Reading & Writing Lounge

A book club is a great way to share a love of books with other interested people. It allows you to read new titles, discover new authors and make friends. If you have a local book club, join it. Your library, book store or writers group may have a club already. If not, start one of your own.

Starting a new book club is easy.  You will need two or three people to start off. Ask your work colleagues, friends, family, and neighbours if they would like to join.

Having done that, set up a meeting time and date. Choose a venue that’s convenient for everybody. Local book stores can be great places to meet - all those books will surely provide inspiration. In addition, the staff may be happy to offer your club a discount on purchases!

At your first meeting, set up some ground rules. Decide how many times you will meet and where. Most book clubs meet once a month. This gives members enough time to read the chosen work and think about it. Consistency is important.

You could arrange to rotate meetings between the residences of the members. Each ‘host’ could choose the next book and provide any refreshments.  If the members of the group are known to each other, it would make sense to meet at someone’s home. However, if you are a bunch of strangers just getting together, then it would be wise to consider meeting at a neutral venue- perhaps a coffee shop or a book store.

Choosing a book to discuss : While setting the ground rules, your  group should determine what kind of books you want to read. Fiction, non-fiction, crime, classics, romance, poetry… the list is endless. You could choose just one genre or period or take the fun way out and let each ‘host’ choose the book each month without any restriction. This is the best way to ensure that the club discusses a variety of work. Of course, if your club members are all fond of one genre, then you may enjoy sticking to it. Choose whatever works for the group as a whole. Then stick to it.

See Reading Lists for book clubs for ideas.

Appoint a moderator for each discussion. This could be the host or someone else. The job of the moderator is to keep the discussion flowing, engage quieter members and ensure that everyone is allowed to participate fully.

Keep the group growing by advertising in your local book store, places of worship, coffee houses and colleges. Look for a diverse group of people that will keep the discussion flowing.

Related on this blog:

• Reading Lists for Book Clubs