What a great six years it has been! We’ve lost members, we’ve welcomed new ones. We have been there for each other through love and loss and A LOT of delicious meals. We’ve had authors join us to talk about their books (I KNOW! Crazy cool!) and have met so many amazing characters through the stories we’ve read.
Here are a few things to consider if you are thinking about starting a book club. Please remember these are based on my experiences during the last six years and are just some general suggestions. Good Luck and Happy Reading!
THINK ABOUT WHO TO ASK
Start by inviting a few friends who love to read. The idea is to be able to spend time with friends as well as share your love for books. While having different views/personalities makes for colorful and interesting meetings, make sure you aren’t inviting trouble. If there are two friends who don’t get along, you *may* have to choose one over the other. (Sad, but true). You want to make sure you choose people who play well with others and are respectful of all opinions. Too few members, and conversations can stall. Too many, and you can get lost in the crowd. Six has worked out pretty well for us. We’ve had as many as twelve which was fun too, but a very different dynamic.
EMBRACE BEING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Our book club has read books that I would have otherwise NEVER picked up. Some I liked, others were very hard to get through. Discussing these books, though, resulted in some of the best conversations! We have read everything from WW2 historical fiction to a story told from the perspective of a dog. We have read new authors, local authors and NY Times bestselling authors. Give them all a chance. (I promise, you won’t regret it).
DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
Members will leave. For different reasons. It could be as simple as not meshing with the other members or it could be they don’t feel they have enough control over what is being read. It could also be that making the time for a book club is too challenging right now. It’s ok. Wish them luck when they go and welcome them back if they want to come back. (As long as the club agrees to have them back- everyone should get a say). Also, people may not like the book you choose. That’s ok, too. It’s not like you wrote it. Agree to disagree and move on to dessert.
GET ORGANIZED EARLY AND STAY CONSISTENT
Figure out the details early on and stay consistent. Changing things up too frequently usually doesn’t go over well.
There needs to be a leader. Even if for nothing else than to keep things organized and running smoothly, there should be someone at the ready to chime in/ answer questions, both during and after the meetings. Remember, this is a commitment; I tend to spend an hour each week making sure our upcoming meeting is set and maintaining a spreadsheet of the books we’ve read.
- Have a central meeting space online. I set up a Facebook group for our members, where we can all post questions, comments, articles and the like.
- Figure out early on if you will meet at someone’s house, a restaurant or online. (Our club meets once a month in centrally located restaurant, which has worked well. No clean up!)
- Give all members a chance to choose books. Since we generally have about 6 members, we each take 2 months for the year. Meeting dates for the next year are posted at the beginning of November, and everyone chooses two months. I then create the monthly events through our Facebook page. Whoever is choosing the book that month chooses the restaurant as well as leads the discussion during our meeting.
TAKE YOUR TURN AND CHOOSE BOOKS THAT SPEAK TO YOU
This should be something you look forward to. Choose your favorite book, something that has been on your to-be-read list or the current best seller. Perhaps a banned book? (Scandalous!) or a book that is very controversial (it is, after all, an election year). The point is, YOU get to choose when it is your turn. Choose something you will enjoy reading, and look forward to the conversation that will follow!
HAVE FUN!
Whether you meet each month like we do or a few times a year, whether you are in person or online, this is something that should not include drama or a lot of rules. For us, this year has been challenging with COVID, and we have had to modify our meetings somewhat. Go with the flow and remember, the most important thing is to be able to meet and discuss. Does it really matter where or how? (Nope, it doesn’t). And last but not least, don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t finish the book. Want to know a secret? I have ACTUALLY gone to book club not having finished the book. It’s ok. There is ALWAYS something you can add. And if not, take notes! And HAVE FUN!
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