A book club not only allows participants to share a love of reading but can be a healthy outlet for sharing and hearing new perspectives. If you’re thinking about starting a new book club, here are a few tips to make it a successful one.
Keep the Group Small
The idea behind a book club is relatively simple. A group of people come together to discuss a book they’ve all read (actually reading the book is key). The discussion part can be hindered, though, if the club balloons are too large in size. How big is too big is going to look different for each club, but keeping it between 5 and 10 people is generally a manageable number.
Who’s Invited?
Toss out any preconceived notions that you need to invite all your friends. Book club isn’t a kindergarten birthday party where everyone needs to be included. Anyone you invite should obviously enjoy reading; you may also want to consider inviting people who you feel will bring interesting perspectives to the table and will generally mesh well. Not everyone needs to necessarily know each other. A range of ages and backgrounds will also make for engaging and interesting discussions.
Keep the Choices Interesting
There’s nothing wrong with only reading rom-coms if that’s what your club members are into, but it’s best to figure this out in the first few meetings, if not before the first one. To ensure that everyone is guaranteed to enjoy the selections, it’s also wise to rotate who gets to pick the book.
There are a few different ways of doing this, depending on your book club’s size. Planning a reading list that spans 6 weeks, for example, with each member picking one of the selections, will ensure each member feels they get an opinion in what’s read.
Snacks, Obviously
Food isn’t essential for a book club, but it does tend to make things more enjoyable when there are tasty bites to nosh on. Be sure to aim for foods that aren’t too messy if the club is hosted at somebody’s house. Chips and dip, cookies, or finger sandwiches are always a safe bet.
It’s also a smart idea to decide ahead of time if alcohol will be on the menu. Many a book club has been derailed because it turned into a wine club. There’s nothing wrong with bringing a bottle of pinot into the mix, so long as the book part of the club doesn’t take a backseat.
Structure the Discussion
A well-balanced book club discussion should provide everyone a chance to share their insights if they wish. One way of doing this is to have an appointed person lead the discussion. This could be the person who chose the featured book or the person who is hosting the club meeting that week. In any case, their role is essentially to help facilitate the flow of the discussion with different talking points, as well as protect the conversation from getting derailed by an overly talkative member. Some book clubs prefer to meet at restaurants or coffee shops, but many opt for rotating between different members’ homes. The open floor plan designs of the homes in the Caliterra community are ideal for gatherings –such as book clubs – with friends and family. Caliterra Social Committee even hosts a community Book Club at The Hall! Reach out to the Caliterra team to learn more.
