Discussion Questions and Running a Meeting

I looked online for some ideas to help structure our discussion and meetings.

Discussion Questions for Fiction
The following general questions can be applied to any novel, and they provide a good starting point for creating your own discussion questions for a given work.

• What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story? What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
• Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
• How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
• In what ways do the events in the books reveal evidence of the author's world view?
• Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?

Discussion Questions for Nonfiction
While many book clubs choose to only read novels and other works of fiction, there are many fascinating works of nonfiction that make for excellent discussion. Biographies, memoirs, essays, and historical accounts can all be very good reads, with topics ranging from politics and religion to science and technology. The following questions should help provide some ideas for discussion.

• What did you find surprising about the facts introduced in this book?
• How has reading this book changed your opinion of a certain person or topic?
• Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he or she achieve this?
• If the author is writing on a debatable issue, does he or she give proper consideration to all sides the debate? Does he or she seem to have a bias?
• How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Also, I thought these points on Running a Book Club Meeting were helpful, as well as How to Discuss a Book. Please read if you have a chance. Sorry, if this is like Book Club 101, but I've never done any formal research on book clubs or even participated in one before we started this one!

Look forward to seeing you next time.

February meeting and next book

Thank you to Debbie W. who graciously stepped up to host again last night, and everyone who was able to attend. We celebrated Christa's birthday (last week) and Meredith's birthday (next week). It was wonderful to catch up with friends, and be able to spend some time discussing City of Thieves since many had finished it.

Our next book will be The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, and I believe Liz has offered to host the next meeting. She will send out details on the date.
Note: I love using the Los Angeles Public Library. It's easy (and cheap) to put a book on hold and pick up from your local branch when it's available. But if you do purchase from Amazon, would you consider helping my son's school by going through this portal? Ten percent of your purchase will be donated to Calvary Preschool in South Pasadena. Thanks!

It was brought to my attention that there's been some dissatisfaction on the tone and format of the book club. Some people feel that the group might be too big for an in-depth discussion of the book; that the same people are hosting all the time; that there is a lack of enthusiasm and commitment in readership and discussion; and that although one's passionate opinions are appreciated, they might be disrespectful towards someone's dissenting opinion. Last night was an opportunity for some open dialogue on how members are feeling about the future of our group. I was feeling a little disheartened, but am happy to report that all of you decided that it's worthwhile to continue.

One thing that will most likely change is the format of the discussion. We may have a worksheet (Karina offered to provide a sample from her exhibit critique group) that would be filled out at the meeting to help prepare people for a more in-depth discussion than just "I liked the book because..." or "I disliked the book because...". We may go around the circle to allow everyone an opportunity to speak—encouraging less vocal members to share and giving more vocal members a break.

And in order to share the burden of hosting more equally, we suggested options. For those feeling like their place is too small or have roommates or children (guilty) that make it not conducive to meetings: it is okay for us to sit on the floor, sit outside during warmer weather or meet at a café or restaurant.

I apologize for my longwindness last night and in this post, but I want to thank all of you for your frank comments and participation. I really enjoy the social aspect of the meetings as well as reading books. The book club is only as worthwhile as what you put into it. If you don't want to read a particular book, tell us and nominate one you would like to read. If you don't like the way the discussion is going, offer to host and help to steer the discussion in a more productive and thoughtful manner. I encourage everyone who would like to continue, to redouble their efforts on reading the books, attending the meetings, and participating in a way that is enjoyable for all.