Book clubs are a wonderful way to meet up with people who share similar interests in books. These groups create community spaces for book lovers who want to discuss books with others that excite them. Creating such groups may seem daunting, but to help you out, here’s a guide to setting up your book club and advice on producing successful discussions.
Set Up the Logistics
A good book club always has to start with its people. Get some friends together, or some strangers, who share a love for reading. When you have your group, your next step is to establish where you will host your book club. If it’s a close group of friends, you can always meet at one house or take turns hosting, depending on the style you are looking for. For an open concept that involves meeting strangers, you may want to meet in a more public setting. You can inquire with your local bookshop or coffee place to see if they will let you host in their spaces or any other communal environments in your area. Keep in mind that you may want spaces where people can laugh and share their feelings, because books can bring out a lot of emotions when we talk about them.
Another logistics you will need to establish is a time. Everyone has their own schedules, so it is vital to communicate on the best days and times that work for everyone. This is especially important for small groups, but if you are looking to host an outreach-style book club that brings in anyone who can come, keep in mind times and days that work within the average workday week. You will also want to work out how often you meet. Will you take your time with the novels and only read a few sections per meeting, or will you meet once everyone has finished the book by a specific date? It is also critical to consider whether you are a weekly, biweekly, or even monthly group, as this can help you gauge your book timelines.
Choose Your Book
Choosing a book does not have to be difficult. Everyone has their own opinions on genres and mediums, but there is a significant advantage in exploring outside of your typical genre. If your group decides the host should pick, it is still important to get to know everyone’s likes and dislikes so you can prepare a book that best suits everyone. A book that you have already read gives you an advantage when it comes to close reading questions, but it can also be fun to pick a book you haven’t read yet, so everyone can experience the book at the same time.
If your group decides to take turns picking the book, everyone must stay open to everyone’s choice, even if they are not a reader of the genre. One person may choose a fantasy while the next person chooses a historical fiction, but what can be fun about different genres is how you’ll see group members connect books after a while. Just because you read different genres doesn’t mean they do not connect. Explore the book world with your group and see how many fascinating discussions you will have.
Maybe you’re looking for a stricter structure, as some book clubs choose a theme around which to base their books. For example, perhaps you want to start a Jane Austen book club and just need to choose which book to start with. While this can definitely give your group more organization, it’s essential to consider what you’ll read after you’ve gone through her collection. Will you read books by authors she was inspired by, or read books inspired by Austen’s work? Or maybe your group is interested in the period itself, and you’re looking for romance novels in a similar style. When you begin to plan your book clu,b it is important to keep these questions in mind so you can better prepare for future meetings.
Establish Guidelines
While book clubs are open discussions where people should feel free to speak their minds, it’s important to lay down some guidelines to make sure everyone feels safe in the conversation and that everyone gets heard. It can feel daunting to speak your opinions in a group discussion, especially if it is with people you have never met before. When you first begin your group, set down some guidelines so everyone can go into these meetings on the same page. These can be guidelines like not yelling at one another, but yelling at the book itself. Or everyone talks once before everyone talks altogether. Asking the group about their personal guidelines is always a great way to start, especially when they may bring up problems you had not thought about before.
It is also important that everyone feels heard in the conversation. Sometimes the discussion can get heated and cause some division, and when the chaos starts, there needs to be a way to redirect the group back to the topic at hand so everyone can hear opinions on all sides, which can help members get a better understanding of everyone’s interpretations. You may be skilled in the art of persuading others to get back on topic, but for those looking for methods to help, think about fun ways you can get everyone’s attention. Code words, signals, or even taking a break can help everyone gather their thoughts and remember the purpose of your discussion.
Tips for Discussion Questions
If you’re hosting in general or for a specific book, a great way to start is by being prepared. Learn a little more about the author and the book itself, as it can help you get into the mindset of the story and its creation. Watch interviews, read book reviews, and see what other people are saying about the book, as it may help you articulate some of your unformed thoughts. Many book club hosts now use digital platforms to keep their members updated and share the same resources. Setting up a simple WordPress blog is a common way to post meeting schedules and links to author interviews. If you are new to making a website, there are plenty of online tutorials that walk you through the process step by step. You can watch their videos to learn how to set up hosting and customize a site for your group. Having a central hub makes it easier for everyone to find the discussion questions before the meeting starts.
Furthermore, keep notes and write some questions down in advance so you can keep the conversation going if it ever hits a lull. Annotation in books is always a great tool, but if that is not your style, sticky notes and a separate notebook are also great alternatives. The number of questions you keep on hand can be based on how long your sessions are. I find hour-long sessions only require five because once the conversation starts going, especially for a good book, other questions arise, and as the conversation casually flows, you may not even need all of your questions by the end of the session.
When you’re doing your close reading, think about your book club’s style and how people will respond to your open-ended questions. This is where you will construct your questions, so it’s important to remember your focus. If you’re a group of writers, you may want to focus more on the language and structure of the novel to gain a better understanding of how and why the author wrote it. Or maybe you are going into this for the entertainment in which case you might want to focus on the plot and specific moments that happened and how they effectively move the story and create its meaning. Your questions will change for each novel you read, and that is what creates the excitement for book clubs because not only do you get to hear everyone’s perspective, but you also get to see how they tackle each question with their own interpretations.
Book clubs are a great way to build community with people who share the same love for reading as you. Starting will take some trial and error, and the style may change as your meetings continue, but as you embrace every part of your club, remember that it is supposed to be fun for everyone, including the host. When you start your book club, remember to pay attention to all the wonderful conversations you have with one another because these are the moments we live for.
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Looking for some book recommendations for your book club? Check out our Bookstr Team Recommendations bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
