How to Get Teams Talking With These 10 Book Club Games?

When you think of book clubs, you might imagine dimly lit corners filled with serious readers diving deep into plot twists and character profiles. But who says workplace book clubs and their games have to be that upper lip? 

Take a cue from Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. Books aren’t just meant to be read, they’re meant to be experienced, debated, and celebrated with enthusiasm. That same spirit can fuel team-building too. Our list of engaging book club games for teams can be total gamechangers.

Inside this article, you’ll find out- :

• Why host book club games?
• What activities can you do in a book club?
• Best book club games for teams
• Bonus ready-to-use game prompts and 
• Quick tips to host fun book club games

Table of Contents

What are Book Club Games?

Book club games are fun activities designed to nurture creative discussions, boost participation, and make reading more interactive. Examples include trivia, bingo, charades, and book-themed crafts.You can play them before or after your meeting to help everyone relax and get talking. These games are a great way to break the ice and initiate conversations that go beyond a book’s characters or storyline. Plus, they are perfect for celebrating themed days like National Book Lovers Day with your team. 

Why Should I Host Book Club Games for My Team?

• Encourages fun conversations around literature, creative ideas, and promotes more learning.
• Adds a fun element to meetings and team get-togethers, as these games can be simple and enjoyable icebreakers.
• Create unique ways for team members to share their love for reading and engage more actively.
• Engages non-readers on the team and promotes interactive conversations that can help build new team connections

What Are the Best Book Club Games for Teams?

If your workplace book club is just about reading books, take the fun up a notch with book club games and activities. Here’s a list of 10 best book club games for you and your team to explore.

1. Literary Trivia 

Number of participants: 2-1000

Duration: 60 minutes

Gather your team for a fun literary trivia to test their bookish wits. Team members can tackle a lot of interesting questions across different book-themed categories. The topics can be tailored around the books your club has read, or they can include a mix of different themes. 

We once joined the Hooray Teams Virtual Trivia event to try something different during our book club sessions. Their host challenged us with a variety of interesting questions on themes like Name that author, Evergreen classics, Guess the book, and more.   We even tried a bonus segment called Fact or Myth, where we had fun answering prompts like – ‘ Bookworm was initially used as a derogatory term, true or false.’ 

In-office Mode: Teams can opt for an expert-led book-trivia session to host the event in the workplace.

2. Book Bingo

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 30-40 minutes

If you’re looking for some quick and engaging book club games, book bingo is the perfect choice for your team. Teams will get a bingo card with themed prompts such as character names, quotes, authors, and reading habits. They just need to mark these off on their cards as called out by the host to get the winning line.

In-office Mode: Create custom cards, take a printout, and share it with the participants to host the game. 

Here’s a book bingo card for your team:

3. Book Scavenger Hunt

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 30-60 minutes

The book lovers on your team might often scavenge for their desired titles in bookstores, but can they nail a fun themed scavenger hunt? You can create a custom scavenger hunt list centered around books to engage everyone. Team members just need to race against time and locate as many items as possible in their immediate surroundings to score a win. 

In-office Mode: Teams can print custom scavenger hunt cards and hide the items around the office for the participants to locate during the game.

4. Title Charades 

Number of participants: 10-50

Duration: 60 minutes

Add Title Charades to your book club games to test your team’s acting (and guessing) skills. Teams can create a list of book titles from different genres like fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, biography, and more to keep things engaging. In each round, one player will act out a random prompt to hint at the title for others to guess. 

Here are some of the book titles you can add to your list of prompts:

• The Crash by Freida McFadden
• We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Holmes Is Missing by James Patterson
• Three Days In June by Anne Tyler

In-office Mode: Teams can create a list of prompts, put them in a jar, and pick one in each round to play the game. 

5. Book-Based Pictionary 

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 60 minutes

Book-based Pictionary can be an inclusive addition to your book club games, as it can engage everyone on your team. Create a list of prompts based on popular books, authors, famous characters, reading jargon, and more. Team members need to pick one prompt and draw a related image for others to guess.

Last year, we tried the Hooray Teams’ Virtual Pictionary game and had a great time guessing and illustrating a wide range of fun prompts. Their enthusiastic host kept us engaged throughout the event and shared hints whenever required. They even added a custom ‘Literary Terms’ round with interesting clues for a fun experience. 

In-Office Mode: Teams can use any custom spin the wheel to decide on a prompt and draw the same to play the game together. 

6. Fiction Soiree 

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 2-3 hours

The best part about reading books is that we can imagine how the characters might look based on the detailed descriptions. Why not bring those characters to life by creating an actual outfit for a fun costume party? Team members can dress up as their favorite characters or authors to enjoy a vibrant dress-up bash. You can even use an online poll to vote and decide on a winner to appreciate the efforts of the team members. 

Here are some book-themed costume party ideas for teams:

• Genre Night: Teams can choose a genre like fantasy or classics and dress up as their favorite characters. 

• Favorite Childhood Character: Teams can dress up to imitate popular characters like Matilda, Hermione, and Nancy Drew. 

• Author Look Alike Party: teams can dress up as their favorite authors like JK Rowling, Agatha Christie, and Dan Brown. 

In-office Mode: Teams can book a private venue and arrange for themed “Literary Gala” and elevate the experience with a red carpet and photo booth. 

7. Table Talks

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 30-40 minutes

During book club meetings, conversations often stall at questions like “Did you like the book?” or stick to summarizing what’s been read. Games like Table Talks shake things up by introducing engaging prompts about the plot, characters, themes, or even alternate ending. This can make the discussions more structured and ensure that members won’t run out of topics to discuss. This can make the discussions more structured and ensure that members won’t run out of topics to discuss.

Here are some table talk prompts your team can explore:

• Which character would you swap places with for a day—and why?
• If this book had a sequel, what would the plot be?
• What’s one quote or line from the book that really stuck with you?
• Did any part of the book remind you of a personal experience?
• Which character made the worst decision—and what would you have done instead?

In-office Mode: Teams can create a list of prompts related to their current read to engage everyone during the meeting. 

8. Book-Themed Crafts

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 60 minutes

Looking to add a creative twist to your book club meetings? Book-themed craft sessions are a fun way for teams to make meaningful keepsakes inspired by their favorite reads. With just a few simple supplies—like paper, glue, and scissors—your team can follow easy online tutorials to create something fun and functional.

Here are some cool book craft ideas for teams to explore:

• DIY bookmarks with quotes, stamped art, or magnets
• Miniature book keychains using post-its, beads and charms
• Literary quote wall art using calligraphy or paints
• Scrapbooks based on your favorite books

In-office Mode: Teams can select a craft of their choice, source required materials, and gather in a common area to enjoy the session. 

9. Bookish Icebreakers

Number of participants: Customizable

Duration: 15-30 minutes

Bookish icebreakers are a fun and low-pressure way to engage everyone during a book club meet-up. Team members can play these games to talk about characters, reading habits, unexpected plot twists, and guilty pleasure reads. These games are perfect to break the ice before diving into the main session.

Here are a few icebreaker games for book clubs that teams can explore:

Never Have I Ever: Teams will get prompts on reading habits like, ‘Never have I ever judged a book by its cover’ or ‘Never have I ever cried while reading a book.’ They just need to raise their hands or take a shot of their favorite drink if they relate to the same. 

First Line Frenzy: Teams will get a list of opening lines from popular books. All they need to do is race against time and guess all the titles correctly. 

This or That: Teams need to choose between two book-related options, like ‘Hardcover or paperback?’ or ‘Fiction or non-fiction?’, to score points. 

In-office Mode: Teams can create a list of any book-themed icebreaker games and source the required game materials in advance to host the event at their book club. 

10. Book Club Taboo 

Number of participants:10-30

Duration: 60 minutes

Gather your team to play a literary twist on everyone’s favorite word-guessing game – Taboo. Create a list of books you and your team members have read and discussed prior to the event, along with common literary terms, to generate custom taboo cards. In each round, a ‘clue giver’ will describe a book title or character without using any taboo words for others to guess. This, in turn, will engage everyone and encourage them to explore different book themes, characters, and plots. 

Here are some sample taboo cards for teams:

 Quick Tips to Make Book Club Games Work for Your Team

• Kick-start with a low-key icebreaker game like Never Have I Ever or mini trivia to warm your team.
• Choose an inclusive game that lets both readers and non-readers participate and enjoy the activity.
• Pick games that match the context of the book genre. For example, if you have a thriller or crime theme, play a scavenger hunt or game of Taboo. 
• Add themed snack kits, like a mini tea tasting, if you’re covering a British book cover or a classic romance novel, then arrange for chocolates and wine.
• Encourage participants to bring props like a detective hat, horn-rimmed glasses, a cigar pipe, or anything that’s a symbolic reminder of their favorite book character.
• Reward winners of quick book club games with thoughtful prizes like digital book vouchers, audiobook credits, or library memberships.

In-office Mode: Teams can create a deck of custom Taboo cards with the books they have read so far to play the game together.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a book club?

A book club is a group of people who meet to read and discuss books. These meetings are often hosted at regular intervals, like weekly, fortnightly, or bi-monthly, to keep everyone updated about the progress of the book.

Do I need to be an avid reader to enjoy fun book club games?

Not at all! There are many book club games and activities—like bingo, scavenger hunts, and book crafts—that everyone on your team can enjoy.

What are some good games to play at book club meetings?

Book-themed trivia, scavenger hunt, and bingo are some of the good games to play at a book club. 

How do I incorporate book club meeting games?

Teams can play the book club games and ice breakers before or after the meeting for a seamless experience.

What should I keep in mind while selecting online book club games?

If you are playing book club games on Zoom or another video conferencing platform, make sure that the games are brief, engaging, and can be played virtually for an engaging experience.

What are some good book club icebreaker games?

Book-themed Never Have I Ever, Would You Rather, and This or That are some good icebreaker book club games to play.