This reading group guide for The Yoga Club includes discussion questions and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.


Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. Coco, CJ, Bailey and Olivia are an unlikely group—do you think if they hadn’t witnessed the mayor’s crime together, they would ever have become friends? Why or why not?

2. Where did you meet your best friend(s)? What do you feel is the most important element of close friendship?

3. When the four friends witness the mayor’s suspicious behavior, their instinct is to turn around and forget it ever happened.  Have you ever been in a situation where you saw something you wish you hadn’t? What did you do?

4. Do you have a favorite character in the book? Who is it, and why is he/she your favorite?

5. The Yoga Club is a comic novel, and might be described as a caper.  Generally, this means that certain plot elements may be exaggerated or extreme.  Do you think that was the case here? Did you find the story believable? What about the characters? Did that effect your enjoyment of the novel?

6. All of our main characters are shown in various romantic—and sexual—relationships throughout the book.  What do you think about the way sexuality is used/portrayed in the novel?

7. Is there a message underlying The Yoga Club, or is it “just for fun”?  What do you think the author intended to convey in writing this novel?

8.  A lot of the novel hinges on gossip—between friends, about celebrities and politicians, and more. Do you consider celebrity reporting, like Bailey does, a form of gossip? Do you think gossip is harmful?  Can it be helpful?  Have you ever been a gossip or been gossiped about?

9. What’s the importance of yoga in this book? Do you think The Yoga Club is the right title for the novel?

10. Have you ever tried yoga? If so, what did you like/dislike about it? If not, do you have a hobby or activity that serves as a refuge or ritual? What is it?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Come in costume!  Whether it’s your best Sarah Palin disguise, or an idea of your own, this could be a fun way to emulate the book’s Halloween party (without witnessing a crime, of course!)

2. Bring yoga mats and lead the group through a sun salutation or two!  Even yoga beginners may enjoy some gentle stretching to loosen stiff necks and shoulders from reading.  (As with any activity, be careful and check with your medical professional before trying something new.)

3. Go around the room and invite everyone to share a “secret” about themselves—something that not everyone knows.