Enjoy reading and would love to discuss your favourite books with other likeminded people? Well, why not form a book club! Starting a reading club of your own may not be all that difficult. We’ve got some tips to help you do just that.
Getting a group together: Speak to friends and see how many of them are interested in the idea. Each of your friends can also bring along 1-2 people to the club. 6-8 people seems like the ideal number to start with.
Books to read: After you’ve put together a group, decide what kind of books all of you may want to discuss – mystery, romance, politics, biographies, poetry. All of you in the group will have favourite genres - so a mix of different styles and genres will be great for your book club.
Ground rules: Consult all the members and form the ground rules. The ground rules should include how books are chosen, who hosts, who leads discussions and what kind of commitment is expected. You may also want to determine the structure of the literary discussions at this stage.
Venue: If you’ve got a small group of people, then each of you may want to take turns in hosting the book club meetings in your homes. You could also meet at a café or a retreat.
Meetings: Next, decide how often your book club may want to meet. Does a monthly affair suit everyone or do all of you want to meet once-in-two months. If all the members have ample time on hand, then a fortnightly thing could be interesting too. Whatever you decide, do keep in mind that there should be enough time for everyone to read the assigned book.
Food: Some nibbles on the side or cups of steaming coffee can add to the fun of discussing books. You can choose to have just appetizers, beverages or just desserts at your book meetings. If all of you have decided to host the event at your homes, then maybe the person hosting it can supply the snacks. If you’re meeting at a restaurant or a café, then just split the bill.
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1 response so far ↓
1 Jason // Jul 7, 2008 at 4:56 am
Greetings,
I came across your blog post regarding book clubs. I’m Jason Pfeifer, and some friends and I started an online service called Booksprouts, that allows people to create book clubs, choose books, invite friends, and read and discuss online. We are currently seeking people who might be interested in trying the site out, and giving us feedback on the service. We also welcome people who have blogs to write reviews of the site (good or bad) as a means of feedback. We’re really excited to hear what people think, and on how we can improve the site. It’s 100% free, by the way. Please feel free to check it out.
book clubs
regards,
Jason Pfeifer
Community Manager
Booksprouts.com
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