Starting a Book Club: Tips and Tricks

So you want to start a book club, or you are part of a book club, but your group needs some guidance on where to start, or how to change things up. Well, we are glad that you clicked on this post to find out more about running a book club. Here we will give you some tips and tricks that work well for our own book club in hopes that you will be able to use some of this advice and apply it to your own!

Tip 1: Start with Friends

We think this is the best piece of advice that we can offer you. Starting a book club with some close friends that are also looking for a fun way to socialize is a great starting point. Why we suggest this, rather than joining a book club with strangers or acquaintances, is because it turns the setting into a “safe” environment. We know what you might be thinking “why do I need a safe environment to discuss books?” From experience, and from others telling me about their experiences when joining a random book club, it can often be unenjoyable because of the various personalities and opinions in the room. Now, it is important to have people with various backgrounds and life experiences (we will speak to that soon), but sometimes having outspoken people who you are not yet comfortable with can make you hesitant or reluctant to participate and share your ideas. We have heard horror stories of book clubs basically failing because the thoughts and opinions of every participant were not valued or accepted. When you start with a group of friends, the environment often sets itself to be more positive as you trust and know your friends already. By starting with friends and slowly welcoming in new people once your initial group figures out how to run a club, that allows others to see what the environment is like when they first join. It’s often human nature for one not to be their “true self” when in an unfamiliar setting. This, then, allows newcomers to see the positive and supportive atmosphere you have initially created. Members of the club will soon learn that ideas and opinions are accepted and valued, despite any conversation, or controversial topic that may be brought up during your meeting. 

Tip 2: Take Turns Hosting

Hosting is not something that everyone enjoys doing, and quite often is a deterrent for people to join different clubs or activities. On the other hand, hosting is something that people thoroughly enjoy doing. Despite how people feel about organizing an event, take turns or put a plan in place for who and when someone is responsible for book club night. In our book club, we decided it was best for all of us to rotate hosting. This choice was a mutual decision and didn’t provide any extra stress on any of our members. This also helps with planning, as a routine and schedule allows us to easily remember whose turn it is next. With hosting we tend to plan who brings the wine, someone else brings a dessert, while the host provides some snacks and the book questions we will discuss. Of course this can look different depending on what works for you and your book club group, and that’s okay. Really you need to do what is best for everyone and yourself to ensure that this experience stays positive and stress free. 

Tip 3: The Food and Drinks

To coincide with Tip 2, it is best to have finger food and hors d’oeuvres for your guests. The reason we recommend this is because it is essentially less prep, less mess, and you can enjoy more time discussing the book and catching up with your friends - let’s be honest, you will catch up before you actually start the book. At our book club meetings we agreed that we will serve a light snack, such as a charcuterie board, when you are the one hosting. Other’s bring the wine, and another the sweets. Another thing you can try and do is relate food and drinks to the theme of your novel. One time at book club, we read a murder mystery. We soon discovered that there is a wine brand called 19 Crimes, in which you can download the app Living Labels and you can actually discover more about that bottle and story - it’s pretty cool! The point is, prepare easy dishes and try to make them fun and connect with your book for a little something extra. Again, this just allows a minimal amount of clean up, especially if you can prepare something in advance, and less stress. 

Tip 4: Find Your “Book Nook” Room

If you are hosting, it is best if you can find a room that is cozy and quiet, yet big enough you can bring your food and drinks in. We found this sets the mood for a perfect night in discussing some great literature. Of course all spaces are different, and everyone’s “book nook” feels and looks different, but if you can have a room where there are no interruptions, you might just find yourselves having deeper and more intimate conversations. You’ll be surprised to learn that a question can spark many different reactions, and can actually lead people to discuss their own connections which can be really fascinating. Of course, remember to have that positive and support environment to do so!

Tip 5: Take Turns Choosing

This is probably one of the best pieces of advice we can offer you. By alternating who chooses the book it allows two things to happen. First, you gain more time to research a book that you want to bring to your group and have them discuss. There are so many options out there, that having a significant amount of time can really help find a book you and your group will enjoy. Second, this allows you to read a variety of books that you may not choose for yourself. Of course someone might choose a genre that is not typically one you enjoy, but when someone else is excited to announce and present the next book, their excitement makes you want to read it. It’s similar to what they say about public speaking, or teaching, if you are excited about a topic, the people around you become excited too. So be open minded, you might discover that you are beginning to like a genre that you never thought you would. Which isn’t a bad thing, you can read more books! 

Tip 6: Have a Variety of People

This can be a bit tricky to achieve, especially if you and all your friends are in the same job field. If possible, try and have friends from other professions or stages of life join in on your club. We tend to find that our conversions at our own book club are so authentic and intriguing because we all have different jobs, are at different life stages (to a certain degree), and, of course, have different overall personal experiences and thoughts. Having a group of diversified people will allow various perspectives and ideas to be shared, making the conversions less stale and repetitive. However, as previously said, there needs to be an understanding and an acceptance of people’s beliefs, ideas, and opinions. We find book club the most enjoyable when we can have a discussion about different viewpoints that we might disagree on, but also challenges what we believe. The best part about discussing literature is that no one is wrong! It is all perspective on how you read the book. We believe that this is the most important aspect to remember when being a part of a book club.

We hope that these few tips and tricks help you start your own book club, or shift the mentality of a book club that is struggling a bit. Of course all group dynamics are different, and you need to be mindful of that. Please let us know if any of these tips were helpful, or if there is any other advice we can offer you. Enjoy the book club, we promise, if run correctly, you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll love it!