Books

Books bring out personal tastes and memories — childhood favorites, life-changing reads, or just what’s on the nightstand. Good for practicing recommendations and talking about stories in a way that feels natural.

Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.

Beginner (A1-A2)

1. Do you read many books? How many do you read in a year?
2. How often do you read books? What time of day is best for reading?
3. Did your parents read to you when you were a child? What kinds of books did they read?
4. What was the last book you read? What was it about?
5. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction books? Why do you prefer that type?
6. What is one example of traditional literature in your country? Did you have to read it in school?
7. Do you like reading the traditional literature of your country? What do you like or dislike about it?
8. What kind of books do you like? What’s a good one you’ve read?
9. Where do you usually buy your books? What’s good about that place?
10. Who is your favorite character from a book? What are they like?
11. What was the first book you remember reading by yourself? What was the story about?
12. Do you read paper books or digital books? What’s good about each?
13. What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Tell me about it.
14. Did you read a lot of books when you were young? What kind of books did you like?
15. Do you like long books or short books? What’s a good one?
16. Who do you talk to about books? What do you talk about?
17. What are three things you look for in a good book? (Story, funny characters, etc.)
18. Have you ever read a book that made you cry? Tell me about it.
19. Have you ever gotten a book as a gift? What was it about?

Elementary (A2)

1. Who is an author that you like? Why do you like their books?
2. What kind of books don’t you enjoy reading? Why?
3. Have you ever read a book more than once? Why did you read it again?
4. Have you ever tried listening to an audiobook? What do you think of audiobooks?
5. What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? Why didn’t you like it?
6. What’s the most interesting book you’ve read recently? What made it interesting?
7. What’s the longest book you’ve ever read? Why did you decide to read it?
8. Have you ever stopped reading a book before finishing it? Why did you stop?
9. Do you prefer reading during the day or at night? Why?
10. Have you ever been surprised by how a book ended? Why were you surprised?
11. What’s a book someone recommended to you? Did you enjoy it? Why?

Intermediate (B1)

1. Do you think people read enough books these days? Why or why not?
2. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be and why would you choose that book?
3. Can a book change the world? What is an example of a book that has had a big impact, and why was it important?
4. What book would you recommend to a friend learning your language? Why that one?
5. Do you prefer buying books or borrowing them from a library? Why?
6. Do you think book reviews are helpful or misleading? Give me some examples.
7. What do you think makes a book a ‘classic’? Give me some examples.
8. If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would you choose? What would you want to ask them?
9. Do you think people should finish every book they start? Explain your thinking.
10. What makes a book adaptation into a movie successful? Give me some examples.
11. If you could write a book about anything, what would it be about? Why does that topic interest you?
12. Some people say that reading fiction is a waste of time. Do you agree? Why do you think so?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. What are some of the advantages of books vs. movies? How about the disadvantages of books vs. movies?
2. Do you think schools should require students to read certain books, or should students choose their own? What are the downsides of each?
3. Should libraries spend more money on physical books or digital resources? What’s good about each?
4. How has social media changed the way people discover and discuss books? What do you think about those changes?
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of translating books into other languages? How much do you think gets lost?
6. Compare how bookstores operated 30 years ago versus today. What caused these changes?
7. What are the implications of AI-generated books for authors and readers?
8. How has the rise of audiobooks affected reading habits? How often have you listened to audiobooks compared to reading?
9. Compare the reading culture in your country with other countries you know. What factors shape these differences?
10. What responsibilities do authors and publishers have when writing about real events or real people? Where do you draw the line?
11. How do public libraries benefit a community beyond just lending books? Have you ever relied on a library for something other than books?
12. Why do you think certain books get banned or challenged in some countries? How do you feel about that?
13. How do book awards influence the literary world? How often have you read award-winning books?

Advanced (C1)

1. How might the decline of independent bookstores simultaneously impoverish and democratize literary culture?
2. To what extent does the literature a society celebrates reveal its deepest values and anxieties? What are some examples that support your view?
3. What tensions exist between preserving a book’s original meaning and reinterpreting it for modern audiences? How should translators and editors navigate this?
4. How does the concept of the ‘author’ reveal underlying assumptions about creativity, originality, and intellectual property?
5. How might the global dominance of English-language publishing both spread ideas across cultures and marginalize voices that write in other languages?
6. What does the persistence of physical books in the digital age reveal about the nature of reading and material culture?
7. How do translation practices both bridge and transform meaning across linguistic and cultural boundaries?
8. What tensions exist between the role of literature as entertainment versus its function as social critique?
9. What assumptions about knowledge and authority are embedded in the way we distinguish ‘literary fiction’ from ‘genre fiction’? Who benefits from this distinction?
10. To what extent should an author’s personal beliefs or actions influence how we read and value their work? Where do you draw the line between the art and the artist?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions