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
The very best books are those that insinuate themselves into your experience: They reveal an important truth or provide a profound sense of kinship between reader and writer. Searching for, identifying, and discussing these truths deepen the reader's appreciation of the book.
Asking questions, reading carefully, imagining yourself in the story, analyzing style and structure, and searching for personal meaning in a work of literature all enhance the work's value and the discussion potential for your group.
- Make notes and mark pages as you go.
Reading for a book discussion--whether you are the leader or simply a participant--differs somewhat from reading purely for pleasure. As you read a book in preparation for a discussion, ask questions of yourself and mark down pages you might want to refer back to. Make notes like, "Is this significant? Or "Why does the author include this?" Making notes as you go slows down your reading but saves you the time of searching out important passages later. - Pay attention to the author's message.
As with any skill, critical reading improves with practice. Remember that a good author uses every word in a text deliberately. Try to be aware of what the author is revealing about himself and what he wants you to learn about life from his perspective. - Analyze themes.
Try to analyze the important themes of a book and to consider what premise the author started with. Imagine an author mulling over the beginnings of a story, asking herself "what if…" questions. - Get to know the characters.
When you meet the characters in the book, place yourself at the scene. Think of them as you do the people around you. Judge them. Think about their faults and their motives. What would it be like to interact with them? Are the tone and style of their dialogue authentic? Read portions aloud to get to know the voices of the characters. - Notice the structure of the book.
Sometimes the author uses the structure of the book to illustrate an important concept or to create a mood. Notice how the author structured the book. Are chapters prefaced by quotes? If so, how do they apply to the content of the chapters? How many narrators tell the story? Who are they? How does the sequence of events unfold to create the mood of the story? Is it written in flashbacks? Does the order the author chose make sense to you? - Make comparisons to other books and authors.
Compare the book to others by the same author or to books by other authors that have a similar theme or style. Often, themes run through an author's works that are more fully realized by comparison. Comparing one author's work with another author's can help you solidify your opinions, as well as define for you qualities you may otherwise miss.