Book Club Questions For Nonfiction Novels & Stories

No need to look for another lie. "A women's book club, that's what I'm going for," I said, hoping he would believe my outlandish lie. "So let me get this straight." He sat up on his chair. "A bunch of ladies leave their homes with paperback novels, then find a fancy cafe and sit around in a circle talking about fictional characters they're in love with?" he asked, and I nodded at him, thinking this was the best approach. "Pretty much, yeah. It gets worse, but you're not supposed to know about that."

He was old school if he read a wide variety of the comics that inspired them. “That’s really cool,” she told him honestly. He smiled. “Not as cool as reading nonfiction for fun. That’s seriously impressive. I never read nonfiction unless it was for school.” “Fiction and nonfiction both have their places in terms of entertainment and how informative they are. I feel like fiction does a better job of overall explaining the human condition and how people tick than nonfiction does because of the variety of characters’ emotions and motivations.” “That makes sense. I suppose there are psychology textbooks but those are clinical and often use terms laypeople can’t understand.”

She supposed many of the others were too busy engaging in activities that built their muscles, not so much their minds. Kit was looking for a specific sort of book, not the made-up stories she typical indulged herself with. She was hoping she could find a history of the kingdom, or the palace, perhaps a book full of maps. She knew there was one section of the library that held nonfiction books, but she had never spent a lot of time there, so when she found it, she had no idea what to look for on those particular shelves.

"What do you know about werewolves Janette?" The topic elicits a pang of hunger in me and I blink. What do I know about werewolves? Only the smuttiest, most mind-blowing things ever. "I've read some books on them." "Fiction or nonfiction?" I blink again and take some time to consider. Is there really a nonfiction side to werewolves? Aren't they just a creation of the mind? "All the books I've read on them are novels, mostly in the fiction section. I don't think there's anything nonfictional about werewolves."

I perched on the couch, reading a nonfiction book I found while looking around. I had my nose buried in the book, with sleepy eyes from reading just two pages, when I heard the front door knock. I stood up, closed the book, and placed it on the table, then stretched my stiff muscles. Kudos to people who read nonfiction because what the fuck was interesting in it? So boring.

Yet here I was, in this room full of people who had chosen me, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. I smiled, a real one this time, and sat at the center of the circle. April clapped her hands together, bubbling in excitement. “Okay, enough of the emotional display. Let’s get to work. Book Club is officially back in session!” Laughter filled the room. We started tossing around ideas for the next reading list, but the discussion quickly turned into a chaotic mess of inside jokes and playful teasing. Maya insisted we include something “dark and brooding,” while Sammy argued for something “funny, because God knows we all need to laugh more.” April rolled her eyes and wrote both

“I hope so. Maybe a good book, too.” “Nonfiction or fiction?” He turned and faced her. “On vacation? Fiction. Before bed, non-fiction.” “Why non-fiction before bed?” “I like the fiction books too much. I won’t sleep. I have to know what the next chapter is. Does the dragon devour the town? Do the aliens win? How does the pauper become a prince? What about you?” the man asked. “Fiction or non-fiction?” “Fiction. I am a sucker for a good romance. And Dr. Seuss, of course, but that’s more on a professional level.”

So I pasted a friendly smile on my face and spoke to her. "We have both fiction and nonfiction books, and there are a lot of genres under each. We have romance, fantasy, horror, sci-fi and the likes under fiction and we also have self help, motivation, religious, educational books and such under non fiction, so please feel free to explore." My voice was professional. "Um...what books do you like?Personally?" It took everything in me not to show my frustration. "I'm not picky with books."

Neither one spoke for a few moments; they simply stared at one another, at a loss of what to do next. Rick cleared his throat again, and that seemed to break the spell. “I’ve got spy thrillers and murder mysteries over here, by author,” he managed, gesturing to the right. “Next sections down the right side are sci-fi, romance, and the other fictional genres. Left side is all the nonfiction, biographies, and so on.” Faith chuckled.

Sprinted to the door, I pulled it open, not expecting it to open, but it did, causing my heart to swell in joy. Ambling to the shelf, my eyes darted round the various book covers. Fiction was my favorite book to read because the best thing about reading was to be able to escape from your life, to be able to read hundreds or even thousands of other lives. Non-fiction does not have that power, it does not change you the way fiction does. To me, if you are not affected somehow, even if it is the slightest change, you are not reading the right book. I would love to think that every novel I have read has become a part of me and created who I am in a sense.