Choosing the books to discuss
Choosing what books to read is one of the hardest, most enjoyable, frustrating, and important activities the group will undertake. Members of the group should be prepared to compromise and to read outside their regular areas of interest. (Some people will drop out if the books chosen are not what they want to read; don't worry, this is a normal occurrence.) Go with the majority opinion, but remind people that there can be a big difference between "a good read" and "a good book for a discussion." (See next section.) Choose books well in advance (at least three months). People need to know what's coming up so they can read ahead. In addition, you don't want to have to spend time at each meeting deciding what to read next.

What makes a good book for discussion:
People often ask what qualities make a book a good candidate for book discussion. Probably the most important criteria are that the book be well written, have an interesting plot and three-dimensional characters. Good book-discussion books present the author's view of an important truth and sometimes send a message to the reader. A good book-discussion book often stays in the reader's mind long after the book is finished and the discussion is over. These books can be read more than once, and each time the reader learns something new.

During a book discussion, what you're really talking about is everything that the author hasn't said--all those white spaces on the printed page. For this reason, books that are plot driven (most mysteries, westerns, romances, and science fiction/fantasy) don't lend themselves to book discussions. In genre novels and some mainstream fiction, the author spells out everything for the reader, so that there is little to say except, "Gee, I never knew that" or "Isn't that interesting." Librarians, booksellers, and friends can often supply you with suggestions of good books to discuss.

(Incidentally, this "everything that the author hasn't said" idea is why poetry makes such a rich topic for discussion.)

See Recommended Books for Discussion