Book Browse offers great advice on starting and moderating a book club in your area! I have pointed out the highlights below. Much more information can be found on their website here!
What is a Book Club?
A book club, sometimes also called a reading group, or book discussion group, is simply a collection of readers who get together regularly to discuss books.
The First Meeting
At your regular meetings you may not need one person to lead the group. However, at this first meeting you (and here I'm talking to you, singular, the person who's decided to start up this group) need to take the lead! Keep in mind that, just like the chairman of the board, the role of the moderator/group leader is not to make all the decisions but to ensure that:
The discussion stays on track.
There is a reasonable degree of consensus within the group.
Everyone feels that their voice has been heard.
No one person's voice is heard too much (and that includes your own!)
At your first meeting the group won't have a specific book to discuss so this is the perfect time to talk about your expectations for the book club, listen to what others think, discuss books in general and the types of books members have read or would like to read.
The key purpose of this meeting is to ensure that everybody is on the same page (pun intended!) before you move ahead with regular meetings. There is much less chance of trouble down the road if you take the time now to make sure that people agree on how things will be run and what types of books you'll be reading.
However, unless you already all know each other, before you even start discussing what sort of books you want to read and how your book discussion group will run, spend a little time getting to know each other. One way is to simply go around the group saying who you are, why you want to be part of a book club and what your expectations of the club are. However, if this feels a little intimidating you might wish to enjoy one or two Games to Break The Ice before you start any serious discussion!
Specific things to discuss are:
How will you choose books and what specific books are you going to read first?
Will your group have a theme - perhaps focusing on one author for a few books or on one particular genre? Do you want one person to be responsible for selecting all the books or take it in turns to bring suggestions?
Suggestion: For the first couple of books, choose well-known books and/or popular book club favorites that all or at least most of you have heard of and can agree on. There will be time later to challenge yourselves with more esoteric titles. If you want to set a theme from the start do so for a maximum of 2-3 books and review after that. The range of themes is endless - books in the news, award winners, South American authors, books about travel, books with strong women leads etc. In the long term rotate who selects/shortlists books - see Choosing Books for more on this.
How will you ensure that everybody gets their say?
Do you need a moderator (not all groups do)?
If you do, then are you going to appoint one person to lead all the meetings or rotate the responsibility with each meeting?
Suggestion: If the members of a group are used to listening and speaking as part of a group appointing someone to chair each meeting maybe unnecessary or even a hindrance. However, if you feel that it would be best to have one person to guide the conversation and ensure that everybody gets to voice their opinion, then having somebody in the role of moderator can be a good thing.
Do you want to choose books with 'official' reading guides?
A few book clubs actively avoid discussion guides, some are never seen without one, most are somewhere in the middle using discussion guides as a useful tool for generating interesting discussion topics but not worrying when there is no guide available.
BookBrowse offers hundreds of free discussion guides sorted by title, author and theme (including genre, country of setting, time period and a wide variety of themes). Not every book has a formal discussion guide, which is why we also provide BookBrowse's DIY Reading Guide suggestions if you need inspiration thinking up discussion questions.
Suggestion: Choose books with prepared reading guides for the first couple of meetings and then leave it up to whoever chose the book or is due to moderate the meeting to bring a discussion guide if they feel they want one. Do remember that a discussion guide is intended to guide your conversation not control it - if you're going to use one, use it to get the conversation flowing or to redirect the conversation if you think a topic has been exhausted - it's not necessary to work through the questions one by one!
Do not read the discussion guide before you read the book, because the guides almost always include plot spoilers.
Are you planning to buy or borrow books?
If you want to read the most current titles then you're going to have to buy hardcovers or chat with your local librarian to see if he/she can get enough copies in for you and your group. If you're going to buy books, do you want to try to put a cap on the costs? Paperbacks are obviously cheaper, but usually follow the hardcover by about a year, so if you want to read very current books you'll likely be reading hardcovers.
Suggestion: How you handle this depends on your group. Some groups only read hardcovers and don't have a problem spending $20 on a new book every month per member, some only read paperbacks, most read a mix. If you set your schedule far enough ahead it's quite possible to share books between book club members, or even borrow books from the library - many libraries have special programs for book clubs; if you haven't already got to know your local librarian it's well worth a visit!
What are the expectations of each person?
It's very important that you agree up front how seriously your group is going to take the discussions. Can a member come to a meeting if they haven't read the book? What's the policy on skipping meetings? These may sound like rather officious topics for discussion but the majority of discord in book clubs happens because of different member expectations - e.g. one member thinks of the book club as an optional thing to turn up to when time allows, while another would never consider missing a meeting; one thinks they're coming to chat with friends under the ruse of discussing a book, while another wishes to engage only in erudite literary discussion, etc.
Suggestion: Find a happy medium between being too serious and too relaxed. For your club to work, members need to make reading the books and attending the meetings a relatively high priority - but if somebody slips form time to time and hasn't read the book, or can't make a meeting, is it the end of the world?
How many people do you want in your group & how do new people join?
At an initial meeting, when there's likely to be just a handful of you, it may seem silly to worry about the group getting too big - but what if each of you invites a friend, and then they invite friends? Before you know it the group could be too big to be manageable - so take a few moments up front to agree what the maximum optimal size for your group is and how new people can join (e.g. can somebody just bring a friend along, or do they have to consult the other group members first before proferring an invitation?)
Suggestion: Agree a maximum size of, perhaps 15, which should result in about 12 attending the average meeting. The policy on inviting potential new members is a little more tricky - in a perfect world we would all live in harmony and be open to having anyone who wants to attend at our book club meetings, but realistically it would probably be safest to send a quick email to other members before inviting someone to join your group!
Will there be food at your meetings?
Do you want food to be an integral part of your meeting, or a low-key or even non-existent element? In some groups, everyone brings a dish, others have one person provide the food, and another bring the drinks, others have the host provide a simple snack for the group. How about themed food - e.g. if discussing a book set in Italy bring Italian foods? Some people like to meet in a restaurant - if so make sure you book a large enough table in a quiet corner, and that the restaurant doesn't mind you chatting long after the meal has finished!
Suggestion: Keep the food simple (if any) and serve it at the beginning of the meeting so people can do their socializing first.
What's in a name?
Your group doesn't have to have a name - but choosing a name is fun and brings with it a feeling of belonging.
How will you contact members?
Do you want to provide a list of names, addresses and telephone numbers to all members or is it easier for everybody to communicate by email? If you are strangers to each other you might wish to exchange email addresses only to start with until you're sufficiently comfortable with each other to share your home addresses. Do you want to encourage discussion outside of your regular meeting times? If so, sharing email addresses would be a benefit.
Suggestion: At the first meeting, pass around a piece of paper and have people write down their contact information clearly - then type it up and mail/email a copy to each member after the meeting, or distribute it at the next meeting. A list of some sort is essential to you as the organizer of the group and also to group members (especially those, like me, who are terrible at remembering names!)
Incidentally, if you do decide to share only email addresses and meet in public places to start with because you don't know the members of the group (as suggested in Getting Started), there is no need to make a big issue of this - just meet in a public place until you feel comfortable, and then, if you wish, offer your own home for the next meeting.
By the end of the first meeting make sure that you all agree on
How often you'll meet, where and for how long?
What you're going to read at your next meeting (preferably next 2-3 meetings to allow people time to read ahead)?
How future titles will be selected?
How the meetings will be run - will you have a consistent moderator, rotate the job or allow a 'free for all'?
How to contact each other between meetings?
If a new member joins an established group, remember to update your contact list; and take a few minutes at the first meeting they attend to introduce everyone and run through the basic tenets of your group (or discuss these beforehand).
Leading a Book Discussion It's your turn to moderate/lead your book club's discussion. What can you do to ensure a successful meeting?
The role of a moderator will vary from group to group. Some groups might be very formal with an 'official' moderator - for example if your group is run by the local library it is quite likely that a member of the library staff will lead the meeting; other groups might rotate the role; others may not feel they need one at all (which many don't).
The moderator's role is somewhere between a chairperson and host/hostess. It's the moderator's responsibility to:
Keep the meeting on track - digressions are fine but if the conversation strays too far off topic it's your job to bring it gently back on track again.
Make sure that everyone feels that their voice has been heard.
Make sure that no one person's voice is heard too much (and that includes your own!).
Encourage consensus up to a point. This does not mean that everybody has to agree as it wouldn't be much of a discussion if they did, but that people express their alternate opinions in constructive ways that open a point up for discussion rather than disrespectfully squashing the opposition!
Firstly, make sure that the meeting gets off to a good start by ensuring that everybody knows when and where it's taking place. To that end it's a good idea to call or email a couple of days ahead to remind people!
Allow a little time at the start of the meeting for people to say hello, possibly grab a snack and get their socializing done.
Now you need to get the meeting started and, if the group is newly formed or you think needs a refresher, remind them of the 'rules' of your book group and how much time you have to discuss the book.
Suggestion: A minute or two reviewing the 'rules' of your group can be time well spent. If you or other members feel there has been a problem in earlier meetings (e.g. one person dominating the conversation or too much off-topic conversation), this is the appropriate time to remind people what was previously agreed, without it appearing to be a personal attack on an individual.
Get an initial reaction from people about the book. It's quite likely one or two might not have finished it (maybe they ran out of time or just found it tedious) - it's not a big deal, this is supposed to be fun, not a test. Having said that, if after a couple of meetings you find many people aren't finishing the books in time you might want to review the types of books you're reading and/or extend the time between meetings, or check whether the people who aren't finishing the books actually want to be part of the book club!
Whether you use an 'official' reading guide or think up your own discussion points, decide ahead of time where you want to start the discussion and which discussion points you really want to cover - this will help you keep the conversation on track and enable you to throw in a new question if the conversation lags, goes too far off topic, starts to repeat itself or gets too contentious.
It is quite likely that you won't get through all the potential topics for discussion. If the conversation is flowing the chances are that the conversation will naturally expand from the original topic into other interesting areas. If you do feel the need to move the conversation on, look for a way to weave the next discussion point into the current conversation.
Don't be too rigid keeping people on topic. As Harold Bloom (one of America's leading literary critic) says, the purpose of a book is "to get in very close to a reader and try to speak directly to what it is that they either might want out of the book or might be persuaded to see... [to persuade the reader] that certain truths about himself or herself, which are totally authentic, totally real, are being demonstrated to the reader for the very first time"
In other words, the person who appears to be off topic maybe finding a way to express and understand an experience in their own lives - so don't be too quick to redirect them!
Questions and Answers about How to Handle Difficult Book Club Situations
These are all questions that BookBrowse has been asked at one time or another. Do you have a problem in your group that you'd like advice on? If so, feel free to email us (link at the bottom of the page) and we'll do our best to help.
One of our members keeps on putting down the opinions of others in the group
It's difficult to imagine a good discussion without disagreement - but there are ways to express a difference of opinion in a constructive way that builds trust and openness within the group - and then there are ways to crush somebody so that they never feel comfortable opening their mouth in public again!
Something to consider here is that some people actively enjoy a robust debate, while others don't - but at no point is it appropriate to belittle another person's opinion, or to repeatedly interrupt them before they've been able to have their say.
If you feel that someone in your group is too strident in their disagreement with another member, consider taking the person aside and gently pointing out what they're doing - they're probably not aware of the effect they're having (and it's probably not just at your book group meetings that they're doing this!). However, before doing this, make sure that this person is actually considered out of line by the other members of the group. It is possible that you are being oversensitive and the others do not consider this member's conversational style to be an issue.
The most important thing you can do is make sure that you practice good communication skills yourself. For example, if a person is interrupted by another, when the latter has stopped speaking, immediately steer the conversation back to what the first speaker was saying and ask them to talk more on the subject, or make reference to what they said when you next speak and build on their thoughts. Even if you don't agree with their viewpoint you can, at least, acknowledge that you have heard it and respect their right to have that view!
One member of our reading group always dominates - what can we do?
If the problem is that one or more people tend to talk too long and too much and it has been a problem at previous meetings, try tackling this issue at the start of the meeting and ask for suggestions from the group.
If people consistently interrupt each other (and members of the group consider this a problem) consider using a timer and don't allow interruptions until the speaker has had their say (for a maximum of 2-3 minutes), or pass around a small object, such as a ball, and only the person holding the ball can speak.
One member of our group rarely speaks - what should we do?
Some people speak a lot and some don't. Quantity of speech is often in inverse proportion to the quality of the thinking behind it so if somebody is fully engaged in the discussion but only chooses to speak occasionally, there's really no need to 'do' anything about it.
However, if somebody in your book club really says very little at all (and especially if it is a small group) try and find opportunities to draw them out. For example, make a comment yourself and ask the person directly whether they agree or disagree - but go gently - perhaps the person is having trouble getting a word in edgeways with all the other opinionated people in the room and will welcome your question, but equally they might be perfectly comfortable listening to other people's opinions and feel threatened at a direct question.
Try and see things from the individual's point of view. Perhaps they're new to the group or feel that everybody else knows each other but they don't. Or perhaps they think they aren't as well read as the rest of you. Whether this is reality or perception doesn't really matter - you need to find a way to make them feel comfortable in the group, and when they are they'll be more likely to contribute their thoughts. One suggestion is to try and get to know the person better in the conversational time before the formal discussion starts and perhaps even find out his/her views on the book, one to one. That way, if he/she stays silent in the discussion you can make a comment along the lines of 'Alice made a really good point when we were discussing the book before the meeting about xxxx' and ask if she could share it with the group. Preferably, try to sit next to, or near, your reticent friend because when the eyes of the room turn to hear her speak she'll feel more supported if she has someone sitting near her who she knows already values her opinions.
As a general rule, when somebody is new to the group it is always a good idea to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting getting to know him/her, and giving him/her a chance to get to know you, either through informal discussion or by playing a group game.
We used to meet to discuss books but now it's turned into a gourmet extravaganza with very little time left to discuss the book. It's getting out of hand - worse still, it's my turn to bring the food and I don't know what to make.
If your group rotates bringing food it's very easy for each person to try to do a little better than the one before and, before you know it, bringing the snack has gone from a quick rustle through the cupboard before leaving for the meeting to something that has to be planned and worried about well in advance.
It takes a bit of courage to do this but the best thing you can do for all concerned is to turn up with something simple - a packet of cookies, cheese and crackers, or a plate of vegetables and a dip - the other members of the group will probably breath a sigh of relief that the pressure is off!
Alternatively, if the group members like to flex their culinary muscles, you could suggest that the food for the meetings be kept simple but that every now and then you have a 'theme' evening based on the particular book you're discussing and everybody brings a dish appropriate to the period the book is set in, or its geographical location. You could even go to town and turn it into a costume party with members dressing as one of the characters or, at least, in theme with the book. Why not invite a guest - spouse, partner, sister, friend - and turn it into a party? Then next month you can get back to the cheese, crackers and 'real' book discussion again!
We're a newly formed group and one person is making life a misery for the rest of us, she arrives drunk and is offensive.
If you've read this reading guide section from start to finish you've probably already heard me say once, if not twice, that if you're forming a new group with people you don't know that you should meet in a public place until you get to know each other reasonably well, and only then meet in people's houses. I added this comment some years ago after receiving an email from a book club member who, along with the other club members, was being actively harassed by an abusive member of the group who they wished would become an ex-member. Things had reached the point where they had decided to stop meeting rather than confront the individual, but she continued to telephone and visit their homes wanting to know details of the next meeting.
The chances of you finding yourself in such an extreme situation maybe unlikely, but a little caution can go a long way, so don't share personal details, such as your mailing address or phone number, until you feel confident of the group - you don't even have to share your regular email address as you can always get a free account from Hotmail, Yahoo etc.
One of our members wrote a four-page synopsis of one of the books we were reading and read it to us at our meeting. It was quite interesting, but ever since then she brings a summary of every book we read and insists on reading it to us. We're so bored listening to her regurtitating the storyline that we all know. What do we do - she's very nice and we don't want to hurt her feelings?
This may seem an unlikely situation but it's one that has come up in various shapes and forms a few times. If you encounter a person who insists on taking center stage at each meeting (and you really don't feel able to just ask her not to) you need to find a way to 'redirect' her. For example, in this case, one solution would be to thank her for her input but suggest that it would be even more useful if she could summarize the book and the discussion after the meeting (essentially, making her the meeting secretary, responsible for recording the key points of the conversation). Most importantly encourage her to email the summary to the members before the next meeting so there is no need to discuss it at the next meeting - but make sure to thank her at the meeting!
DIY Discussion Guides
Most book club discussion guides are created by publishers, who are beginning to catch on to the huge growth in book discussion group. However, there are still relatively few guides available and most tend to be for certain types of books (the genre loosely known as 'literary fiction') and often only available once the book comes out in paperback.
So, what do you do if you really want to discuss a particular book but there's no reading guide available? No problem, just come up with a few questions to get the discussion going, and start talking!
The following are suggested starting points for creating your own discussion questions. As a general rule, start with broad questions and look for where the interest of the group lies, then focus in on specific issues. Use the ideas below as triggers for creating questions relevant to the particular book you're studying. Aim for about 5-10 key discussion points that will generate conversation - and if everyone is happy discussing one particular aspect, don't feel the need to rush the group on to another topic.
How to use this list
Use the following list to trigger your own ideas about the particular book you're reading. Remember, you're only looking for about half a dozen discussion points, so you don't have to go through this list exhaustively. Instead, skim it for possible question areas that are relevant to the book you're going to discuss, and in just a few minutes you'll have a list of thought provoking questions specific to your particular book, ready for your book club meeting.
Who are the key characters?
Do one or more of the characters tell the story? If so, how do their own circumstances color the telling? Do you empathize with the characters? Are their voices genuine, are they believable? For example does a child narrator sound the age he/she should be? Does the voice of a character set in a particular place or time ring true? Are the characters or their circumstances familiar to you?
What style is it written in?
Is it written in the first person, third person, or perhaps the second person, or perhaps a combination? Is the story told from one point of view or many? What genre is it? Is this a genre that you're familiar with? Does the book 'break the mold' in anyway.
What do the characters do?
Do they react the way you think you would in a similar situation? Do you find their actions troubling? Are their actions consistent with their characters? If not, perhaps ask yourself if it is reasonable for anyone to be expected to act consistently in character! Do their experiences cause them to grow? If so, how?
What is the book about?
Does the book have a central theme? If so what? Does it have many themes? If so how do they interlink? Is one theme more dominant than others? Do the themes blend naturally with the storyline or do you feel the author is using his/her characters to labor a particular point?
What time period is it set in?
When was the book written?
Where does it take place?
Do the location and environment of the book color the telling of the story or are they merely a backdrop? Does the location change during the book or stay the same? If it changes, does this have any effect on the central characters?
What do you know about the author?
Is the book autobiographical, has the author brought his/her own experience to the book, is it similar to other books the author has written, is it similar in style to other books by the author, and does the author show any growth/change in style between the books etc.
What did you like or dislike?
Did you like the book or not? Did you enjoy it? Is it possible to find a book interesting without 'enjoying' it? If you didn't enjoy it what sort of person do you think would? Do you think you might have enjoyed it more or less if you'd read it when you were younger or perhaps waited to read it when you were older? Did you have expectations of it? If so did it live up to them? Had you read reviews before reading it? If so, do you find yourself agreeing with the 'official' reviewers or not? Do you think the book jacket synopsis and jacket illustration do a good job of indicating the type of book it it? Would you give it as a gift? If so, who would you give it to? Can you see yourself reading it again? Is this book a 'keeper' - if you had to halve the size of your book collection would this be one of the books that stayed or went?!
How did the book affect you?
Do you feel 'changed' in anyway? Did it expand your range of experience or challenge your assumptions (for example did it take you to a place you haven't been before or help you see a place you know in a different light). Did reading it help you to understand a person better - perhaps a friend or relative, or even yourself?
Project into the future
What do you think will happen to the characters next? Does the author plan a sequel?
Compare and Contrast
Contrast this book with others you have read, for example, books by the same author, with a similar theme, or set in the same time period. However, be careful to stay focused on the book in hand otherwise the majority of members may find themselves out of the loop listening to two members discussing the relative merits of books that the rest haven't read!
Seating Arrangements
Here are two of many options for book club seating arrangements. These are group meeting spaces at the Indiana University Kokomo Library:
Notice the circular arrangement with plenty of white board space to help illustrate points or disussions.
More of a coffee shop feel...if you'll imagine... :)
What is a Book Club?
A book club, sometimes also called a reading group, or book discussion group, is simply a collection of readers who get together regularly to discuss books.
The First Meeting
At your regular meetings you may not need one person to lead the group. However, at this first meeting you (and here I'm talking to you, singular, the person who's decided to start up this group) need to take the lead! Keep in mind that, just like the chairman of the board, the role of the moderator/group leader is not to make all the decisions but to ensure that:
- The discussion stays on track.
- There is a reasonable degree of consensus within the group.
- Everyone feels that their voice has been heard.
- No one person's voice is heard too much (and that includes your own!)
At your first meeting the group won't have a specific book to discuss so this is the perfect time to talk about your expectations for the book club, listen to what others think, discuss books in general and the types of books members have read or would like to read.The key purpose of this meeting is to ensure that everybody is on the same page (pun intended!) before you move ahead with regular meetings. There is much less chance of trouble down the road if you take the time now to make sure that people agree on how things will be run and what types of books you'll be reading.
However, unless you already all know each other, before you even start discussing what sort of books you want to read and how your book discussion group will run, spend a little time getting to know each other. One way is to simply go around the group saying who you are, why you want to be part of a book club and what your expectations of the club are. However, if this feels a little intimidating you might wish to enjoy one or two Games to Break The Ice before you start any serious discussion!
Specific things to discuss are:
Will your group have a theme - perhaps focusing on one author for a few books or on one particular genre? Do you want one person to be responsible for selecting all the books or take it in turns to bring suggestions?
Suggestion: For the first couple of books, choose well-known books and/or popular book club favorites that all or at least most of you have heard of and can agree on. There will be time later to challenge yourselves with more esoteric titles. If you want to set a theme from the start do so for a maximum of 2-3 books and review after that. The range of themes is endless - books in the news, award winners, South American authors, books about travel, books with strong women leads etc. In the long term rotate who selects/shortlists books - see Choosing Books for more on this.
Do you need a moderator (not all groups do)?
If you do, then are you going to appoint one person to lead all the meetings or rotate the responsibility with each meeting?
Suggestion: If the members of a group are used to listening and speaking as part of a group appointing someone to chair each meeting maybe unnecessary or even a hindrance. However, if you feel that it would be best to have one person to guide the conversation and ensure that everybody gets to voice their opinion, then having somebody in the role of moderator can be a good thing.
A few book clubs actively avoid discussion guides, some are never seen without one, most are somewhere in the middle using discussion guides as a useful tool for generating interesting discussion topics but not worrying when there is no guide available.
BookBrowse offers hundreds of free discussion guides sorted by title, author and theme (including genre, country of setting, time period and a wide variety of themes). Not every book has a formal discussion guide, which is why we also provide BookBrowse's DIY Reading Guide suggestions if you need inspiration thinking up discussion questions.
Suggestion: Choose books with prepared reading guides for the first couple of meetings and then leave it up to whoever chose the book or is due to moderate the meeting to bring a discussion guide if they feel they want one. Do remember that a discussion guide is intended to guide your conversation not control it - if you're going to use one, use it to get the conversation flowing or to redirect the conversation if you think a topic has been exhausted - it's not necessary to work through the questions one by one!
Do not read the discussion guide before you read the book, because the guides almost always include plot spoilers.
If you want to read the most current titles then you're going to have to buy hardcovers or chat with your local librarian to see if he/she can get enough copies in for you and your group. If you're going to buy books, do you want to try to put a cap on the costs? Paperbacks are obviously cheaper, but usually follow the hardcover by about a year, so if you want to read very current books you'll likely be reading hardcovers.
Suggestion: How you handle this depends on your group. Some groups only read hardcovers and don't have a problem spending $20 on a new book every month per member, some only read paperbacks, most read a mix. If you set your schedule far enough ahead it's quite possible to share books between book club members, or even borrow books from the library - many libraries have special programs for book clubs; if you haven't already got to know your local librarian it's well worth a visit!
It's very important that you agree up front how seriously your group is going to take the discussions. Can a member come to a meeting if they haven't read the book? What's the policy on skipping meetings? These may sound like rather officious topics for discussion but the majority of discord in book clubs happens because of different member expectations - e.g. one member thinks of the book club as an optional thing to turn up to when time allows, while another would never consider missing a meeting; one thinks they're coming to chat with friends under the ruse of discussing a book, while another wishes to engage only in erudite literary discussion, etc.
Suggestion: Find a happy medium between being too serious and too relaxed. For your club to work, members need to make reading the books and attending the meetings a relatively high priority - but if somebody slips form time to time and hasn't read the book, or can't make a meeting, is it the end of the world?
At an initial meeting, when there's likely to be just a handful of you, it may seem silly to worry about the group getting too big - but what if each of you invites a friend, and then they invite friends? Before you know it the group could be too big to be manageable - so take a few moments up front to agree what the maximum optimal size for your group is and how new people can join (e.g. can somebody just bring a friend along, or do they have to consult the other group members first before proferring an invitation?)
Suggestion: Agree a maximum size of, perhaps 15, which should result in about 12 attending the average meeting. The policy on inviting potential new members is a little more tricky - in a perfect world we would all live in harmony and be open to having anyone who wants to attend at our book club meetings, but realistically it would probably be safest to send a quick email to other members before inviting someone to join your group!
Do you want food to be an integral part of your meeting, or a low-key or even non-existent element? In some groups, everyone brings a dish, others have one person provide the food, and another bring the drinks, others have the host provide a simple snack for the group. How about themed food - e.g. if discussing a book set in Italy bring Italian foods? Some people like to meet in a restaurant - if so make sure you book a large enough table in a quiet corner, and that the restaurant doesn't mind you chatting long after the meal has finished!
Suggestion: Keep the food simple (if any) and serve it at the beginning of the meeting so people can do their socializing first.
Your group doesn't have to have a name - but choosing a name is fun and brings with it a feeling of belonging.
- How will you contact members?
By the end of the first meeting make sure that you all agree onDo you want to provide a list of names, addresses and telephone numbers to all members or is it easier for everybody to communicate by email? If you are strangers to each other you might wish to exchange email addresses only to start with until you're sufficiently comfortable with each other to share your home addresses. Do you want to encourage discussion outside of your regular meeting times? If so, sharing email addresses would be a benefit.
Suggestion: At the first meeting, pass around a piece of paper and have people write down their contact information clearly - then type it up and mail/email a copy to each member after the meeting, or distribute it at the next meeting. A list of some sort is essential to you as the organizer of the group and also to group members (especially those, like me, who are terrible at remembering names!)
Incidentally, if you do decide to share only email addresses and meet in public places to start with because you don't know the members of the group (as suggested in Getting Started), there is no need to make a big issue of this - just meet in a public place until you feel comfortable, and then, if you wish, offer your own home for the next meeting.
- How often you'll meet, where and for how long?
- What you're going to read at your next meeting (preferably next 2-3 meetings to allow people time to read ahead)?
- How future titles will be selected?
- How the meetings will be run - will you have a consistent moderator, rotate the job or allow a 'free for all'?
- How to contact each other between meetings?
If a new member joins an established group, remember to update your contact list; and take a few minutes at the first meeting they attend to introduce everyone and run through the basic tenets of your group (or discuss these beforehand).Leading a Book Discussion It's your turn to moderate/lead your book club's discussion. What can you do to ensure a successful meeting?
The moderator's role is somewhere between a chairperson and host/hostess. It's the moderator's responsibility to:
Suggestion: A minute or two reviewing the 'rules' of your group can be time well spent. If you or other members feel there has been a problem in earlier meetings (e.g. one person dominating the conversation or too much off-topic conversation), this is the appropriate time to remind people what was previously agreed, without it appearing to be a personal attack on an individual.
It is quite likely that you won't get through all the potential topics for discussion. If the conversation is flowing the chances are that the conversation will naturally expand from the original topic into other interesting areas. If you do feel the need to move the conversation on, look for a way to weave the next discussion point into the current conversation.
In other words, the person who appears to be off topic maybe finding a way to express and understand an experience in their own lives - so don't be too quick to redirect them!
Questions and Answers about How to Handle Difficult Book Club Situations
These are all questions that BookBrowse has been asked at one time or another. Do you have a problem in your group that you'd like advice on? If so, feel free to email us (link at the bottom of the page) and we'll do our best to help.
It's difficult to imagine a good discussion without disagreement - but there are ways to express a difference of opinion in a constructive way that builds trust and openness within the group - and then there are ways to crush somebody so that they never feel comfortable opening their mouth in public again!
Something to consider here is that some people actively enjoy a robust debate, while others don't - but at no point is it appropriate to belittle another person's opinion, or to repeatedly interrupt them before they've been able to have their say.
If you feel that someone in your group is too strident in their disagreement with another member, consider taking the person aside and gently pointing out what they're doing - they're probably not aware of the effect they're having (and it's probably not just at your book group meetings that they're doing this!). However, before doing this, make sure that this person is actually considered out of line by the other members of the group. It is possible that you are being oversensitive and the others do not consider this member's conversational style to be an issue.
The most important thing you can do is make sure that you practice good communication skills yourself. For example, if a person is interrupted by another, when the latter has stopped speaking, immediately steer the conversation back to what the first speaker was saying and ask them to talk more on the subject, or make reference to what they said when you next speak and build on their thoughts. Even if you don't agree with their viewpoint you can, at least, acknowledge that you have heard it and respect their right to have that view!
If the problem is that one or more people tend to talk too long and too much and it has been a problem at previous meetings, try tackling this issue at the start of the meeting and ask for suggestions from the group.
If people consistently interrupt each other (and members of the group consider this a problem) consider using a timer and don't allow interruptions until the speaker has had their say (for a maximum of 2-3 minutes), or pass around a small object, such as a ball, and only the person holding the ball can speak.
Some people speak a lot and some don't. Quantity of speech is often in inverse proportion to the quality of the thinking behind it so if somebody is fully engaged in the discussion but only chooses to speak occasionally, there's really no need to 'do' anything about it.
However, if somebody in your book club really says very little at all (and especially if it is a small group) try and find opportunities to draw them out. For example, make a comment yourself and ask the person directly whether they agree or disagree - but go gently - perhaps the person is having trouble getting a word in edgeways with all the other opinionated people in the room and will welcome your question, but equally they might be perfectly comfortable listening to other people's opinions and feel threatened at a direct question.
Try and see things from the individual's point of view. Perhaps they're new to the group or feel that everybody else knows each other but they don't. Or perhaps they think they aren't as well read as the rest of you. Whether this is reality or perception doesn't really matter - you need to find a way to make them feel comfortable in the group, and when they are they'll be more likely to contribute their thoughts. One suggestion is to try and get to know the person better in the conversational time before the formal discussion starts and perhaps even find out his/her views on the book, one to one. That way, if he/she stays silent in the discussion you can make a comment along the lines of 'Alice made a really good point when we were discussing the book before the meeting about xxxx' and ask if she could share it with the group. Preferably, try to sit next to, or near, your reticent friend because when the eyes of the room turn to hear her speak she'll feel more supported if she has someone sitting near her who she knows already values her opinions.
As a general rule, when somebody is new to the group it is always a good idea to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the meeting getting to know him/her, and giving him/her a chance to get to know you, either through informal discussion or by playing a group game.
If your group rotates bringing food it's very easy for each person to try to do a little better than the one before and, before you know it, bringing the snack has gone from a quick rustle through the cupboard before leaving for the meeting to something that has to be planned and worried about well in advance.
It takes a bit of courage to do this but the best thing you can do for all concerned is to turn up with something simple - a packet of cookies, cheese and crackers, or a plate of vegetables and a dip - the other members of the group will probably breath a sigh of relief that the pressure is off!
Alternatively, if the group members like to flex their culinary muscles, you could suggest that the food for the meetings be kept simple but that every now and then you have a 'theme' evening based on the particular book you're discussing and everybody brings a dish appropriate to the period the book is set in, or its geographical location. You could even go to town and turn it into a costume party with members dressing as one of the characters or, at least, in theme with the book. Why not invite a guest - spouse, partner, sister, friend - and turn it into a party? Then next month you can get back to the cheese, crackers and 'real' book discussion again!
See choosing books for suggestions.
If you've read this reading guide section from start to finish you've probably already heard me say once, if not twice, that if you're forming a new group with people you don't know that you should meet in a public place until you get to know each other reasonably well, and only then meet in people's houses. I added this comment some years ago after receiving an email from a book club member who, along with the other club members, was being actively harassed by an abusive member of the group who they wished would become an ex-member. Things had reached the point where they had decided to stop meeting rather than confront the individual, but she continued to telephone and visit their homes wanting to know details of the next meeting.
The chances of you finding yourself in such an extreme situation maybe unlikely, but a little caution can go a long way, so don't share personal details, such as your mailing address or phone number, until you feel confident of the group - you don't even have to share your regular email address as you can always get a free account from Hotmail, Yahoo etc.
This may seem an unlikely situation but it's one that has come up in various shapes and forms a few times. If you encounter a person who insists on taking center stage at each meeting (and you really don't feel able to just ask her not to) you need to find a way to 'redirect' her. For example, in this case, one solution would be to thank her for her input but suggest that it would be even more useful if she could summarize the book and the discussion after the meeting (essentially, making her the meeting secretary, responsible for recording the key points of the conversation). Most importantly encourage her to email the summary to the members before the next meeting so there is no need to discuss it at the next meeting - but make sure to thank her at the meeting!
DIY Discussion Guides
Most book club discussion guides are created by publishers, who are beginning to catch on to the huge growth in book discussion group. However, there are still relatively few guides available and most tend to be for certain types of books (the genre loosely known as 'literary fiction') and often only available once the book comes out in paperback.
So, what do you do if you really want to discuss a particular book but there's no reading guide available? No problem, just come up with a few questions to get the discussion going, and start talking!
The following are suggested starting points for creating your own discussion questions. As a general rule, start with broad questions and look for where the interest of the group lies, then focus in on specific issues. Use the ideas below as triggers for creating questions relevant to the particular book you're studying. Aim for about 5-10 key discussion points that will generate conversation - and if everyone is happy discussing one particular aspect, don't feel the need to rush the group on to another topic.
How to use this list
Use the following list to trigger your own ideas about the particular book you're reading. Remember, you're only looking for about half a dozen discussion points, so you don't have to go through this list exhaustively. Instead, skim it for possible question areas that are relevant to the book you're going to discuss, and in just a few minutes you'll have a list of thought provoking questions specific to your particular book, ready for your book club meeting.
Do one or more of the characters tell the story? If so, how do their own circumstances color the telling? Do you empathize with the characters? Are their voices genuine, are they believable? For example does a child narrator sound the age he/she should be? Does the voice of a character set in a particular place or time ring true? Are the characters or their circumstances familiar to you?
Is it written in the first person, third person, or perhaps the second person, or perhaps a combination? Is the story told from one point of view or many? What genre is it? Is this a genre that you're familiar with? Does the book 'break the mold' in anyway.
Do they react the way you think you would in a similar situation? Do you find their actions troubling? Are their actions consistent with their characters? If not, perhaps ask yourself if it is reasonable for anyone to be expected to act consistently in character! Do their experiences cause them to grow? If so, how?
Does the book have a central theme? If so what? Does it have many themes? If so how do they interlink? Is one theme more dominant than others? Do the themes blend naturally with the storyline or do you feel the author is using his/her characters to labor a particular point?
Do the location and environment of the book color the telling of the story or are they merely a backdrop? Does the location change during the book or stay the same? If it changes, does this have any effect on the central characters?
Is the book autobiographical, has the author brought his/her own experience to the book, is it similar to other books the author has written, is it similar in style to other books by the author, and does the author show any growth/change in style between the books etc.
Did you like the book or not? Did you enjoy it? Is it possible to find a book interesting without 'enjoying' it? If you didn't enjoy it what sort of person do you think would? Do you think you might have enjoyed it more or less if you'd read it when you were younger or perhaps waited to read it when you were older? Did you have expectations of it? If so did it live up to them? Had you read reviews before reading it? If so, do you find yourself agreeing with the 'official' reviewers or not? Do you think the book jacket synopsis and jacket illustration do a good job of indicating the type of book it it? Would you give it as a gift? If so, who would you give it to? Can you see yourself reading it again? Is this book a 'keeper' - if you had to halve the size of your book collection would this be one of the books that stayed or went?!
Do you feel 'changed' in anyway? Did it expand your range of experience or challenge your assumptions (for example did it take you to a place you haven't been before or help you see a place you know in a different light). Did reading it help you to understand a person better - perhaps a friend or relative, or even yourself?
What do you think will happen to the characters next? Does the author plan a sequel?
Contrast this book with others you have read, for example, books by the same author, with a similar theme, or set in the same time period. However, be careful to stay focused on the book in hand otherwise the majority of members may find themselves out of the loop listening to two members discussing the relative merits of books that the rest haven't read!
Seating Arrangements
Here are two of many options for book club seating arrangements. These are group meeting spaces at the Indiana University Kokomo Library:
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