Get more out of a book with notes and discussion questions

Turn your highlights and thoughts into a short summary, notes to remember and questions for a book club or Sunday school class.

The problem

You finish a book and a month later remember almost nothing, or you're leading a book club or Bible study and need good questions by Thursday. Writing a discussion guide from scratch takes an evening.

Step by step

1. 1As you read, jot a few notes per chapter or snap photos of pages you highlighted.
2. 2Paste your notes (or attach the photos) with the prompt below. Don't paste whole chapters of a copyrighted book; your own notes and short quotes are enough.
3. 3Ask for a summary built from your notes, then check it against the book. AI can mix up details or invent ones, especially for less famous books.
4. 4Pick the 8–10 best questions for your group and put them in a Google Doc you can print or share.
5. 5Afterward, save the one-page notes so you can look back at what you learned.

Copy-paste prompt

I just read [book title] by [author] for [myself / a book club / a church class of about N people]. Here are my notes and highlights: [paste]. Using mainly my notes, give me: (1) a short summary of the main ideas, and say where you're unsure instead of guessing; (2) five things worth remembering, each in one sentence; (3) 10 discussion questions that go from easy to deeper, with no spoilers past chapter [N] if I say so; (4) one question that connects the book to everyday life. Mark anything I should double-check in the book.

Tips and watch-outs

• Work from your own notes and short quotes, not pasted chapters of a copyrighted book.
• Check the summary and any quotes against the book; AI can invent details, especially for lesser-known titles.
• Ask for no spoilers past a chapter number if your group is reading in parts.

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