7 Tips for Starting a Book Club

1. Decide what kind of book club you want to be!

Here are some questions to consider:

• What kinds of books do you want to read? Some book clubs prefer to read a wide variety of books, while some read books that all relate to a certain genre or theme.
• How closely do you want to stick to discussing the book? Some book clubs like to mostly talk about the book, and some want to be more social and have a looser conversation.
• Where do you want your meetings to be? Some book clubs meet in public places like cafes or parks, while others meet in peoples’ homes. Maybe your book club wants to meet online. You can rotate where you have your meetings or have them all in the same place.
• How often do you want to meet? Think about what cadence feels good to you. Most book clubs meet every month, every six weeks, or every other month, but you can do whatever works best for you.
• Do you want to have a leader? It can be useful to have someone who leads the book club by organizing meeting times and locations, and helping keep the conversation on track. It’s not mandatory, and maybe you prefer to be a decentralized group.

2. Decide who is in your book club

Will your book club be all your best friends? Will you try to find members you don’t already know? Can members invite friends to join? Aim to have between 6-12 members.

3. Decide how you want to choose books

There are lots of ways you can pick your book club titles. Members can bring options and vote, the host can decide, or everyone can have a turn to select a title.

*Library tip! You can browse the library’s book club sets for inspiration or use NoveList to find books your group might enjoy reading and discussing.

4. Find a time to meet

This can be the trickiest part but try to find a time that works for everyone. 1.5-2 hours should be enough time to discuss the book, but maybe you are a social book club that wants a longer meeting.

5. Get copies of the book

If you plan ahead, there are lots of ways you can get the book. Through the library, you can read print books, audiobooks, and ebooks. If we don’t have the book and it’s older than 12 months, we can get it for you through interlibrary loan. We also have some great local bookstores in town, if you want to buy a copy.

*Library tip! Did you know we have a book club fulfillment service? You can fill out a form for your book club to request a certain number of copies through interlibrary loan.

6. Prepare questions ahead of time

Even if your discussion is loose, it can be useful to bring a set of questions in case your conversation gets stuck.

*Library tip! The library publishes discussion guides after all of our book club meetings. Beware that these might contain spoilers.

7. Host your book club

And have fun!

If you don’t want to start a book club on your own but you want to join one, everyone is welcome at our Community Book Club that meets every other month! You can register online and borrow a copy of the upcoming book from the library on a first-come-first-served basis.