For all books:
- What themes did the author focus on? How did the author highlight them? Did you agree with the author's views?
- Could you relate to the characters? Would you ever want to meet any of them?
- Did this book change your views on any of the topics it addressed? Do you have a new understanding or awareness of something you hadn't thought about before you read this book?
- How would you describe the author's style?
- What was unique about this book? What have you seen before in other books you've read?
- What genre is your book? Did it push the boundaries of that genre in any way?
- What did you expect from this book before you started reading it? After reading it, how did it compare to your expectations?
- What did you like about this book? What didn't you like about it?
- Would you recommend this book to others? If yes, who do you think would like it? If no, why?
Sources:
Cohen, Hsin-Yi. "Good Questions and Discussion Topics." Running a Book Club. TheReadingClub, 18 Jan 2013. Web. 20 Mar 2015. <http://www.thereadingclub.co.uk/goodquestionsdiscussiontopics.html>
Lombardi, Esther. "General Book Club Questions for Study and Discussion." Classic Literature. About.com, 2015. Web. 20 Mar 2015. <http://classiclit.about.com/od/bookclubs/a/aa_bcquestions.htm>
Here are some questions specific to the books on this year's list:
The Timeless Ones by Susan Catalano
Season of ‘42 by Jack Cavanaugh
American Sniper by Chris Kyle
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Here are some questions specific to the books on this year's list:
The Hit by David Baldacci
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals- How do Melba and the other black students at Little Rock High respond to the harassment they face?
- Why did Butler use the structure that she did? What does the time travel element tell us about Butler’s purpose in writing this book?
- “I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery.” How is this true in the book? Are we still being trained today?
The Timeless Ones by Susan Catalano
Season of ‘42 by Jack Cavanaugh
- How did baseball change during WWII?
- What’s your theory about the Creators, the Glade, and the Maze?
- How does Teresa’s arrival affect the other characters in the Glade?
- Have you read other Sarah Dessen books? Why do you think that so many of her books are set in the summer?
- Did the characters and plot feel realistic to you? Is this what your life is like?
- How did the flashbacks help build the story?
- Were you able to predict any of the plot twists? What could have clued you in?
- How does memory play into this book? What differences are there between adult and childhood memories?
- Ursula Monkton’s motivation is to give people what they want. How does this work out for them? How does this get her what she wants?
- What role does the press play in Roosevelt’s and Taft’s administrations? Has the role of the press in politics changed?
- How have presidential campaigns changed? What has remained the same?
- “Teenagers think they are invincible.” Do you think that’s true? Do the characters in Looking for Alaska seem to think they are invincible?
- What makes other people’s words (last or otherwise) important? Why does Miles focus so much on last words?
- Does Margo want to be found? Does she want to be found by Q?
- How does the meaning of the phrase “paper town” change over the course of the book? How does the changing meaning relate to the mystery?
- Home says that his town “was at war with itself over its children.” What does that mean over the course of the book?
- What motivates Homer and the Rocket Boys? How do they change from kids playing with rockets to young scientists?
- How plausible is Glory’s vision of the second American Civil War? Do you think we’re on that path today?
- How does Glory deal with the pressure to figure things out before she graduates? Do you feel like you have to figure out your life by then?
American Sniper by Chris Kyle
- Is Chris a hero? What makes him a hero or disqualifies him as one?
- How do the sections written by Taya contribute to the picture of war in this book?
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
- Is anyone justified in their claim on the throne of Westeros?
- There are many, many point-of-view characters in this book. Whose chapters did you like? Why?
- How do each of the twins use art to understand their world?
- How do ideas of fate and interconnectedness work into this book?
- What kinds of leaders were Pollard and Chase? Who was the better leader?
- How does the book explain the fearlessness of the Nantucket whalers?
- How do the book sections “Beginning,” “Stumbling,” “Falling” and “Becoming” structure Paige’s narrative?
- How does Positive describe Paige?
- How does Susie experience heaven? Does her experience of heaven change over the course of the book?
- How does guilt affect the characters?
- In addition to the physical changes, how does Jessica’s accident change her?
- Think about Jessica’s friendships in the book. Who would you consider her best friend? Why?
- How is Mark’s sense of humor a survival skill?
- What parts of the book made you most worried about Mark’s ability to survive?
- Did you hope Tally would get the operation?
- What are the differences between the pretty society and ours? What makes them similar?
- Did you like the change in protagonist from the first book? How did this change the story?
- Did you find this novel creepy? Would you call it a horror novel, or more of a mystery?
- How did the supernatural element fit into this novel? Could the book have worked without it?
