7 Easy Ways To Host A Book Club

Do you love a good book? Have you ever been part of a book club? If you haven’t but have always wanted to, you are in luck! Today, I am sharing 7 easy ways to host a book club.

I will also be sharing books I have read and loved and those that I am looking forward to reading this year!

For our first book, we will be reading The Maid by Nita Prose. I can’t wait!

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis

A Newbie Book Club Host

I love to read.

From as far back as I can remember books were a part of my life. I’m still lucky enough to have some of those books that I had when I was young. I always loved a good mystery. A little secret, Trixie Belden was my favorite. If you’ve never heard of her, she is very similar to Nancy Drew.

Anyway….I still enjoy mysteries however, my library has definitely expanded.

I like to set goals, and one of my goals for this summer was to start a book club. So I am doing just that!

Below are the easy guidelines that I am using to start my very first book club!

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1.) Creating Your Book Club Circle

The first and most important thing is to make sure you ask people who you know will be committed, will read the book and participate.

I am blessed to have five girlfriends that I’ve known since grade school. If you know how old I am…that is a long time!

We have shared so many life events together.

We are family… Friends who are family.

That being said, life is busy and we just don’t see each other as much as we would like. So I suggested we do a book club together and everyone agreed.

2.) Decide When To Meet

It’s important to define how often you will meet.

Depending on who is in your club and how busy their schedules are, you may decide to meet monthly or every other month. It’s important to consider everyone when doing this.

My group is going to meet monthly and I believe that’s a really reasonable goal. Meeting the last week of the month is a great option and gives your group the whole month to read the current book selection.

Here’s a thought. Rather than meeting on the weekend, why not try meeting in the evening during the week? Weekends are usually so busy for most everyone.

3.) Divide & Conquer

I love to entertain but so do my gal pals!

So rather than having book club at one location all the time, we have mutually decided that we will rotate houses to meet. There are only six of us so each person only has to host twice a year. The perfect amount to change it up.

The person who hosts will also choose the book of the month.

Everyone gets to have their personal input on the month they host and I love that!

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney

4.) Make It Fun With A Theme

There are so many ways to add fun to your book club.

We have decided that the snacks, drinks, napkins etc., will represent the book we are reading, for the month. You’ll be able to do this with almost any book. Consider the location, the year, the food they eat and what they drink.

Has the book you’ve chosen also been made into a movie? If so, why not read the book then have a movie night. You can watch the movie together and then compare the book to the movie.

5.) Plan Discussion

Hopefully the books you chose will prompt discussion. It doesn’t have to be super formal but a good discussion about the book is part of the reason you read. Good questions:

Did you love it or hate it?

Did it keep you up thinking about it?

Can you relate to any of the characters?

If you are unsure how to start or what to ask, the author’s website will usually have questions for you to consider.

6.) Stay Connected

It’s always good to stay connected. I suggest a group text thread. That way if anyone has to cancel, has questions that come up, each member can communicate in the group thread.

A good thing to remember is everyone is busy and responds at different times. If you are looking for the whole group to acknowledge what you are writing or trying to communicate, make sure to be patient and give everyone time to answer.

7.) Have A Good Time!

Have a good time with your book pals! I know I put this as the last number, but in my opinion, it really should be the number one priority! Why do it if it isn’t fun?!

Well, that’s it! My version of 7 easy ways to host a book club.

If you aren’t in a book club, but would like to be, I hope I have inspired you to step out and create one yourself!

Last but not least, I will be adding a “Book of the Month” to my Mitten Moments the last weekend of each month. I’ll share what book the club read and my own thoughts on it. I’m always looking for something new to read and maybe you are too. Maybe my “Book of the Month” will give you your next fun read!

I hope my 7 easy ways to host a book club gave you the inspiration you need to start your own!

Happy reading, friends!

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