BOOK CLUB HOW-TO'S
(Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library)
- Preplanning and organizing the first meeting
- What makes a good book for discussion
- Reading critically
- Leading the discussion
- Some suggestions for participants
- Make clear what is expected of the participants.
Careful reading, active participation in selecting and discussing books, and having fun. - Decide what types of books your group wants to read.
Only fiction? Prize winners? Classics? Anything and everything? Does the book have to be available in paperback? - Figure out the logistics.
How long should the meetings be? (We find that the best discussions last between 45 and 90 minutes.) Will you meet at a library? Coffee shop? Private home? Do reminder messages need to be sent out by mail or phone? - Decide how the book club will be run.
Will you have a leader? Will the same person be in charge for each meeting, or will you rotate leaders? Some groups bring in an outside "expert" (who may need to be paid). Do you want the leader to give a brief biography of the author and a selection of reviews of the book under discussion? - Choosing the books to discuss.
Choosing what books to read is one of the hardest, most enjoyable, frustrating, and important activities the group will undertake. Members of the group should be prepared to compromise and to read outside their regular areas of interest. (Some people will drop out if the books chosen are not what they want to read; don't worry, this is a normal occurrence.) Go with the majority opinion, but remind people that there can be a big difference between "a good read" and "a good book for a discussion." (See next section.) Choose books well in advance (at least three months). People need to know what's coming up so they can read ahead. In addition, you don't want to have to spend time at each meeting deciding what to read next.