One of the questions I hear most often is: How do you choose books everyone will like? The thing is, you don’t—and that’s actually the secret. The goal of a great book club isn’t finding a book everyone loves. It’s choosing a book that gives everyone something to talk about. Aim for finding discussion books instead!
When I’m picking out books for our book club, I search for books that:
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Spark opinions (even mixed ones)
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Raise interesting questions about life, relationships, or identity
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Are accessible in length and style for busy schedules
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Leave room for personal connection, not just literary analysis
Some of the best book club conversations come from books people didn’t all agree on. When there’s tension, curiosity, or different interpretations, the discussion naturally deepens.
A few practical ways to make book selection easier:
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Rotate who chooses the book
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Offer 2–3 options and let the group vote
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Choose from a trusted list of “book club–friendly” reads
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Remind members that finishing the book is optional, and showing up matters more
When the pressure to please everyone disappears, book clubs become lighter, more sustainable, and far more enjoyable. Plus, I hope this mindset helps to take the pressure off of choosing a book for your group.
What Makes a Book Worth Discussing?
For a long time, when I talked about choosing books for a book club, I focused on the practical details: themes, length, life stage, and whether the book would realistically work for busy schedules. Those things still matter—especially for moms.
But over the past year, my purpose for reading has shifted.
After reading Jason Baxter’s book Why Literature Still Matters, and listening to some podcast episodes from The Literary Life, my ideas for how and why I read have been challenged. I used to find reading as a way to “escape” my everyday chaos. Now, I try to read through a different lens: I want to be challenged by what I read, which allows me to return to my reality with a new perspective. Whether the book was full of characters making poor choices (The Picture of Dorian Gray) or a lighthearted read (like Anne of Green Gables), the story has more to offer than just a place for me to hide away for a few hours.
As I’ve studied the ideas of C.S. Lewis and Jason Baxter, I’ve started asking a different question—not Is this a good book? or Is this a popular book? but:
Is this a discussion book?
Because I’ve found that a book worth discussing is not always the one everyone enjoys. It’s often the one that changes how we see.
It’s Not About Whether the Book Is Good or Popular
One of the biggest myths about book club books is that the best discussions come from universally loved stories. In reality, some of the richest book club discussions come from books that feel challenging, slow, or even uncomfortable.
When we judge books only by enjoyment or popularity, reading becomes another form of consumption. C.S. Lewis warned against this kind of approach. Books are not simply products to rate—they are encounters.
Discussion Books Train Our Attention
Jason Baxter writes about attentiveness, sharing the idea that good books teach us how to see more clearly. A discussion book slows us down and asks us to notice what we usually rush past: interior lives, ordinary moments, moral tension.
When you share this type of reading with friends in a book club, this attentiveness deepens. Each of you will see something different, another aspect of beauty in the story. And that shared attention is often what makes book club conversations feel meaningful rather than surface-level.
Discussion Books Shape What We Love
C.S. Lewis believed stories educate our desires long before they educate our intellect. In other words, books quietly train us to love certain things—and to dismiss others.
“It would be far truer to say that fairy land arouses a longing for he knows not what. It stirs and troubles him (to his life-long enrichment) with the dim sense of something beyond his reach and, far from dulling or emptying the actual world, gives it a new dimension of depth.” — C.S. Lewis, On Stories and Other Essays on Literature
This is why choosing the right book club books matters. During discussion, we’re not just talking about characters and plot—we’re examining what the story presents as valuable, worthy, or good.
A discussion book helps us reflect on whether those loves align with the lives we want to live.
Why Discussion Books Matter for Book Clubs
For busy moms, reading time is precious. It’s tempting to choose only light or immediately enjoyable reads, and there is absolutely a place for those.
But some of the most meaningful book club discussions come from discussion books we wouldn’t have chosen on our own. Not because they are impressive or trendy, but because they train our attention and shape our loves.
A book worth discussing forms the reader.
More Tips on How to Choose the Best Books for Your Book Club
If you want help choosing discussion books that lead to thoughtful, life-giving book club conversations, that’s exactly what I do inside The Literary Moms’ Book Club. We would love for you to join us as we read and discuss one book each month!
