebrated more?

Book Club Discussion Questions for Fiction

23. Did this book seem realistic?

24. How well do you think the author built the world in the book?

25. Did the characters seem believable to you? Did they remind you of anyone?

26. Did the book’s pace seem too fast/too slow/just right?

27. If you were to write fanfic about this book, what kind of story would you want to tell?

28. Was the pacing— beginning, middle, and end— done well?

29. Which other character would have made an interesting protagonist?

30. Did the characters’ motives seem reasonable or a little far-fetched?

31. Sometimes books start off strong, but have endings that fall a little flat. Then there are books that are a little hard to get into at first, but are enjoyable after a while. How did you find this one?

32. If there were any twists or big reveals, how believable were they?

33. How did the setting progress the story?

34. Was there symbolism present? If so, what did you think of the message the author was trying to convey?

Book Club Questions for Nonfiction

35. What did you already know about this book’s subject before you read this book?

36. What new things did you learn?36. What questions do you still have?

38. What else have you read on this topic, and would you recommend these books to others?

39. What do you think about the author’s research? Was it easy to see where the author got his or her information? Were the sources credible?

40. Conveying research in a way that’s understandable and enjoyable to read for non-experts can be a challenge. How well do you feel the author did this? What do you think of their writing style?

Discussion Questions for Memoir

41. What aspects of the author’s story could you most relate to?

42. How honest do you think the author was being?

43. What gaps do you wish the author had filled in? Were there points where you thought he shared too much?

44. Think about the other people in the book besides the author. How would you feel to have been depicted in this way?

45. Why do you think the author chose to tell this story?

Book Club Discussion Questions for Short Story and Essay Collections

46. Which short story/essay did you like best?

47. Which short story/essay did you like least?

48. What similarities do these stories share? How do they tie together?

49. Do you think any of the stories could be expanded into a full-length book?

50. There have been many popular films that have been adapted from short stories. Which of these do you think would be well adapted into a show or movie?

Printable Book Club Questions

Download all of these in an easy book club printable here .

For more book club help, check out puntastic and fun book club names , some of the best book club books for 2022 , and how to start a book club .

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50+ Book Club Questions | Generic, Nonfiction, Romance and More

Welcome to the cozy corner of bibliophiles where the scent of fresh pages lingers in the air and lively discussions fill the room!

Whether you’re snuggled up in your favorite reading nook or gathered with fellow readers at your local café, a great book can transport you to another world.

But what happens after the last page is turned and the cover snaps shut?

You have to discuss what you read, right?

But where do you get questions from?

Well, leave that up to me, because we have some awesome ideas below.

Let’s begin.

Generic Book Club Questions for Any Book

In considering the protagonist’s journey throughout the narrative, how do you perceive their development in terms of moral and emotional growth ? Specifically, how do their relationships with secondary characters influence their perspective on the world they inhabit, and can you identify a pivotal moment where you noticed a significant change in their worldview?
The setting of a story can often be as compelling and complex as a character within it. In what ways did the author utilize the setting to reflect or contrast with the internal struggles of the main character, and how did the time period, geography, or even political climate serve to enhance the overall theme of the book?
Themes of sacrifice are prevalent in many works of literature. In this book, how are these themes explored through the actions and decisions of the characters? Are there any instances where the consequences of sacrifice lead to unexpected outcomes, and what do these moments suggest about the author’s message on the nature of personal loss and gain?
Throughout the story, we see characters faced with ethical dilemmas and challenging decisions that test their integrity. How do these moments align with the cultural and societal norms established within the book’s universe, and what can they teach us about the limits of our own moral compass in the face of adversity?
The antagonist in the story often provides critical resistance to the main character’s goals. Discuss how the antagonist’s background, motivations, and interactions with the protagonist contribute to a deeper understanding of the central conflict. How does the antagonist’s presence serve as a mirror to the protagonist’s flaws or strengths?
Literature can often comment on the human condition and the universal experiences that people from various backgrounds share. How does the book in question handle these big ideas, and do you think the author successfully communicates their message through the plot and character arcs? What specific scenes or dialogue resonated with you in this regard?
Many authors use symbols or motifs to convey complex ideas in a more subtle manner. Identify any recurring symbols in the book and discuss their significance to the narrative. How do these symbols evolve over the course of the story, and what deeper understanding do they provide about the central themes or characters?
The narrative structure and point of view chosen by an author can greatly affect the reader’s experience. Analyze how the structure of the book, whether it’s linear or non-linear, or told from multiple perspectives, impacts the unfolding of the story and the development of its characters. How might your interpretation of the events and characters change if the story was told from a different point of view?
It is often said that a book’s ending can leave a lasting impression on its reader, coloring their overall perception of the story. In your opinion, did the ending of this book provide a satisfactory conclusion to the characters’ journeys? How did it align or deviate from the expectations set up throughout the narrative, and what emotional or intellectual response did it evoke in you?
Authors often weave their personal beliefs or commentary on contemporary issues into their works. Reflect on how this book might be addressing the issues of its time—or of today—and discuss the effectiveness of the narrative in raising awareness or provoking thought about these issues. Do you find these elements to be seamlessly integrated into the story, or do they feel more like an addendum to the main narrative?

Funny Book Club Questions

Considering the vast array of characters encountered in this literary adventure , which character do you surmise would be the absolute worst to be stuck with in an elevator for an extended period, especially if they had just eaten a particularly pungent burrito and were prone to dramatic monologues about their life choices ?
In a daring feat of imagination, if the protagonist of the story were to enter a reality TV show , which show would they absolutely dominate, and why do you think their unique quirks, flaws, or superhuman baking skills would make them a fan favorite or the first to be voted off on an island where the main challenges involve survival skills and karaoke?
Imagine if the main conflict of the book were to be resolved not through the climactic showdown or a heart-wrenching emotional reconciliation , but through an epic lip-sync battle. What songs would the protagonist and antagonist choose, and how would their song selections reveal their deepest fears , desires, and preferred brand of toothpaste?
Should the book ever be adapted into a blockbuster movie, which scene would most likely be cut for being too absurd for the silver screen, like that one time the hero inexplicably escaped a horde of flesh-eating squirrels using only a spoon and an encyclopedic knowledge of 17th-century French poetry?
If the setting of the story was suddenly shifted from its original time period or location to a space station in the far future, how would the main character’s job as a small-town baker or a medieval knight translate to this new cosmic environment , and what would be the hilarious outcomes of their attempts to use a broadsword or whisk in zero-gravity?
How would the romantic subplot change if instead of the usual strolls in the moonlight or accidental hand touches , the couple’s most intimate moment involved a disastrous attempt at assembling IKEA furniture together, leading to a series of comical misunderstandings and an oddly placed shelf ?
Which animal, if given the power of speech and an attitude to match one of the book’s characters, would provide the most hilarious commentary on the events unfolding within the pages, and what kind of sassy one-liners would they deliver right after an intense scene or during an awkward family dinner?
If the book’s main moral or message had to be conveyed through an interpretive dance performed by the characters, what kind of wild and unexpected moves would they incorporate, and how would the audience react to seeing a poignant life lesson expressed through a series of dramatic jazz hands and tap dancing?
In an alternate universe where the book’s world is exactly the same except for the fact that every form of conflict is resolved by baking, how would the climax of the story be altered when the protagonist has to face the villain in a tense pie -making contest, and what kind of secret family recipe would turn the tide?
Suppose the characters became aware that they were, in fact, fictional beings within a book . Which character would be the most outraged about the way the author portrayed them, perhaps being described with adjectives like “snoring like a congested walrus,” and how would they plead their case to the book club for a more flattering depiction in a potential sequel?

Generic Book Club Questions For Kids

Think about the main character in the story you’ve just finished reading. What are some of the traits or qualities that make them unique or interesting? Do you think these characteristics helped them to overcome the challenges they faced within the narrative, or were there moments where their traits seemed to make things more difficult for them? Consider how you might act if you were in their shoes and whether you would make the same choices they did.
The setting of a book can be like a character all on its own, influencing the story in many subtle ways . Can you describe the time and place in which this story is set and discuss how it affects the events and the characters within it? How might the story change if it were set in a different time or place, and what specific elements of the setting do you think are most influential to the storyline?
In every story, there are often secondary characters who support the main plot or provide important lessons. Choose one of the supporting characters in the book and explain why you think they are significant to the story. What are some of the interactions between this character and the protagonist that you find memorable, and how do these interactions influence the story’s outcome?
Conflict is a crucial part of any story, often driving the plot forward and leading to growth or change in the characters. What is the main conflict in the book you read, and how do the characters deal with this challenge? Did the resolution of the conflict satisfy you, or were there aspects that you wish had been handled differently?
Authors often include themes or messages in their stories that they hope readers will consider. What do you think is the main theme of this book, and what are some of the ways the author conveys this theme through the characters or events? Can you think of any personal experiences or lessons that relate to this theme?
Sometimes a story can change the way we think about the world or give us new ideas . Did anything in this book surprise you or make you see things from a different perspective? If so, what was it and why did it have that effect on you? Share a moment or idea from the book that you found particularly thought-provoking.
Imagery and language can be powerful tools in storytelling, creating vivid pictures in our minds and evoking emotions. What are some examples of descriptive language or images from the book that stood out to you, and how did they enhance your reading experience? Was there a particular scene or description that you found especially compelling or beautiful?
Dialogue is an important aspect of how we get to know characters and understand the relationships between them. Can you find a piece of dialogue that was particularly striking or revealing about a character’s personality or relationships? How does the author use dialogue to show conflict, humor, or emotional depth within the story?
Books can be a mirror that reflects our own world back to us, sometimes using fantasy or far-off places to comment on issues that are relevant today. Do you see any connections between the book’s story and the real world? What lessons or reflections about life do you think the author is trying to share through the story, and how effectively do you think they are communicated?
After finishing a book, we often keep thinking about what could happen to the characters after the story ends. Use your imagination to predict what you think the future holds for the main characters. Do you see a happy or challenging future for them? What kinds of adventures or difficulties might they face next, and what do you hope they would learn or how they would grow if the story continued?

Book Club Questions for Romance Novels

Reflect on the evolution of the romantic relationship at the heart of this novel. How did the author develop the protagonists’ romance from initial interaction to deep connection, and what specific events or interactions do you believe were pivotal in advancing their relationship from mere attraction to true love ? Consider the obstacles they faced; were these challenges internal , stemming from within the characters themselves, such as fear of vulnerability or past traumas, or external , imposed by societal norms, family expectations, or other characters?
Analyze the communication dynamics between the romantic leads. In what ways does the author use dialogue and non-verbal cues to enhance or complicate the relationship? Are there moments where misunderstandings play a crucial role, and how do these miscommunications propel the plot forward or contribute to character development? Discuss how effective communication or its lack is portrayed as an essential element in the health and progression of a romantic relationship.
Romance novels often explore the theme of sacrifice . Identify the sacrifices that each character makes in the name of love, and discuss whether these actions contribute to a healthier relationship or create further conflict. Do you feel that the sacrifices are equitable between the partners, and how does this balance, or lack thereof, affect your perception of their romance?
The setting of a romance novel can often be integral to the mood and development of the romance. How does the setting in this novel enrich the romantic storyline, and can you identify moments where the locale seems to act as a character in its own right? Whether it’s a bustling cityscape or a tranquil seaside town, in what ways does the setting influence the emotional tone of the romantic plot, and could the story have the same impact if it were set elsewhere?
In many romance novels, secondary characters play a significant role in either supporting or complicating the main romantic relationship. Discuss how these secondary characters enhance the narrative and what their interactions with the main characters reveal about the protagonists. Are there particular secondary characters who offer alternate perspectives on love and relationships that contrast with the main romance, and what do these differing viewpoints add to the overall message of the book?
Consider the portrayal of intimacy in the novel—both emotional and physical—and how the author uses these moments to build the connection between characters. How does the development of intimacy contribute to the credibility of the romantic relationship? Are these moments used merely as plot devices, or do they serve to deepen your understanding of the characters’ vulnerabilities, desires, and fears?
Every romance novel has its own unique challenges that the protagonists must overcome to be together. What are the specific themes of adversity in this novel—be it class differences, cultural barriers, personal insecurities, or external pressures—and how do these challenges impact the growth of the characters individually and as a couple? Do you believe the resolution of these conflicts was satisfying , and why or why not?
Many romance stories include an element of personal growth or self-discovery for the characters involved in the romantic relationship. Discuss how the love story facilitates the protagonists’ journey towards self-awareness or personal evolution. Do the characters seem to find themselves and their purpose through love, or are there aspects of their development that are independent of the romantic plot?
The concept of ‘fate’ versus ‘free will’ is a common dichotomy explored in romance novels. How does this story address the idea that the characters are destined to be together, or that they have actively chosen love in spite of the circumstances? To what extent do the characters exert agency in their love life, and how does this interplay between destiny and choice shape your reading of the romance?
Romance novels often conclude with a ‘happily ever after’ or a hopeful resolution . Without revealing specifics that might spoil the plot for others, discuss how the ending of this book aligns with or diverges from traditional romantic conclusions. How did the author handle the culmination of the characters’ journey, and did it feel earned ? Were there elements left ambiguous that you wish had been resolved, or did the open-ended aspects of the conclusion enhance the story’s realism and depth?

Book Club Questions For any Non-Fiction Book

Reflect on the author’s qualifications and perspective as presented in the book. Considering their background, expertise, and the research methods they employed, how do you think this influences the credibility and reliability of the information presented? Are there any particular biases that you detected in their narrative, and if so, how did these shape your reading and understanding of the subject matter?
Examine the structure and organization of the book. How did the way in which the author sequenced the chapters and sections contribute to the overall comprehensibility and flow of the text? Were there any parts that you found exceptionally well-organized or, conversely, somewhat disjointed ? Discuss how this affected your engagement with the material and whether it facilitated a deeper understanding of the content.
Consider the author’s use of evidence and how they support their arguments throughout the book. Were you convinced by the arguments presented, and did the author use sufficient and appropriate sources to back up their claims? Discuss any instances where you felt the evidence was lacking or if there were contradictory points that were not adequately resolved.
In light of the themes explored in the book, how did the author tackle contemporary issues or challenges related to the subject? Were there any insights or suggestions made that you found particularly innovative or useful in the context of current social, economic, or political climates ? How does the author’s discussion contribute to ongoing conversations in the field or subject area?
Discuss the author’s writing style and language use. How did the tone and word choice affect your reading experience? Was the language accessible to a general audience, or did it seem to cater more to individuals with a specific level of expertise in the field? How did this influence your engagement with the book and the retention of its contents?
Analyze how the book challenged or reinforced your pre-existing knowledge or beliefs about the topic. Were there any revelations or perspectives that caused you to rethink your understanding or opened up new avenues of thought? How did this process of challenging your own beliefs make you feel about the credibility of the text and your willingness to accept new information?
Evaluate the impact of the book on your personal or professional life. Has it inspired you to make any changes or influenced your thoughts on a particular topic? Discuss how the book may have broadened your perspective or provided you with valuable insights that you can apply in various aspects of your life or work.
Consider the historical and cultural context in which the book was written. How do you think this context influences the author’s perspective and the information presented in the book? Discuss whether the book provides a balanced view of the topic or if it seems to be shaped by the author’s own cultural or historical positioning .
Deliberate on the unanswered questions or gaps you may have noticed in the book’s coverage of the topic. What areas would you have liked the author to explore further, and why? How did these gaps affect your overall satisfaction with the book and your ability to fully grasp the subject matter?
Lastly, explore the potential wider implications of the book’s thesis and conclusions. What change do you think this book is trying to advocate for within its field, and do you believe it has the potential to influence public opinion or policy? How does the book equip its readers to contribute to this potential change, and what actionable steps does it suggest to those looking to engage with the issues it presents?

She Seeks Nonfiction

Social justice book reviews

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review

Next week, I will be writing my 50th nonfiction book review on this blog. Learning brings me great joy, and when I learn fascinating things in my books, I can’t help but share them with you!

With Nonfiction November coming up, I know that many fiction book bloggers will try their hand at reading and reviewing nonfiction, and that many people aren’t used to it. There is often no character development, plot, setting, or allegory to critique, so what is left? Well, there is actually a lot to talk about, and I think reviewing nonfiction books is a lot of fun! I hope that through this post, my passion for writing nonfiction book reviews can inspire the unsure to give it a try.

There is not one correct way to write a book review. I write mine for fun, as a way to make blog posts that entertain me and hopefully my audience. Reviews make reading more fun and they help me to better engage as I read. They can even make it more bearable to finish a book I hate, because I know that my review will be interesting ! Regardless, here are some tips that help me write book reviews that I am proud of.

Mark up your book

I’ll start off with the obvious: I think that underlining and taking notes in nonfiction books is a great way to remember what you read and get ideas for your review as you go. My husband is adamant that my constant marking up of brand new books makes me a crazy person, and I can’t blame him for that. Some people can’t stand it.

If this is you— or if you read library books —then don’t worry! You can still use sticky notes or keep a separate notebook handy. I actually do this when I read books that are so old I would not dare deface them. Of course, e-readers make this easy; you can highlight and add notes without vandalizing anything. Finally, I know that a lot of people like to listen to nonfiction audiobooks, but I can’t imagine that you would absorb the information enough to make a review that way. But hey, if you can, more power to you!

Answer these three questions

I believe that each review will be as different as each book is, but there are a few questions that I attempt to answer no matter what.

Does it accomplish its goal?

First, I critique it according to its own criteria. Does the title promise that the book will deliver something specific? Is it meant to persuade you or inform you, and if so, how does it do? If a book’s title starts with “How to,” then you know exactly what the goal is. For example, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi did exactly that; Kendi repeatedly began sentences with, “To be an antiracist is to…” which is about as straightforward as it gets. On the other hand, How to Argue With a Racist by Adam Rutherford might sound like it gives responses to specific points you’d hear in an argument, but it doesn’t. (It was still a great book though!)

(Now that I’m on the topic, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College by Jesse Wegman does give line-by-line responses for arguments, which I thought was a great approach.)

There are more ways that a book can express its goal. Maybe the introduction lays out why the book exists at all. This is one thing I really appreciate about Richard Dawkins’ books. My feelings about the book as a whole are mixed (and my feelings about Dawkins as a person are lacking), but in the preface of The God Delusion , Dawkins lists out exactly how he is going to make his case for atheism. He promises to meet different readers where they are. “Do you believe X? Well, I explain this exact thing in Chapter X.” The man knows how to make a promise. Obviously, a preface does not need to be this explicit to make a book good, but it definitely made my review easier. This was especially great for me, as The God Delusion was only the second book I ever reviewed.

Do I like it?

Even though Adam Rutherford’s How to Argue With a Racist did not teach me how to argue with a racist, I still gave it a rave review. That’s because the second question I set out to answer is a simple one: Did I like the book? I’m the one writing the review, so I decide whether it’s a positive or negative one. This is when book reviews get really subjective, and why I love when there are many of the same book. No two people will have the same exact opinions about it. Many times, I have admitted that a book was probably good , but that I don’t think I was the right audience for it.

Does it speak to a target audience?

This brings me to the third question: do you know the book’s target audience? If there is no clear audience, then there’s a good chance the whole book is moot. Take this post, for instance. My intended audience is primarily fiction book bloggers who are trying out nonfiction book reviews for November. Hopefully other people will find something useful or entertaining out of it, but if you don’t care about books or reviews or blogging at all, then this post probably isn’t for you.

Decide whether you want to stick to a formula

If you have never written a nonfiction book review before, it can be easier to follow a formula and always know what you want to include in your review. A great example of this is fellow nonfiction book blogger Paula Ghete ‘s book reviews such as this one of Cosmos by Carl Sagan ( which you can compare to mine to see how greatly our styles vary). Her book reviews are structured this way:

Title: Cosmos Author: Carl Sagan Category: Non-fiction, Science Rating: 5/5 10-Word Summary: We can understand the Universe only if we study it. About Cosmos [short summary] What I like about Cosmos [list with bullet points and descriptions] What I don’t like about Cosmos [list with bullet points and descriptions]

In other book reviews, such as this one , Paula also included the following sections:

Quotes from The Idiot Brain [lists eight relatively short quotes] Should You Read The Idiot Brain? [succinct, defined answer]

Admittedly, her reviews are clearly written with SEO and readability in mind. Search engines love to say, “The more headlines and the shorter the sections, the merrier,” so that they know what the post is about. This also helps the reader to get Paula’s big ideas even if they don’t wade through the – gasp – paragraphs !

On the other hand, my review of Cosmos described how it left me speechless, why it was virtually unreviewable, why it made me almost cry watching the launch of NASA’s Perseverance, and why Sagan is so beloved in the atheist community .

Something fun about me is that I pretty much write whatever I feel like writing, which might make you think that I would not be the most qualified to tell you how you should write your own book reviews, but there I go again, writing whatever I feel like which includes this review-tutorial. Look, I’m just here for a good time.

How my own book reviews take shape

As I said earlier, each review can be as different as each book. This is more true for someone like me than for someone who is a little more organized like Paula Ghete, because I don’t really abide by any restraints. I don’t write only book reviews, so if a review takes me to another topic that I care about anyways, I’ll just talk about that. I love when a book simply inspires me to share what I’ve learned from it, or gives me the opportunity to ponder something I wouldn’t have thought of if I hadn’t read it.

The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels was a pretty informative book about—you guessed it—the Gnostic Gospels and Gnostic Christianity. I honestly didn’t have much to say about the book itself, but it caused me to compare early Gnostic Christianity to modern-day Progressive Christianity, list the similarities and differences, and pose the question to my Progressive Christian audience what they think of it.

My review of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart had a similar fate. An actual review of the book was definitely present throughout my post on it, but it was a great chance for me to delve into my own experiences learning about Christian Nationalism , inside and outside of Stewart’s book. I also found myself comparing The Power Worshippers to Andrew Seidel’s The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American and explaining why the two books complement each other.

When I’ve read two or more books by the same author or on the same subject, I love to compare and contrast them or explain how they go together. I’ve done that with these, as well as books by Ibram X. Kendi , Ian Tattersall , Carl Sagan , and the two most famous works in the atheist community .

Final thoughts

As is the case with many of my book reviews, there is a lot more I could say. And like those, I often have to stop myself from rambling on ad nauseum . When this happens with a review , I have to just give the big idea, some fun facts, and then tell my audience that you really ought to read it for yourself. So I’ll do that here. I hope that my advice has helped you to see nonfiction reviews as a little less scary, and I encourage you to try writing them yourself! I’m so excited to read them!

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12 Best Book Club Questions for Any Book

Updated: Aug 30, 2024

Zoe Epstein

Welcome back to our How to Book Club series ! Today, we're cracking open the secret to a lively literary gathering: great book club discussion questions.

Some folks like to wing it, letting conversation flow wherever it may. But for those of us who swear by Alexander Graham Bell's wisdom that 'preparation is the key to success,' a little forethought can go a long way.

Want to avoid those awkward silences that feel longer than War and Peace? Looking to spark discussions that are more electrifying than Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Then you've come to the right place! A well-crafted list of discussion questions can transform your book club from a quiet reading corner into a buzzing hub of literary debate.

So let's dive in and discover how to keep those pages turning and tongues wagging! And when you're ready to take your book club to the next level, organize your next meeting and manage your club membership with Bookclubs.com or the Bookclubs app . From scheduling meetings and polling members , to tracking books and facilitating discussion with ready-made book club questions , we have all the tools you need to focus on the joy of reading together.

Looking for a book club questions for a specific book?

A great place to start is Bookclubs' Book Club Discussion Guide center , which has book-specific questions for hundreds of titles. Check back often as we add book club questions for new book club books every week! Some are written by Bookclubs staff, while others come from the books’ publishers.

General book club questions for any book!

If you can’t find a guide for the book your club is reading, we’ve put together this helpful list of general book club questions. These generic questions work well for almost any book, whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction.

Take a look through, pick out a few questions that you think will work best with your book, and never worry about running out of things to talk about at book club again!

If you're in search of even more questions, check out our ultimate list of book club discussion questions for fiction and nonfiction, with 124 book club questions broken out by genre .

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not (or with what caveats)? What kind of reader would most enjoy this book?
Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? Why? How long did it take you to get into the book?
Who was your favorite character? What character did you identify with the most? Were there any characters that you disliked? Why?
Did any part of this book strike a particular emotion in you? Which part and what emotion did the book make you feel?
How much did you know about this book before picking it up? What surprised you the most about the book?
Was there any part of the plot or aspects of the characters that frustrated or upset you? If so, why?
How thought-provoking did you find the book? Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what?
Did you highlight or bookmark any passages from the book? Did you have a favorite quote or quotes? If so, share which and why?
From your point of view, what were the central themes of the book? How well do you think the author did at exploring them?
Compare this book to other books you have read by the same author, or other books you have read covering the same or similar themes. How are they the same or different?
How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles?

Finally, here at Bookclubs, we like to end all of our book club meetings with this question:

Rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Why did you give the book the rating you did? Did any part of this book club discussion change your rating from what it would have been directly after finishing the book?

Then use the Bookclubs app or website to record your rating and share a review of the book !

Download free printable book club discussion questions

Keep your book club discussion questions at your fingertips with our book club questions pdf , making it easy for you to plan and lead insightful discussions about the books you read. With the printable book club questions readily available, you can focus on fostering meaningful conversations with your book club members, instead of worrying about coming up with questions on the spot.

Looking for more on how to run a book club discussion?

We share all our best tips and tricks for running a book club discussion here , including how to prepare, how to structure and facilitate the discussion, and how to deal with some common meeting and discussion challenges.

Keep your book club organized

Coming prepared with good discussion questions is only the first step to a great book club conversation. Bookclubs also has all the club organizing tools you’ll need to keep your book club running smoothly.

Automated Meeting Scheduling & Reminders: The meeting syncs with your calendar and all members receive a notification so whether you’re meeting virtually or in-person, you’re keeping book club on the calendar!
Interactive Polls : Avoid those lengthy email chains with our interactive polls for book selection, choosing your next meeting time, and more.
Message Boards & 1:1 Direct Messages: Share your latest book banter with direct messaging features and club message boards.
Digital Shelving: Keep track of what your club (or you) has read and wants to read next. See in an instant what your club is reading this month, view your past reads in one place, and recommend books to each other – so you always have options for what to read next!
Track Your Reading Goals: Set a goal for the number of books you'll read over the course of the year, the number of book club meetings you'll attend, or jot down and memorialize any other reading-related intentions you might have. Check back over the course of the year to see your progress, and we'll even send you reminders and motivation if you're falling behind.
Grow Your Club: Looking to connect with readers outside your personal circle? Open your club to the public and find new members in your hometown or across the globe.

Say hello to a better book club experience today and create your free account to get started.

Do you have any other must-ask general book club discussion questions? Share them in the comments below!

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How to Discuss a Book

1. Toss at a time out to the group. Use our below to help you with specific questions.

Select a , write each on an index card, and pass them out. Each member (or team of 2 or 3) takes a card and answers the question.

Use a (prop) related to the story. It can help stimulate members' thinking about some aspect of the story. It's adult show & tell.

( .)

Pick out a from the book—a description, an idea, a line of dialogue—and ask members to comment on it.

( )

Choose a and ask members to comment on him or her.

( .)

Play a . Use one of our . They're smart and fun—guaranteed to loosen you up and get your discussion off to a lively, even uproarious start.

Distribute to everyone in order to refresh memories or to use as talking points. Identify the primary characters and summarize the plot.

— Discussion Questions, Reviews and Summaries for 3,700 books.

and to help with almost any book.

— a Guided-Reading Chart to use while you're reading.

— our 10 Free Online Literature Courses are short and fun...and highly informative. You'll be the smartest person in the room! Guaranteed...or your money back. (Oh, wait. They're free!)

1. Try to avoid words like "awful" or "idiotic"—even "like" and "dislike." They don't help move discussions forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience—how you felt as you read the book. See our guide for helpful ideas.

. If you disagree with someone else, don't refer to her as an ignoramus. Just say, "I'm not sure I see it that way. Here's what I think." Much, much nicer.

. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. This is a literary analysis technique called "close reading." ( has a good discussion of close reading.)

. Take notes or mark passages that strike you—passages you find significant, funny, or insightful. Think about—and bring up in your book club discussion—the reasons for marking those passages.

. Check out our above. They'll help you get more out of what your read and help you talk about books with greater ease.
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The Best Book Club Questions to Spark Discussion

Get the conversation started.

So, you've started your book club , you've bought enough wine to satisfy even your thirstiest pals, plus plenty of cheesy snacks . Now comes the difficult part—shaping your friendly chatter into an elevated, incisive conversation about the book you all agreed to read . That can be a challenge. Which is why we're providing you with this list of top book club questions that will generate general discussion whether you're focused on nonfiction, a self-help book , a juicy historical romance novel , or one of Reese's , Jenna Bush Hager's or, of course, Oprah's favorites .

Besides the below book club questions, remember, the easiest way to be a participant at the book club is to be an active reader. If you're not squeamish about writing in the margins, try taking notes and underlining passages as you go along. For those of you with a library book, author Elise Williams Rikard shared a trick with OprahMag.com. "I put sticky notes on pages that really move me or get me thinking so we can revisit and discuss during book club," Rickard says.

Ideally, everyone would come to the book club bursting with feelings, impressions, and ideas that the book had sparked. Samantha Cerff, an editor for Fandango Latin America and member of the book club Sinopsis in Lima, Peru, recommends organizing all those thoughts prior to the meeting. "Always get your questions ready beforehand and keep in mind some quotes you'd like to discuss," Cerff tells OprahMag.com.

Then, all it takes is one or two prompts to get everyone sharing their takes. Luckily, there's no shortage of thought-provoking book club questions. Bring these with you to your next meeting, and you will be hailed a book club hero .

General Book Club Questions

What was your favorite part of the book?
What was your least favorite?
Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn?
Which scene has stuck with you the most?
What did you think of the writing? Are there any standout sentences?
Did you reread any passages? If so, which ones?
Would you want to read another book by this author?
Did reading the book impact your mood? If yes, how so?
What surprised you most about the book?
How did your opinion of the book change as you read it?
If you could ask the author anything, what would it be?
How does the book's title work in relation to the book's contents? If you could give the book a new title, what would it be?
Is this book overrated or underrated?
Did this book remind you of any other books?
How did it impact you? Do you think you'll remember it in a few months or years?
Would you ever consider re-reading it? Why or why not?
Who do you most want to read this book?
Are there lingering questions from the book you're still thinking about?
Did the book strike you as original?

Nonfiction Questions

Did this book make you want to explore the subject matter more?
What were your impressions on the author's style? Did you find the book easy to read, or a slog?
Of all the information presented in the book, what has stayed you the most?
What did you Google while reading the book?
Did you agree with the author's conclusions? Where did you deviate?

Fiction Questions

Which characters did you like best? Which did you like least?
Which character did you relate to, or empathize with, the most?
If you had to trade places with one character, who would it be?
Guess the characters' zodiac signs.
What do you think happens to the characters after the book's official ending?
What are your thoughts on the book's structure? Did it serve the story well?
How did the setting impact the story? Would you want to read more books set in that world?
Did the book feel real to you?
Did the plot proceed in a way that felt natural? Or did you feel manipulated by the storyline?
Are there any characters you'd like to deliver a lecture to? If so, who? What would you say?

Self-Help Questions

Has this book affected the way you go about your life? If so, in what way?
Did you agree with the author's advice?
Did you doubt the author's advice at some points? How come?
What are some passages that you underlined, or that particularly affected you?
Do you think the author succeeded in what they set out to do?
What is the most important point the author makes in this book?

Mystery and Thriller Questions

Which twist surprised you the most?
Was the narrator's voice compelling?
Did you guess the ending? If so, at what point?
Are there plot points the book didn't address?
Did you agree with the characters' decisions?
Did the book spook you, or get under your skin, in any way?

Romance Questions

Did you like the "heat" level of the book?
Was the couple's connection believable? If so, at what point did they click for you?
What do you think happens to the leads after the ending?
What did you think of the romance's pacing?
Would you fall for either of the leads?
Did this book melt your heart? Make you believe in love again?
If it's part of a series, did this book book compel you to read the next one?

Memoir Questions

Did you find the author's story compelling?
What do you think motivated the author to share his or her story?
What did you think of the author's voice and style? Did the quality of the writing match the story?
How did the book compare to other memoirs you've read?
How did the memoir make you reflect on your own life?
What did you learn from hearing this person's story?
Are there any areas you wished the author had elaborated upon further?
Are there any people in the book whose perspective you wanted?
Do you think the author was honest?

Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily.

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BookBrowse Blog

36 book club discussion questions for any book—tried and tested.

General Book Club Questions

What did you like best/least about the book, and why?
Did you have expectations of the book (e.g., from reading reviews, hearing from friends), if so, did it fall short, meet expectations or exceed?
What do you think of the book title and jacket cover? Do you think they adequately reflect the book's content, or are they misleading? If you had creative control, what changes would you make to these items, if any?
Are you glad you read the book?
What did you learn from the book? Did it change your perception? Did it leave you with questions you want to find answers to?
Do you have a favorite quote or scene from the book? Why does this stand out to you?
How do you think the book will age (or has aged)? If the book is recently published: Do you think it is one that people will still be reading in decades to come? If it was published in the past: Is it still relevant? If it was written now, how would it be different?
Have you read other books on the same topic? If so, which would you recommend?
What did you think of the book's ending?
What audience would you recommend the book to?
If you were making a movie of the book, who would you cast?

Blook Club Questions About the Author or their Writing

Why do you think the author chose to write this particular book? What are they trying to convey, and were they successful in doing so?
How would you describe the author's writing style? What did you like or not like about it?
Does the author's writing style remind you of any other authors? If so, in what ways?
If you were writing this book, would you tell the story the same way?
If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?

Book Club Questions Focused on the Book's Story

Was the story credible? For example, even in a fantasy setting, the characters' motives and actions need to make sense within the context of their world.
What did you think of the pacing of the book? Did it hold your interest throughout? Were some parts too fast or slow?
Did the author use symbolism? If so, what was the purpose of the symbolism? What was the author trying to convey?
Did the plot proceed as you expected? What parts of it surprised you, if any?
Did you wholly trust the narrator(s), or did you consider them unreliable in any way?

Book Club Questions About the Book's Characters

Did you relate to a particular character or the circumstances they were in?
Which character would you most like to meet and why?
Who relates the story and how does that color the telling?
If the story had been told from a different perspective, what would have been different? Would you like to have heard from another character?
Are the characters believable? For example, does a child narrator sound the age they are? Is the voice of a character in a historic novel true to the period?
If you were in the character(s) situation, would you have responded as they did?
What do you think happens to the characters after the story ends?

Book Club Questions for the Book's Setting

How well did the author paint a picture of the setting?
How did the setting impact the story? If the setting had been different would the story have been different?
Would you like to visit the setting of the book? If familiar with the setting, did it ring true?

Genre Specific Book Club Questions

Nonfiction: Was the author able to convey things in an enjoyable way for a non-expert reader? Do you feel the author justified their conclusions? Would you prefer that the author provided more information, less information, or was it just the right amount?
Memoir: Do you feel the author was being honest? Were their gaps in the story you wish had been filled, or parts where you wished for less information. If the book is fiction with biographical elements, why do you think the author chose to write in this way rather than as a memoir?
Short stories: Which story did you like best/least, and why? How are the stories connected? For example, do they share a setting, themes or characters? Would you have liked to see any of these stories extended?
Historical Fiction: Do you feel the book was well-researched? Did you spot any anachronisms, or any period-specific aspect that wasn't mentioned but should have been?
Mysteries: When did you figure out "whodunnit"? What did you think of the red herrings the author inserted? Did you find them appropriate or forced? Was the ending satisfying?

General Book Club Topics Relating to the Book

Finally, you might want to include one or more general interest topics that relate to the book but don't require detailed knowledge of the text. These can be especially helpful if your book group has a relaxed policy about members attending meetings without having completed the book. For example, these are some topics from past discussion on BookBrowse that relate to the book being discussed, but do not require a person to have read the book in order to participate:

If you could start a movement in your community, what would it be? And why?
Is prejudice nature or nurture?
Do you think it's true that we care less about others' opinions as we age?
What are popular and favorite recipes of your family and region?
Do you agree that "marriage is such a dreadful gamble"?
Do you see the appeal of the [insert relevant to the book] lifestyle/career choice?

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17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book.
A book review will offer an evaluation of the work.
A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience.

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim. To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

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Lesley Ann McDaniel

Real Life~Pure Fiction

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review

May 13, 2013

Do you love reading nonfiction books? Why not try your hand at reviewing them.

What is a nonfiction book review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book. It isn’t just a summary, but gives commentary that will be uniquely yours as the writer of the review. The difference between a review of fiction versus nonfiction is that with the latter, the reviewer will evaluate the piece not so much on its entertainment value as on whether it fulfills its promise to solve a particular problem or deliver certain information.

Why write book reviews?

Reviews help books get noticed and gain credibility. Writers want to receive reviews to show readers that their book is widely-read and well-received.

Where are reviews posted?

These days, the answer is ‘lots of places.’ Many reviewers post book reviews on their own blogs. You can also post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, library websites, or submit them to other people’s review blogs. If you really want to get serious, there are a lot of literary journals that accept freelance reviews.

How long should a review be?

That will depend largely on where you are planning to submit your review. Check for guidelines, and assume that you will write anywhere from 100 to 1500 words. Be succinct, but give enough to serve the purpose of the review.

Points to Consider:

●What if you really don’t like the book? Always write your reviews with integrity. If you honestly don’t like a book, write your review as if you are in a critique session with the author. Use positive words and avoid sarcasm.

●Take time to read reviews written by other readers, but keep in mind that many of them are not trained reviewers.

●Review the book that has been written, not the book you think the author should have written. It isn’t fair to criticize an author for failing to achieve something he or she never intended to achieve.

Nonfiction Book Review Template:

Opening statement: Include title and author.

What does the book promise to deliver to the reader? Another way to look at it is, what problem does this book promise to solve?

Does it accomplish what it sets out to accomplish?

If so, how?

If not, what could the author have done differently?

What makes this author uniquely qualified to write on this topic?

What is the tone of the book? Is it humorous and easy to relate to, or is it more dry and academic?

Overall impression: This is where you give your personal take on the book.

Suggested points to include:

Was the book written in a way that you as a reader could easily relate to?

What was your favorite part of the book?

Do you have a least favorite part of the book?

If you could change something, what would it be?

Are there photos or illustrations? If so, are they effective in enhancing the book’s message?

Would you recommend this book?

What type of reader would enjoy this book?

There are so many wonderful nonfiction books out there. Have a great time reading and reviewing!

Have you written any nonfiction book reviews?

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy How to Write a Fiction Book Review .

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Sample nonfiction book reviews.

Nonfiction Reviews

Bomb The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon is an engaging non-fiction book which had me from the first page. The book begins with a Prologue: May 22, 1950 the FBI arrives at Harry Gold’s door; Harry, still in pajamas, stares at two agents with a search warrant for his home as they are investigating his spying activities from the 30s and 40s. The jig was up and Harry declares “There is a great deal more to this story. It goes way back, and I would like to tell it all.” Thus begins the tale of the Manhattan Project from its inception. Even though we know the outcome of the race and understand the destruction, the excitement of the academics working on the bomb is felt.

This is an intriguing story of WWII, the atomic bomb, and the historical figures who played major roles in the development of atomic power. Many pictures and excellent source notes, quotes notes, and index make this a well documented book. Included in the Epilogue is the original letter from Albert Einstein written to F.D. Roosevelt, advising that a new energy form had been discovered by splitting the atom and that it needed to be monitored. This book is an excellent companion book to the fictional Green Glass Sea, which is set in Los Alamos and is the story of children and wives of the men working on the Manhattan Project.

Author Steve Sheinkin crafts a compelling thriller about the development of the atomic bomb in his book, Bomb: the Race to Build – and Steal- the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. Sheinkin, using effective narrative techniques, introduces readers to the major personalities involved in the Manhattan Project as the Americans raced to construct an atomic bomb while keeping the knowledge from the Germans during World War II. The book takes us from the US to Great Britain, Norway, Germany, Russia, and Japan where scientists, politicians, and spies are all engaged in winning the war (and becoming a world power) through the creation of the “ultimate weapon.”

This volume will be especially useful for middle and high school students conducting research on World War II weapons and war strategy, as well as those looking for biographical information on the Manhattan Project scientists. Along with a detailed index, the author provides copious source and quotation notes. Black and white photographs of the important personalities and bomb testing site are sprinkled throughout. An essential purchase for American history and science collections.

This Reading Mama

FREE Discussion Questions for Fiction and Nonfiction

By thisreadingmama 2 Comments

Too often, we use comprehension questions so unnaturally. Our child finishes a book and we grill her with a barrage of questions: Who was the main character? Where was the setting? What was the problem? The list could go on and on. And don’t get me wrong. I believe kids need to learn these story elements, as they are essential to helping kids determine what’s important .

But what I want to challenge all of us to take it a step deeper. It’s the basis of my article, Struggling Readers Need to Develop “Thoughtful Literacy.” But developing thoughtful literacy isn’t just for struggling readers. It is a goal for all our readers.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Discussion Questions for Fiction and Nonfiction

It is vitally important that we don’t stop at the surface-level questions. Those are just the tip of the iceberg, my friend! Today, I’m sharing some FREE open-ended discussion questions for BOTH fiction and nonfiction that will spark conversation after kids read. {My FREE download can be found the end of this post.}

Simply print these off onto card stock and laminate for durability. Place them where you can pull them out to give some guidance to a discussion for fiction OR nonfiction texts. Note that the questions are general enough that they will work for almost any text.

using discussion questions for reading journal prompts

While I recommend highly that these be used mainly for oral discussion, they would work wonderfully at a reading center or as a reading journal prompt.

Easter Egg Discussion Questions

And check out this FUN way that we have adapted these discussion questions for Easter!

Simply print off the question strips of choice {I do not recommend mixing the fiction and nonfiction discussion questions.}
Place the discussion question strips in your eggs.
Set them out in your schoolroom or on your kitchen counter.
After kids read, they can pick an egg, open it up, read the prompt, then answer it.

More Resources You May Enjoy:

How to Choose Just Right Books by Becky Spence

How to Choose “Just Right” Books {includes even more question stems for fiction and nonfiction!}
10 Things Struggling Readers Need
How to Ask Questions to Check Comprehension
Nonfiction Text Features & Text Structures
Fiction Story Elements & Text Structure
Reading Comprehension Strategies Series
Comprehension Pinterest Board

Download this FREE Printable HERE .

Enjoy teaching! ~Becky

Want MORE Free Teaching Resources?

Join thousands of other subscribers to get hands-on activities and printables delivered right to your inbox!

March 19, 2019 at 1:37 am

I am not able to download this awesome resource. Is there another way I can access it?

March 21, 2019 at 1:49 pm

The link has been fixed. 🙂

The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2020

Featuring isabel wilkerson, zadie smith, barack obama, helen macdonald, and more.

Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste , Barack Obama’s A Promised Land , Zadie Smith’s Intimations , and Helen Macdonald’s Vesper Flights all feature among the best reviewed nonfiction of 2020.

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

1. Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House)

21 Rave • 4 Positive • 9 Mixed • 1 Pan

Read an excerpt from Caste here

“…elegant and persuasive … She has, in particular, a masterly command of the complex extended metaphor … What distinguishes Wilkerson is her grasp of the power of individual narratives to illustrate such general ideas, allowing her to tell us what these abstract notions have meant in the lived experience of ordinary people … The dexterity with which she combines larger historical descriptions with vignettes from particular lives, recounted with the skill of a veteran reporter, will be familiar to readers of The Warmth of Other Suns … Caste will spur readers to think and to feel in equal measure. Its vivid stories about the mistreatment of Black Americans by government and law and in everyday social life—from the violence of the slave plantation to the terror of lynchings to the routines of discourtesy and worse that are still a common experience for so many—retain their ability to appall and unsettle, to prompt flashes of indignation and moments of sorrow. The result is a book that is at once beautifully written and painful to read.”

–Kwame Anthony Appiah ( The New York Times Book Review )

2. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (Crown)

13 Rave • 15 Positive • 5 Mixed

“The Obama of A Promised Land seems complicated or elusive or detached only if you think that these two elements of the president’s job—the practical and the symbolic—must be made to add up in every particular. Obama himself doesn’t. Even at his most inspiring, he was never a firebrand speechifier. He preached faith in the ability of Americans’ commonalities to overcome their differences. This is a creed in which he continues to believe, even if A Promised Land contains its share of dark allusions to the advent of division and acrimony in the form of Donald Trump. Obama is not angry, the sole quality that seems obligatory across party lines in every form of political discourse today … while A Promised Land is a pleasure to read for the intelligence, equanimity, and warmth of its author—from his unfeigned delight in his fabulously wholesome family to his manifest fondness for the people who worked for and with him, especially early on—it’s also a mournful one. Not because Obama doesn’t believe in us anymore, but because no matter how much we adore him, we no longer believe in leaders like him.”

–Laura Miller ( Slate )

3. Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener (MCD)

10 Rave • 19 Positive • 6 Mixed

Read a profile of Anna Wiener here

“Wiener was, and maybe still is, one of us; far from seeking to disabuse civic-minded techno-skeptics of our views, she is here to fill out our worst-case scenarios with shrewd insight and literary detail … Wiener is a droll yet gentle guide … Wiener frequently emphasizes that, at the time, she didn’t realize all these buoyant 25-year-olds in performance outerwear were leading mankind down a treacherous path. She also sort of does know all along. Luckily, the tech industry controls the means of production for excuses to justify a fascination with its shiny surfaces and twisted logic … It’s possible to create a realistic portrait of contemporary San Francisco by simply listing all the harebrained new-money antics and ‘mindful’ hippie-redux principles that flourish there. All you have to do after that is juxtapose them with the effects of the city’s rocket-ship rents: a once-lively counterculture gasping for air and a ‘concentration of public pain’ shameful and shocking even to a native New Yorker. Wiener deploys this strategy liberally, with adroit specificity and arch timing. But the real strength of Uncanny Valley comes from her careful parsing of the complex motivations and implications that fortify this new surreality at every level, from the individual body to the body politic.”

–Lauren Oyler ( The New York Times Book Review )

4. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald (Grove)

20 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Mixed

Read Helen MacDonald’s “The Things I Tell Myself When I’m Writing About Nature” here

“… a stunning book that urges us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world, and fight to preserve it … The experience of reading Vesper Flights is almost dizzying, in the best possible way. Macdonald has many fascinations, and her enthusiasm for her subjects is infectious. She takes her essays to unexpected places, but it never feels forced … Macdonald is endlessly thoughtful, but she’s also a brilliant writer— Vesper Flights is full of sentences that reward re-reading because of how exquisitely crafted they are … What sets Vesper Flights apart from other nature writing is the sense of adoration Macdonald brings to her subjects. She writes with an almost breathless enthusiasm that can’t be faked; she’s a deeply sincere author in an age when ironic detachment seems de rigueur … a beautiful and generous book, one that offers hope to a world in desperate need of it.”

–Michael Schaub ( NPR )

5. Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey (Ecco)

20 Rave • 3 Positive

Listen to an interview with Natasha Trethewey here

“ Memorial Drive is, among so many other wondrous things, an exploration of a Black mother and daughter trying to get free in a land that conflates survival with freedom and womanhood with girlhood … A book that makes a reader feel as much as Memorial Drive does cannot be written without an absolute mastery of varied modes of discourse … In one of the book’s most devastating and artful chapters, Trethewey makes an unexpected but wholly necessary switch to the second person … What happens in most riveting literature is seldom located solely in plot. I’ve not read an American memoir where more happens in the assemblage of language than Memorial Drive … Memorial Drive forces the reader to think about how the sublime Southern conjurers of words, spaces, sounds and patterns protect themselves from trauma when trauma may be, in part, what nudged them down the dusty road to poetic mastery.”

–Kiese Makeba Laymon ( The New York Times Book Review )

6. Notes from an Apocalypse: A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back by Mark O’Connell (Doubleday)

13 Rave • 15 Positive • 2 Mixed • 1 Pan

Listen to an interview with Mark O’Connell here

“This survey of end-times obsessives, from climate scientists to conspiracy theorists, may strike some readers as unnecessarily close for comfort … It turns out that the prospect of the annihilation of human life is a richer mine of comedy than you probably supposed … The variety of end-of-the-world scenarios that O’Connell confronts is sobering … The rough and faintly random material gathered in O’Connell’s ‘notes’ is bound together by his brilliant comic style. To get a handle on his cerebral, neurotic persona it might help to imagine a cross between Bill Bryson and David Foster Wallace … Anxiety, you’ll have gathered, is O’Connell’s natural element … He is richly scathing of the eschatology-evading comforts purchased by the billionaires buying up land in New Zealand … a fidgety, fretful but very funny book.”

–James Marriott ( The Times )

7. The Man in the Red Coat by Julian Barnes (Knopf)

8 Rave • 20 Positive

Read an excerpt from The Man in the Red Coat here

“Barnes is fascinated by facts that turn out to be untrue and by unlikely but provable connections between people and things … While Barnes is concerned in this book to find things that don’t add up, he also relishes the moments when a clear, connecting line can be drawn … Wilde and Pozzi, and perhaps even Montesquiou, admired Bernhardt; Pozzi and James were both painted by Sargent; Wilde and Montesquiou had the same response to the interior décor at the Prousts. Barnes enjoys these connections. But in ways that are subtle and sharp, he seeks to puncture easy associations, doubtful assertions, lazy assumptions. He is interested in the space between what can be presumed and what can be checked.”

–Colm Tóibín ( The New York Review of Books )

8. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake (Random House)

16 Rave • 5 Positive • 1 Mixed

Read a conversation between Merlin Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane here

“While fungi are easy sources of wonder, getting to the wonder means understanding the basics, which can be arcane in the case of fungi. Sheldrake carefully explains the details in clever, affable prose. His book has a host of other strengths as well. It emphasizes the openness and indeterminacy of mycology, a vastly understudied field, through honest depictions of scientists in the lab and field trying to puzzle out fungi’s unexplained behavior. Sheldrake also shows how culture shapes scientific knowledge … He embraces the sort of fantastic speculations that come with the territory, as when a childhood memory of Terence McKenna, the ethnobotanist, mystic, and family friend, segues to McKenna’s fantastic theories about the extraterrestrial origins of fungi. But ultimately the book remains grounded in empirical evidence. Sheldrake is stylistically impressive, too—he can be charmingly poetic, using metaphors and analogies to communicate meaning … Although Entangled Life never lapses into polemics or preaching, the book has an evangelical message all the same … The book is a call to engage with fungi on their level.”

–Joanna Steinhardt ( The Los Angeles Review of Books )

9. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (Crown)

16 Rave • 6 Positive • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan

Read an interview with Erik Larson here

“There are countless books about World War II, but there’s only one Erik Larson … Over his career, he has developed a reputation for being able to write about disparate subjects with intelligence, wit and beautiful prose … Fans of Larson will be happy to hear that his latest book, The Splendid and the Vile , is no exception. It’s a sprawling, gripping account of Winston Churchill’s first year as prime minister of the United Kingdom, and it’s nearly impossible to put down … Larson’s decision to focus on a wide group of people is a wise one. While Churchill is clearly the main character, Larson’s profiles of his aides and colleagues add valuable context to the prime minister’s role in the war. Many books have been written about Churchill, obviously, but by expanding the scope of his book, Larson provides an even deeper understanding of the legendary politician … And although he doesn’t at all neglect Churchill’s actions and policies, he also paints a vivid portrait of the politician’s personality .. There are many things to admire about The Splendid and the Vile , but chief among them is Larson’s electric writing. The book reads like a novel, and even though everyone (hopefully) knows how the war ultimately ended, he keeps the reader turning the pages with his gripping prose. It’s a more than worthy addition to the long list of books about World War II and a bravura performance by one of America’s greatest storytellers.”

–Michael Schaub ( NPR )

10. Intimations by Zadie Smith (Penguin)

13 Rave • 7 Positive • 3 Mixed

Listen to Zadie Smith read from Intimations here

“Smith…is a spectacular essayist—even better, I’d say, than as a novelist … Smith…get[s] at something universal, the suspicion that has infiltrated our interactions even with those we want to think we know. This is the essential job of the essayist: to explore not our innocence but our complicity. I want to say this works because Smith doesn’t take herself too seriously, but that’s not accurate. More to the point, she is willing to expose the tangle of feelings the pandemic has provoked. And this may seem a small thing, but it’s essential: I never doubt her voice on the page … Her offhandedness, at first, feels out of step with a moment in which we are desperate to feel that whatever something we are trying to do matters. But it also describes that moment perfectly … Here we see the kind of devastating self-exposure that the essay, as a form, requires—the realization of how limited we are even in the best of times, and how bereft in the worst.”

–David L. Ulin ( The Los Angeles Times )

The Book Marks System: RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Beam of Light John Kinsella, Transit Lounge, $32.99

An ibis wading through an iridescent oil slick adorns the cover of John Kinsella’s latest short fiction collection. It’s an unnervingly beautiful image of despoliation that captures the uncanniness these 29 stories often summon to mind.

Fiction’s expanded canvas feels artistically necessary for Kinsella, who has nothing left to prove as a poet. His uncompromising recent verse novel, Cellnight , might well signpost a road toward drama, should he choose it, though he’s in full flower as a short-story writer here. Beam of Light achieves a winnowing, an intensification that sometimes eluded the author in his previous collection, Pushing Back .

From the layered betrayals undermining the precarious family in the title story to the stranger danger and domestic inversion of Starting Out , narrated by a (likely neurodivergent) teen orphan, this is as aesthetically mature and significant a volume as David Malouf’s Antipodes .

I’m Not Really Here Gary Lonesborough, Allen & Unwin, $19.99

The importance of being represented in contemporary literature is never more crucial than in YA fiction. Teenagers are still working out who they are, and you can’t be what you can’t see.

Gary Lonesborough came to attention with his big-hearted novel The Boy from the Mish , which followed two Aboriginal boys falling in love in a remote community. I’m Not Really Here introduces Jonah, a boy struggling with grief and memory after his mother’s death, plus the dislocation of moving to the town of Patience with his dad, where he’ll have to make a new set of friends. When he develops a crush on Harley, a fit popular kid on the local footy team, Jonah struggles too with his body image, though his insecurity can’t overshadow the warmth and honesty that will light his way.

There’s an earned optimism in Lonesborough’s fiction, and the inflections of queer and First Nations experiences distinguish themes that most adolescent readers will take to heart.

The Singer Sisters Sarah Seltzer, Piatkus, $32.99

Two generations of a Jewish folk-rock dynasty collide in Sarah Seltzer’s The Singer Sisters . Judie and Sylvia Zingerman move from Massachusetts to Greenwich Village in New York in the 1960s, becoming renowned as The Singer Sisters (alongside the many other Jewish musical icons of the time, from Bob Dylan to Carole King). When Judie falls for fellow Jewish singer Dave Cantor, she suddenly abandons her career.

Decades later, her daughter Emma shoots to stardom on the alt-rock scene in LA, partly by discovering unfinished songs her mother wrote and finishing them in her own style. Friction between mother and daughter rises, as long-buried secrets surface from the heady days of sex drugs and rock’n’roll in the ’60s, and Emma learns the price of her own fame.

Seltzer folds a distinctly Jewish style of domestic tragicomedy into a popular music novel with a feminist lens. It should appeal as an escape for fans of either genre, even if the second half feels rushed and not nearly as sharp as it should be.

A Town called Treachery Mitch Jennings, HarperCollins, $34.99

The post-pandemic tsunami of small-town Australian crime fiction continues to sweep all before it. Sports journalist Mitch Jennings has a decent crack in A Town Called Treachery .

The novel features an unlikely investigative duo – a neglected kid from a troubled home, Matty Finnerty, and a boozehound journalist, Stuart Dryden, who’d rather be at the pub than chasing the story of his career. When Matty’s favourite teacher is found dead at a local beach, suspicion falls on his dad Robbie and the townsfolk make sure they’re not welcome any more. Armed with a disposable Kodak, Matty does what he can – the police don’t seem interested in finding the killer – though his superior sleuthing skills will need the help of a heroic adult to amount to much.

Jennings writes great dialogue, and the coming-of-age/detective fiction crossover is appealing. It might form the backbone of a decent screenplay, but it’s far too long and shaggy and haphazardly paced as a novel.

NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Unconventional Women Sarah Gilbert, MUP $39.99

It’s appropriate that I write this in my workroom in a former nun’s cell at the old Abbotsford Convent, for Sarah Gilbert’s tale of seven young women who became nuns in the 1950s and ’60s takes us behind convent walls and demystifies the mystery of the nun.

The convent to which they went, Servants of the Blessed Sacrament in Melbourne, did not allow the sisters to go outside other than to see a doctor and was dedicated entirely to the contemplative life.

In a combination of oral history and historical commentary, Gilbert traces what drew these women to this life, its effects on them – both good and bad – and the paths they chose upon leaving. Some stories, such as Marie’s – an unmarried mother who felt her life come back to her through faith – are deeply moving. All their memories and observations, highly nuanced, provide intriguing reading.

People Power George Williams & David Hume, UNSW Press, $49.99

Of the 45 referendums put to the Australian people, only eight succeeded – all with bipartisan support. This updated history and analysis by two lawyers well-versed in constitutional law traces events from Federation until the Voice. It can have some dry legalese sections, but the case studies themselves are a keyhole onto the times.

The 1951 attempt by Menzies to ban the Communist Party looked a certainty only weeks out from the vote; by polling day, the 73 per cent vote in favour had evaporated and it was lost, with much of the press concluding in eerily familiar language that the government had mismanaged what was a heated, personal campaign.

The counter-point is the success of the 1967 referendum to amend the constitution in relation to the Indigenous population, which was supported by both parties. A timely study that addresses the question of why yes, like sorry, is so often the hardest word.

Henry V Dan Jones, Head of Zeus, $34.99

Churchill called Henry V “a gleam of splendour in the dark, troubled story of medieval England”, Shakespeare mythologised him and Olivier mobilised him during WWII.

Dan Jones, bestselling veteran medieval chronicler clearly admires the hero of Agincourt, but also finds him a conundrum: warrior, a reputed “tearaway, womanising drunk”, responsible for the massacre of French prisoners of war – yet also, apparently, literary, artistic and musical. Jones says that the only way to get some idea of who Henry was is to understand him as Prince Hal in the years that preceded his 11-year reign.

While acknowledging the limited source material available, he plunges in, writing in the present tense in a style that has a melodramatic immediacy and, at times, a romping novelistic air. This is fun, popular history.

A Periodic Tale Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, ABC Books, $44.99

Popular media science figure Dr Karl may well – as he says in this engaging memoir – live in a random universe along with the rest of us (“random” is a keyword throughout the text), but those random episodes that constitute his life, nonetheless, fall into place here like a well-structured story.

His father, a Polish Catholic who spoke multiple languages, and his mother, a Polish Jew, managed to survive the war and sailed for Australia when he was two, setting in train what is essentially a post-war migrant tale, Karl constantly feeling like an outsider at his catholic school. At an early age, science called, as did taxi driving (being beaten up), working as a rock roadie and film-making, as well as love and family. He covers events both light and exceedingly dark, but all with an admirably calm, detached ironic style.

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30 Non-Fiction Book Club Questions For Your Next Read (+PDF Download)
In this non-fiction book club question guide, you'll find 20 discussion questions that can be used for any non-fiction book. Most of these are open-ended questions for non-fiction books. Meaning you'll never again hear just a "yes" or "no" from your fellow book-club members. The aim of these questions is to aid them to "open up ...
109 Printable Book Club Questions for Any Book (with PDF)
Whether you are prepping virtual or in-person book club discussion questions, this book club discussion template offers questions that can apply to ANY book, fiction or non-fiction. It's a one-stop shop for your book club discussion needs. Keep scrolling to also download a printable PDF checklist to take with you. IN THIS ARTICLE.
Questions for Nonfiction
Generic Nonfiction Questions. Use our general nonfiction questions to get book club discussions off to a good start. They're basic but smart. 1. If your book offers a cultural portrait —of life in another country or region of your own country, start with questions a, b, and c ... What observations are made in the book? politics, family ...
Ultimate List of Book Club Discussion Questions
That's why we provide an online platform for discovering new books and organizing your club's meetings and discussions. Our ultimate list of book club questions is designed to reinvigorate your book conversations, whether you're already in a book club or looking to start one. With questions tailored to fiction and nonfiction works across ...
Best non fiction book club discussion questions
Joining a book club is a fantastic way to connect with other avid readers, share your thoughts, and delve deeper into the themes and ideas presented in the books you read. For those who enjoy non-fiction books, a non-fiction book club can provide a unique opportunity to explore real-life stories, gain new knowledge, and engage in lively ...
PDF Suggested Book Club Questions
11000 Ruth Road Huntley, IL 60142 (847) 669-5386 www.huntleylibrary.org Suggested Book Club Questions - Non-Fiction Basic Questions
101 Comprehensive Book Club Questions (and Printable PDF)
This guide is divided into three sections. The first has generic questions, the second lists a bunch of ideas for fiction related to plot, character development, setting, author intent and some genre-specific questions. And the final section has some prompts for non-fiction books. Here's a table of contents if you want to jump around.
The Best Nonfiction Book Club Questions
The Best Nonfiction Book Club Questions. Tirzah Price 2021-09-24. Do you love the idea of a book club, but find yourself reaching for nonfiction rather than fiction? Perhaps you like discussing books with others, but you want those discussions to be more than just a social event. Nonfiction book clubs are totally a thing, and while the core ...
50 Great Book Club Discussion Questions For Any Book
If you're ready to start a book club, here are 50 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Find a printable list to bring to your meeting here! ... Most of these are non-specific and designed to work for any book. Although, of course, some will work better than others for particular books). ...
50+ Book Club Questions
Book Club Journal: Group Discussion Questions, Space for Attendance, Meeting Locations, Members and Hosts Information, Notes, Reviews, Ratings. Book Club: A Journal: Prepare for, Keep Track of, and Remember Your Reading Discussions with 200 Book Recommendations and Meeting Activities. But what happens after the last page is turned and the cover ...
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review
A great example of this is fellow nonfiction book blogger Paula Ghete 's book reviews such as this one of Cosmos by Carl Sagan (which you can compare to mine to see how greatly our styles vary). Her book reviews are structured this way: 10-Word Summary: We can understand the Universe only if we study it.
12 Best Book Club Discussion Questions for Any Book
Download free printable book club discussion questions. Keep your book club discussion questions at your fingertips with our book club questions pdf, making it easy for you to plan and lead insightful discussions about the books you read. With the printable book club questions readily available, you can focus on fostering meaningful ...
How to Discuss a Book
How to lead a discussion. 1. Toss one question at a time out to the group. Use our LitLovers Resources below to help you with specific questions. 2. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. Each member (or team of 2 or 3) takes a card and answers the question. 3. Use a prompt (prop) related to the story.
The Best Book Club Questions For Every Kind of Discussion
Which is why we're providing you with this list of top book club questions that will generate general discussion whether you're focused on nonfiction, a self-help book, a juicy historical romance novel, or one of Reese's, Jenna Bush Hager's or, of course, Oprah's favorites. Besides the below book club questions, remember, the easiest way to be ...
PDF Nonfiction Discussion Questions
What might have been done better? • What biases do you think the author might have? How could this impact the way the book was written? • Did you stop to Google anything while reading this book? • Do you think the book was effectively organized? Are there any ways the structure could be improved?
The Only Book Review Templates You'll Ever Need
⭐ Download our free fiction book review template ⭐ Download our free nonfiction book review template All you need to do is answer the questions in the template regarding the book you're reading and you've got the content of your review covered. Once that's done, you can easily put this content into its appropriate format. Now, if you ...
36 Book Club Discussion Questions for Any Book—Tried and Tested!
If you were writing this book, would you tell the story the same way? If you could ask the author one question, what would it be? Book Club Questions Focused on the Book's Story. Was the story credible? For example, even in a fantasy setting, the characters' motives and actions need to make sense within the context of their world.
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
Book review examples for non-fiction books Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication. In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author's source materials and assess the thesis in order ...
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Review
A book review is a critical evaluation of a book. It isn't just a summary, but gives commentary that will be uniquely yours as the writer of the review. The difference between a review of fiction versus nonfiction is that with the latter, the reviewer will evaluate the piece not so much on its entertainment value as on whether it fulfills its ...
The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2022 ‹ Literary Hub
Featuring Bob Dylan, Elena Ferrante, Kate Beaton, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kate Beaton, and More. By Book Marks. December 8, 2022. Article continues after advertisement. Remove Ads. We've come to the end of another bountiful literary year, and for all of us review rabbits here at Book Marks, that can mean only one thing: basic math, and lots of it.
The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2021 ‹ Literary Hub
3. Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee. "Lee…builds an ever richer, circular understanding of his abiding themes and concerns, of his personal and artistic life, and of his many other passionate engagements …. Lee's biography is unusual in that it was commissioned, and published while its subject is still alive.
Sample Nonfiction Book Reviews
Nonfiction Reviews. Example #1. Bomb The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon is an engaging non-fiction book which had me from the first page. The book begins with a Prologue: May 22, 1950 the FBI arrives at Harry Gold's door; Harry, still in pajamas, stares at two agents with a search warrant for his home as they are investigating his spying activities from ...
FREE Discussion Questions for Fiction and Nonfiction
Simply print off the question strips of choice {I do not recommend mixing the fiction and nonfiction discussion questions.} Place the discussion question strips in your eggs. Set them out in your schoolroom or on your kitchen counter. After kids read, they can pick an egg, open it up, read the prompt, then answer it.
The Best Reviewed Nonfiction of 2020
Isabel Wilkerson's Caste, Barack Obama's A Promised Land, Zadie Smith's Intimations, and Helen Macdonald's Vesper Flights all feature among the best reviewed nonfiction of 2020. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub's "Rotten Tomatoes for books.". 1. Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. 21 Rave • 4 Positive ...
Book Marks reviews of Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot
Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot has an overall rating of Rave based on 4 book reviews. Features; New Books; Biggest New Books; Fiction; Non-Fiction; All Categories; First Readers Club Daily Giveaway; How It Works; SEARCH. Search . About Book Marks. Features. ... History Non-Fiction Politics. Son of the Midwest, movie star, and ...
Book Marks reviews of Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks
His grimmest work yet ... Harari writes well at the scale of the species. As a book, Nexus doesn't reach the high-water mark of Sapiens, but it offers an arresting vision of how AI could turn catastrophic.The question is whether Harari's wide-angle lens helps us see how to avoid that.
Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux: 4-star review
The memoir reveals a Gauguin quite different from the "wild thing" he liked to style himself. The Gauguin of Prideaux's book was a philosophical painter whose great works still evoke awe and ...
Diary of a Crisis by Saul Friedländer: 3-star review
Friedländer's book ends in December 2023, as he ponders the future. But so much has happened - and so many have died - between the diary's conclusion and the date of reading.
Book reviews: Beam of Light by John Kinsella, I'm Not Really Here by
Credit: The importance of being represented in contemporary literature is never more crucial than in YA fiction. Teenagers are still working out who they are, and you can't be what you can't see.

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101 Comprehensive Book Club Questions (and Printable PDF)

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