Both! The book groups I've been in have always read a combination of fiction and non-fiction, and that has worked beautifully for us.

Works of fiction, of course, tend to offer more diverse conversations. Each reader will interpret a work of fiction differently. Some members will love some characters, others will loath them. And therein lies the fun. It’s interesting to simply talk about how different people see different things in the same book.

1. Come up with some ten questions about the book. There are plenty of book club discussion questions for just about any book you choose—especially bestsellers. Print them out and use them as a guide. But don’t feel like you have to stick with a script. Use the questions as a jumping off point for discussion.

Whether leading or not, everyone should help keep the discussion on track, avoid side conversations, and make sure everyone has a chance to speak. If you're the moderator, and every discussion needs one, consider your role. The moderator is sort of a cross between a chairperson and host/hostess. The role has some significant responsibilities. Keep these things in mind:

I know of some book groups where the food is almost as important as the book. The group gathers for discussion, but they eat foods relating to the book at hand. And that sounds like a great deal of fun, if you can pull it all off.

"Rules" or "traditions." Whatever you call them, your book group needs some. Here are some of the traditions—regarding actual meetings—that have worked well for groups I've been in over the years:

The group meets on the fourth Monday of each month, unless rescheduled because of holidays such as AEA or Christmas. You might want to meet in the morning, for lunch or in the evening. Do whatever works best for your group. Just have a scheduled time and date, and stick with it!

Not every book is worth discussing. You might be reading a highly engaging book, but when it comes down to really talking about it, there's not much there. This  happened to our group when we read "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve. Sure, it was a good read. But there wasn't much depth. There were no jumping-off points for the literary back-and-forth we were used to enjoying.

You might be surprised to know that your best friends don't necessarily make the best book group buddies. Not always, of course. But sometimes.

Because there is wisdom in a crowd. James Surowiecki said so in his book The Wisdom of Crowds, and it's true. I've been a member of one book group or another for the past 20 years. Some have succeeded beautifully. Others have fallen apart. Over the next few weeks I'll share some of my book group experiences with the hope of helping you make your book group as informative and enjoyable as possible.