85 Questions for Book Lovers and Steamy Conversations

Reading in itself is mainly an activity we do alone, but sharing our experience, the thoughts and questions we have about the books with others can bring a new level of understanding and appreciation for the reading material. 

By asking the right questions about books, we can have deep and meaningful conversations with our loved ones, family and friends. And while the perfect list of questions for book lovers probably cannot exist, I will attempt to find the most relevant questions to ask in a book conversation for meaningful and intriguing conversations.

Why is it important to have discussions about books?

First, let’s try to understand the importance of discussing the books we read and our reading habits in general. 

There are several reasons why no book should remain undiscussed and the benefits we can reap from forming this habit with our close ones can completely change the way we see things and how we appreciate the books we read.

Great conversation

Obviously, one of the reasons you should always read mindfully and constantly try to come up with questions to ask book lovers is that this will usually lead to stimulating, meaningful and rewarding conversations. 

Our ability to communicate with each other makes us amazing as a species and as history shows us, literature is usually one of the most interesting things we can have the pleasure to discuss. 

More in-depth understanding of books and reading habits

On top of the pleasure we can get from the conversations we start with people around us about books, another huge benefit of always thinking about questions for our upcoming discussions is that it will push us to read mindfully most of the time. 

This will involve us not only gathering information from the reading material we go through, but also have an active thought process about the book we read. This will bring awareness to certain aspects of the book we would have probably not paid much attention to otherwise, meaning in the end that reading will add even more value to us. 

Trying to figure out what questions to ask about a book we read will get us more involved in the process of consuming the content, will stimulate our thought process beyond the usual thresholds and will make us more efficient and proactive readers. 

Not only that, but by having conversations about reading in general with your friends and family, you may learn some pretty interesting things that could help you a lot with developing and improving your own reading habits. 

Seeing what other people think about the books you read

Another important aspect of book conversations is that they will give us great insight into the way other people, whether it’s other book club members, acquaintances or industry leaders process the same information we went through. 

The more people you will end up discussing a book with, the closer you will come to the realization that each of us has a different perspective about the plot, each likes or dislikes different characters or paragraphs and we all have our own opinions about the book in general.

Obviously, this will help you get a much better perspective on the books you read, will help you be more mindful of other people’s opinions and will come with the benefit of having a better overview of the big picture when it comes to your reading. 

While some parts of a book may seem uninteresting to you, they may spark intrigue for other people you discuss the book with, forcing you to pay closer attention to aspects you may have overlooked at first. 

What are some great book lover questions that guarantee great conversations?

There are several categories of questions for book lovers that can spark great discussions regardless of the context. 

If you’re interested to find out more about the way other people read and how they perceive what they read, spicing up conversations with these questions will guarantee some pretty interesting and fun revelations. 

Best overall questions to ask a book lover

Generalities are usually the easiest to overlook, but can also lead to the most interesting conversations with friends, family or even coworkers or other acquaintances.

Here’s a couple of essential ones.

1. What book are you reading right now?
2. What’s your next read going to be?
3. How many books are on your current TBR list?
4. What’s the first book you read in your life?
5. What’s your favorite childhood book?
6. Can you remember what your parents used to read you before bedtime?
7. What’s the longest / shortest book you managed to read?
8. How many different books did you manage to read at once?
9. Can you name a book that kept you up at night? 
10. What novel caused you the worst book hangover?
11. What is the saddest book you read?
12.  Did a book ever make you cry with laughter? Which one?
13.  How do you pick the next book you want to read?
14.  Are you using a reading app to track your reading?
15.  What were the last three books you read?
16.  How many books have you read so far this year?
17.  How much are you planning to read this year?
18.  What’s the book you read the most times? How many times did you read it?
19.  Which horror book did you find the scariest?
20.  Who’s your favorite author?
21.  What’s your least favorite book?
22.  Is there a book you just couldn’t finish?
23.  Do you prefer to read classics or modern books?
24.  What book was turned into a movie and turned out to be as good or even better than the book?
25.  Do you have a favorite quote from any of the books you read?
26.  Have you ever met a writer in real life?
27.  What is the book that changed or influenced you the most?
28.  How many books would you say you own?
29.  How much do you think your book collection is worth today?
30.  What’s the most you spent on a single book or series?

Would you rather for bookworms

Would you rather is a pretty fun game to play with your friends. While generally the game is mostly played by teens and plays a huge role in their interactions, adults have adapted the game for more grown-up game nights. 

Here’s a couple of amazing “would you rather”-type questions for book lovers.

So, would you rather…

1. Read one book per year and remember everything, or read 100 books and remember nothing?
2. Only read the 1st page of a book, or just the last one?
3. Read a book with an unclear ending that makes you wonder what the author meant, or one with a heartbreaking ending?
4. Read the same genre forever, or only be allowed to read one book from every genre?
5. Like a book everyone hates or hate a book everyone loves?
6. Find out that your best friend hates the book you like the most, or share your favorite book with your nemesis?
7. Read a book that is really well written but has a terrible story, or the other way around?
8. Be allowed to only read new books or to never be allowed to read anything else than what you read before?
9. Hear a spoiler of a book’s ending or never find out how it ends?
10.  Read 100 books this year and never be allowed to read again, or read 1 book per year for the rest of your life?

Fun Questions to ask book lovers

If you’re looking to spark more fun conversations, having a set of more trivial or imaginative questions prepared is always a good idea.

Here’s a couple of examples we found to be responsible for some pretty cool revelations during book conversations.

1. Is there a particular author you would like to meet in real life?
2. Is there a character in one of your books you would like to meet?
3. Where do you like to do your reading the most?
4. What’s the most awkward situation you were put in because you were reading?
5. Did you ever read in a completely inappropriate location or situation?
6. Did you ever have to call in sick because you couldn’t put a book down? What book?
7. Which book cover made you read the book only to find out you actually hate it?
8. What book do you think nobody should die without reading?
9. Which book do you think is the most overrated?
10.  Have you ever had a crush on a book character?
11.  Did you ever buy a book you had already read?
12.  Is there a book that is extremely popular but you somehow skipped on reading?
13. Did you ever visit a city or place just because you read about it in a book you loved?
14.  If you could change one book and save one character’s life, which book would you change and what character would you save?
15.  What skill or special ability would you want to have if you could choose one from one the characters in a book you read?

Best questions about reading habits

Learning about other people’s reading habits can help you out with developing your own, or simply give you a better understanding on how others organize their reading schedule.

You can even get some pretty great ideas from others regarding the way you could juggle your daily tasks in a manner that will also allow you some time for your favorite activity, reading.

1. Do you prefer e-books or physical books?
2. Do you enjoy audiobooks?
3. Do you read more at night or during the day?
4. Do you prefer to buy new books or purchase used ones?
5. Do you read out loud?
6. How late into a book do you realize it will be one that you will recommend others to read as well?
7. What is your favorite or least favorite genre?
8. Is there a snack or drink you indulge yourself in during reading sessions?
9. Do you have more than one reading list? 
10.  Do you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction books?
11.  Do you ever annotate books?
12.  Do you write reviews about the books you read?
13.  Do you listen to music while you read?
14.  How do you keep track of your reading?
15.  What’s the longest you went without reading?

While the list above is a pretty comprehensive one, it’s always good to try and come up with your own questions, so that you cover exactly the topics you are most interested in. 

The tools that can help you come up with great questions while reading

Our top recommendation when it comes to tools that can aid your reading habits and the way you process the information acquired is Basmo.

That’s mainly because this book tracking app has been specifically designed to suit your needs: to help you reflect on the material you’re reading, to learn how to read mindfully and to come up with answers to the most important questions you may ask yourself while going through a book.

As I was mentioning earlier, one of the most important reasons why asking questions about the books you read is the fact that this habit will lead to a better understanding of the information you get from books.

You can even choose certain emotions that you’re feeling, represented by relevant emoticons, so that you never forget how a certain book or part of a book has made you feel. 

Using these features gives a more mindful aspect to your reading, helping you better understand what you read and helping you come up with more interesting questions for your upcoming book conversations.

Questions you should be asking yourself while reading

Asking yourself certain questions during and after reading will help you a lot in your future book discussions with friends and family.

Here’s a couple of examples:

1. What did I like about this book?
2. How did the characters make me feel throughout the book?
3. What surprised me the most in the way the story unfolded?
4. Would I read this again?
5. Was I happy with the way the author told this story?
6. Are there any quotes I would like to save for later use?
7. Did this book change my perspective in any way?
8. Who was my favorite character?
9. Do I agree with the main theme of the book?
10.  What would I ask the author if I had the chance?
11.  Does this book remind me of any other books?
12.  What did I dislike about the book or writing style?
13. Would I recommend this book to anyone else?
14. Who would I like to discuss this book with?
15. What was the writer’s goal when coming up with this story and writing it?

You can jot down these or other questions, answer them in writing within Basmo, either while reading or after your reading sessions have ended. That way, the next time you’re having a conversation with friends or family about certain books, you will be prepared.

Final thoughts

Having a nice list of questions for book lovers prepared whenever you find yourself in a heated book conversation is essential for unforgettable discussions. 

Use Basmo to write down your thoughts in a reading journal and you will always be prepared to learn more about other people’s reading habits and the way they see things in regards to your favorite books.

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