This post is your ultimate guide to starting and running a fun and successful book club! You’ll also find 10 recommendations for wonderful book club books.
This post may include affiliate links that earn us a small commission from your purchases at no extra cost to you. You can read about it on my disclosure policy.
Table of contents:
- What is a book club?
- Why should I start a book club?
- How do I start a book club?
- How do I run a book club? Are there rules?
- How do you pick a book for book club?
- Tips for hosting a fun and successful book club
- How often should we meet?
- What if I’m really busy?
- How many people do I need to start one?
- Tips if you’re on a budget
- Book recommendations
What is a book club?
A book club is when at least two people decide on a book to read, read it, and then get together to discuss the book. Once you decide to start a book club, typically you meet up on a regular basis.
Why should I start a book club?
Short answer: they’re just so fun! And reading or listening to books is so fun and rewarding!
Between taking the time to sit down and read a really good book and having quality conversations with people, book clubs are one of those activities that really fill your cup. Honestly book clubs are just so wonderful.
Book clubs are the perfect activity if you are looking to make new friends! What’s nice about them is they automatically give you something to talk about when you get together with people so there is not a lot of pressure for small talk or finding commonalities.
And what often happens is even though you get together to talk about the book you’re reading, you end up having all sorts of conversations where you connect and bond and build new friendships.
Another reason why you should start a book club is because they are a great way to get back in touch with friends you haven’t connected with in a while. Everybody is busy, so book clubs are the perfect way to make it a point to spend time with your friends.
How do I start a book club?
I recently was missing being in a book club so I decided to start one. I knew I wanted to read, (well technically I’m listening to it on audible), “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. So I reached out to a few friends and said, “Hey! Want to be in a book club with me? This is the book I want to read. Is a month enough time to read it and then we can meet for dinner to talk about it?”
It’s that simple.
Here are two ways you can start a book club:
#1: (The way I did it) Pick out a book. Reach out to at least one person. I say “person” because while this can be a friend, maybe you just moved to a new city and you don’t have any friends. If that’s the case, you can reach out to someone at your gym, a co-worker, neighbor, or another mom. Next, ask if they want to join a book club and read whatever book you recommend. Then set a date to meet for your book club.
#2: Reach out to a few friends or people you want to befriend, and ask them if they would be interested in starting a book club. Then you can all decide what your first book you will read will be.
How do I run a book club? Are there rules?
Running a book club is pretty simple. You have a system for picking out a book. You meet (usually over food). And you discuss the book! (It helps to bring discussion questions – which I touch on later in the post).
Years ago, I asked my friend, Madeline, if she wanted to be in a book club with me. “Only if people actually read the books”, she replied.
At first I was taken a little aback. My initial thought was, “what if someone is really busy, reads some of the book, but could use the quality time with friends?”.
She went on to explain that if the point of getting together for a book club was to discuss a book, a book that she was going to make time to read. Therefore, the expectation should be that everyone who shows up has read the book and is ready to chat about it.
“You can hang out with your friends any time, so if you want to hang out with them, hang out with them! But the point of a book club is to get together and talk about a book that everyone took the time to read.” She went on to tell me.
Now that I have been in book clubs on and off for over a decade, I will say that I find the book clubs where everyone actually reads the book are my favorite.I think my friend Madeleine was right on this one! But then again, if it’s your book club you can run it as you please.
How do you pick a book for book club?
I’m sure some people have put a lot of thought into this, but I think it’s as straightforward as picking a book that looks interesting or entertaining and is something you want to read.
At your first book club gathering, you’re going to need to decide on how you’ll pick the books your book club will read. There are probably quite a few ways to do this but here are some ideas:
- Everyone can write down a book title they want to read on a piece of paper, and at each book club meeting you can draw one to see what everyone will read next.
- Each person can take a turn picking out the book and you simply work your way through the group however you please (for example, you can go in the order of birthdays).
- Whoever wants to can bring a book recommendation to the book club. At some point, each person who has a book recommendation can give a brief explanation of what the book is about then everyone can vote.
- Whoever started the book club can send (text or email) out three or four book title options and everyone can vote.
It may be nice to schedule your book choices out a few months so if anyone needs to check if out from the library it gives them plenty of time.
Tips for hosting a fun and successful and fun book club
If you are hosting your book club, there are a few things you can do to ensure it runs smoothly and people enjoy being in it.
- Come with prepared questions. You can either ask that each person brings one or two questions to ask the group or you can usually find a set of book club discussion questions on Google or sometimes even in the back of the book you’re reading.
- I like to write down or put Post-It notes by any part of the book that sparked a reaction from me of some sort. That way I won’t forget to bring it up to the group.
- Naturally you will have book club members who are more talkative and others who are more quiet. In smaller book clubs this will be easier, but if you notice someone hasn’t said much, you can always ask them a specific question. You can simply say “Taylor, I’d love to know what your thoughts are on (insert character or scenario)?!”
- Food and drinks are always a good idea! You can meet up at a restaurant or host at your house (of course anyone in the group can host too!).
- If you’re meeting around the holidays, it could be fun to add a Favorite Things Party or making a holiday craft to the mix!
How often should we meet?
I really think the sweet spot is about once a month. This usually gives people just enough time to read the book and it’s fresh in their minds to discuss. If it’s spaced out any further, I feel like the book club loses momentum.
Also, if people feel like they have soooo much time to read the book they may in fact not get around to it. A little sense of urgency is okay! Any shorter and some people may not have enough time to finish the book.
What if I’m really busy??? What if I fall asleep anytime I try to read a book??
One of my absolute favorite things to do is take a shower, put on some cozy pajamas, and crawl into bed early to read a goooood book. But I’m currently in a season of life where anytime I sit down to read I fall asleep before I get beyond a page or two. And it doesn’t matter how good the book is.
My solution: Audible.
I now listen to my current book club book as I drive me and my daughter back and forth to work and daycare and when I am clearing up the kitchen after my daughter is in bed. I’ve actually found that I don’t dred doing late night chores as much if I am listening to a book or podcast while I do it.
Do I miss having a physical book to read? Yes, of course. But what can ya do? And this way I still get the perks of being a book club!
How many people do I need to start a book club?
Honestly, you can start a book club with just 2 people. And if you’re both in a season where meeting up is not in the cards, you could have your book club meeting on the phone.
Book clubs work at any number so I say invite whoever you want and the rest will take care of itself.
I’ve also heard of book clubs growing to be very large and they use a bracket system to pick their books so I know that’s possible too.
Tips for starting or joining a book club if you’re on a budget
Buying a book a month can certainly add up! So here are some tips for book clubbing on a budget.
- Arrange for the next few book titles to be decided on so people have time to check it out from your local library.
- Buy used books on Amazon.
- Sometimes the Kindle or audible version is cheaper. Did you know there is a Kindle app you can download to your iPhone? Then you can make Kindle book purchases on Amazon.
- If you have a speedy reader in the group, they can read the book and then lend it to someone else.
Book recommendations
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
The Most Fun We Ever Had
by Claire Lombardo
In this “rich, complex family saga” (USA Today) full of long-buried family secrets, Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest.
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words? If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn’t you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
And what would a book club without these cuties?
Book Club Sweatshirt in Pink
Book Club Babe Sweatshirt
Leave a Reply