Sometimes I find myself longing for my student days. Children whose social calendars were booked steadily, like our kids, seemed to have built friendship into our daily activities. However, as adulthood creeps up and the responsibility slams in, we found that more effort would be needed to maintain our friendship. With the lonely epidemic still around, the pandemic requires more gatherings with friends than ever before. And what is a better way to connect with your loved one than learning how to start a book club?
Book Clubs are more than just a shared reading experience. This is an opportunity to get together, open a house, and connect with friends on a deeper level. If you realize you want to be able to participate in one, this may be a sign that you can start doing it yourself. Yes, you! Since we know first hand that hosting anxiety is authentic, we have put together this guide on how to start a book club. Whether you want to inspire insightful discussions, build a community, or simply carve out the time to read, this guide will explain everything you need to start (and maintain) a thriving book club.
How to start a book club in 3 steps
Hosting always starts with a little prep work. For book clubs, it means sending an invitation, determining the first book, and setting the tone of what you want to include the book club.
Step 1: Form a group
Put out your tentacles and ask if you’re interested in joining friends. This doesn’t have to be official. Simply send the group text! It helps you know if you already have friends who are readers or if you want to read more (this can be a great incentive!). You can also decide whether you want to grow your group. While six to ten people are great for juicy combos, you can also invite 3 to 4 friends to a more intimate gathering.
If not everyone knows each other first, that’s fine too. This is a great opportunity to create new friendships and connections. If you have one or two friends who are interested in participating, ask them to invite people who want to participate.
Step 2: Organize and configure your clubs
When you send an invitation and see who is interested, let everyone know how often you want to meet and what the atmosphere is. Are you imagining a casual wine night or looking for a deep discussion of dinner? Are you interested in chat? Brainstorm a bit, then ask your friends what interests you too.
You can measure your interest in people in the genre’s interest in reading, and choose a few titles first. It is recommended to have a book club leader (someone who will host, lead conversations, and keep organizing the club). Don’t be afraid to lead the first one, especially if this is something you really want to happen.
Step 3: Choose a book and a date
Two important things you need to start a book club are the book to read and the date of the first gathering. Once you’ve nailed the guest list and the books that everyone wants to read, set a date. Give you and your book club members four to six weeks to read and start planning your party!
5 Tips for organizing the most cozy book club ever
Now that you know how to start a book club, these 5 simple hosting tips will ensure your first meeting will be perfectly successful.
Creates a cozy and welcoming atmosphere
Hosting is the welcoming and relaxing of guests. This also applies to book clubs. There are plenty of cozy seats, light candles, and even add themed decorations based on the books you are chatting with. cute!
Use the playlist
Music will reassure your guests. Please use the playlist upon arrival. Bonus points to make it a theme in your book.
Gatherings are not complete without food. Whether you’re cooking a one-pot meal like this coconut dull or have plenty of snacks, we’ll simplify the menu so you can focus on books and friends. Greet guests with welcome cocktails or mocktails (salted dogs, who is it?), and put snacks such as tuna, avocado toast and chips on the table. If you’re serving main dishes like roasted vegetable pasta or spring potato pizza, let your guests know when they’re ready to dive!
Configure your time
Book Clubs are debate-centric, so make a plan for how you want to structure your gathering. For the first hour, be calm and catch up. Book Club doesn’t have to be everything about this book forever. It’s also about connecting with friends.
Once everyone eats and chats, they get together and start discussing your book. A good icebreaker is to start with a holistic idea. How do you rate this book between 1 and 10? Next, let’s play the conversation.
As a host, there are also some conversation starters ready. You may not need them, but if you want to dive deeper, they can come conveniently. Some common conversation starters include:
- What was your favorite part of the book and why?
- How much did you know about this book before reading it? What surprised you?
- If this film becomes a movie, who would you cast as the main character?
- Has this book challenged or changed your perspective on topics?
Decide on the next book
Deciding what your next book will be as a group is a fun way to cap your book club meeting! Choose a few titles and vote when the discussion ends. You can also plan books for several months at a time to make things easier. Don’t be afraid to exchange genres. Replace the host if necessary.
Book Club Ideas
If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of recommendations, from books that feel like Vacay to cozy readings that you’d like to cuddle. If you’re looking for ideas for a themed book club gathering, I won’t leave you hanging! Here are three book club ideas to remove speculation from a fun night with friends.
Get ready if luck arises By Ina Garten
INA’s memoir appeared last fall and it was my favorite read all year round. It will read a great book club! Garten shares her stories from her childhood days in the White House work, her adventures buying and growing barefoot Contessa, a specialized grocery store that grew into her empire, and her story.
Enter your favourite INA-inspired buttons to serve iconic Inagartain dishes and encourage guests to drink crisp white wines and cosmopolitans. It has a playlist consisting of French dinner party music reminiscent of her iconic Paris apartment. There are some discussion questions to advance the combo.
- Before reading her memoirs, how much did you know about Ina Garten? If anything, what surprised her about her life?
- Which section of her life is most interested in you? at least?
- What do you think about Garten’s writing style?
Their theory By Mel Robbins
Mel Robbins’ latest book is a great book club pick, especially if your friend is caught up in personal development. The theory is simple. If you “let them” do what they like, you will bring more peace in your life and release control. As guests arrive and keep the menu simple, they have a bright playlist full of motivated songs. You really don’t get the wrong idea of this hummustoast-like appetizer, and a charcoal grilled board, which is a big, gorgeous citrus salad. Ask these questions to your friends during the discussion:
- After reading, do you agree with the “permit them” theory or disagree?
- Did you have a “aha” moment while reading? What were they?
- Which areas of your life do you think “forgive them” theory is most useful? (career, personal life, family life, etc.)
Sunrise of the harvest Suzanne Collins
The press hot, the second Hunger Games Precue has just been released, making the first book club meeting really enjoyable. Who says YA novels must be strict for young adults? The first Hunger Games novel was published in 2008. For those of us who have read books from the start, this becomes a rather juicy book club combo. To save you from spoilers, here are some great book club questions.
- If you faced the same predicament as the hero, what did you do?
- What was the most surprising part about you?
- What is the most memorable scene for you? why?
- What did you think about the ending? Would you like to change anything?
Now that you know how to start a book club, remember: it’s more than just reading. This is an opportunity to promote connection, create communities and preserve space for shared experiences. Whether you keep it intimate or extend it to a larger social gathering, the key is to make it fun, engaging and enjoyable. So gather your group, choose your first book, and have a happy reading!
Source: Camille Styles – camillestyles.com
