The weather was beautiful last weekend which happened to coincide splendidly with my book club meetup! My book club has been meeting for about 10 years (I can't believe it's been that long!). We did have a bit of a hiatus during the pandemic as no one was comfortable meeting in person and our zoom meetings didn't pan out, but now that summer is approaching and we can meet outside again, we have scheduled some meetups.
So, how do you have a successful book club? How do you keep members engaged and coming back to the next meeting? I've found that it's good to have some rules and expectations for your book club members.
Here are 8 tips to make your book club succeed:
1. Read the book.
Honestly, you are probably never going to have a meeting where everyone reads the book. And that's okay. As long as most of the attendees read the book, you can still have a good conversation about the book and your thoughts. I always try to read the book but there are some times when it just hasn't happened. Sometimes it's a busy month for me or I couldn't check the book out from the library. Sometimes I start the book but don't finish it because it's not to my taste. But the more people that read the book, the better your book club meetings will be.
2. It's okay to disagree.
Not everyone is going to love every book. There will probably always be someone who has a different opinion from everyone else and that's okay! Different opinions create great discussions because then members can advocate why they liked or disliked a book.
3. Always have wine and snacks.
What goes best with books? Wine, right? Although wine probably goes with everything… It's always a good idea to have some food and drinks at your book club; it makes it more probable that people will show up! I mean, who wants to go to a 3 or 4-hour meeting and not have anything to eat or drink? You can make it easy on the book club host by having everyone pitch in and bring something or if you are hosting at a different location each meetup, the host can supply the food and drink. You can do whatever works best for your group.
4. Clean up when you're done.
If you are meeting at someone's house it's always polite and courteous to clean up after yourself. That doesn't mean you have to load the dishwasher, but it's considerate to take your plates and glasses into the kitchen. Throw your trash away and don't leave a big mess for the host to clean up.
5. Try to be on time (but it's ok if you're not).
The worst is when you are waiting for that last person to arrive to begin your book club. Just like you would never be late for a dinner reservation or a movie, don't be late to book club. Be respectful of everyone else's time and if you are running late, text or let someone know. No one likes to be late, but sometimes it happens, and as long as you are mindful of others it'll be okay.
6. Someone has to be the leader, whether they like it or not.
One of your book club members is going to have to take the lead to let everyone know what book is being read, send out notifications of meetups, and help facilitate book discussions. It's good to have one person be in charge, that way you are not sitting around wondering who's turn it is to send out emails. The leader can make sure that when discussing the book everyone's voice gets heard. They can also keep the meeting on track.
7. Small talk is expected.
But once you're done discussing the book, it's time for small talk. Small talk and chit-chat are an essential part of any book club; you're unlikely to discuss the book for the entire time you are meeting. If your book club is anything like mine, we talk about the book for anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on how many members read the book and how much everyone has to say about it, and then we talk about other things. We talk about what is going on in our communities and in the world. We catch up with one another and see what is going on with life and jobs and families.
8. Don't pick books that are too long.
I have found that books around 300 pages or so are best for book clubs. You want the book to be short enough that members will have time to read it. So while you might have time to read War and Peace in a month, other members may not have as much time to invest in reading as you do. It's best to pick books that are engaging and that members will want to read.
Good luck with your book club!
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