Discussion-worthy book club reads
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Oct 9 2023
Whether it’s over a cup of tea, online, or at your local library, there’s nothing like discussing your recent read with other book lovers. Reliving your favourite moments with those who’ve read the same title can really bring a book to life.
If you’re looking for your book club’s next read, why not borrow one of our reading group sets? We have over 1100 sets to choose from, ranging from modern fiction to classics and even non-fiction. Most of our sets have 10 copies of a title.
Or, if you’re looking to meet people and make new friends, you can also join one of our regular in-library book clubs or our online Digital Readers community.
To inspire you, we’ve created a list of books and discussion questions that are sure to get your group talking.
Romance
It Ends with Us – Colleen Hoover
Lily’s life hasn’t always been easy, but she’s worked hard to create her own happiness. So, when she meets Ryle Kincaid, a stunning neurosurgeon, everything in Lily’s life seems to fall into place.
Lily even finds herself the exception to Ryle’s alarming no dating rule, but even so she can’t help but wonder why it existed in the first place.
As questions about her relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of her first love, Atlas Corrigan. But when Atlas suddenly re-enters her life, everything Lily has built is threatened.
Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
Read the book that inspired the hit series.
It’s 1946 Claire Randall and her husband, Frank, are on their second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. On an afternoon walk, Claire stumbles into a circle of standing stones and is transported back in time to 1743 in a Scotland divided by war and raiding border clans. While trying to flee the first person she meets, her husband's ancestor, Claire becomes an outlander and in danger from both Jacobites and Redcoats.
Suddenly, her only chance of survival lies in Jamie Fraser, a young Scottish warrior. Soon, Claire finds herself torn between her two lives with two very different men.
Crime and thrillers
Shattered – James Patterson
On return from his honeymoon, NYPD detective Michael Bennett discovers his long-time collaborator, FBI agent, Emily Parker, has gone missing. As Michael investigates, an unexpected image of Emily begins to emerge: a woman adept at keeping secrets and forging powerful connections. And Emily’s enemies have the motive and the means to silence both her and her protectors forever.
For Your Own Good – Samantha Downing
Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at Belmont Academy, a prestigious private school. He thinks it’s well-deserved as he always challenges his students to be the best they can, even if some people think he’s been resorting to unconventional methods. He says his wife couldn't be more proud, but no one has seen her in a while.
There’s a possible murder of a school parent and a student digging into Teddy’s personal life, but he’s not interested: his focus is on pushing his pupils to reach their potential. It’s unfortunate that sometimes excellence comes at such a high cost.
Historical
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
In the summer of 1910, young Englishman Stephen Wraysford arrives in Amiens to stay with the Azaire family. But soon a secret passion emerges that threatens to destroy their household. Six years later, Stephen finds himself on the Western Front with civilization itself in the balance he fights for everything he has known and loved. This heart-breaking novel explores two stories separated by time, connected by family. The first narrative follows Stephen’s devastating experiences before and during World War I. The other features Stephen’s granddaughter, who discovers her grandfather’s journals and begins to learn about his life.
10 book club discussion questions
If you’re looking for questions to discuss with your book club, here are some to get you started:
- What did you like the most about the book?
- What did you like least about the book?
- Would you read another book by this author?
- Would you recommend this book?
- How did the book make you feel?
- What were the main themes of the book and what effect did they have?
- Were the plot twists or big reveals believable? Did you guess them?
- How did you feel about the book’s ending?
- If you were making a film adaptation of the book, who would you cast?
- If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?