Brothers of the Vine
Forever Evermore
Women of W.A.R.
Whenever I read a really great new book the first thing I want to do is find out how many of my friends and family have read the book and chat with them for HOURS.
If I can’t source a discussion partner I immediately shove the book on any friend I can find to read it, just so I can have someone to talk to about it.
If, like me, you desire to always have a friend to chat all-things books with, here are our top 7 tips to create the perfect book club!
Tip 1: Picking your vibe
Are you a group who read romance? Suspense? Memoir? Do you run riot with genre and swap things up every month? Do you stick to one niche? Are you vetoing any genres outright? It’s actually pretty important to set the tone right for your book club from the very start, it’ll help you plan your structure and choose which friends you want to invite.
Tip 2: Invite your bookish (and reliable) friends
When starting a book club you’ll probably want to invite all you bookish friends. Which is great! There is no perfect book club member number. Your book club could have 3 people. It could have 12. Whatever suits you!
More importantly invite members who will be enthusiastic, who will want to read the books and engage in discussion, and more importantly, will be available for your meet-ups!
Tip 3: Deciding how you will pick books
Make sure you set up how members will select books from the very beginning.
It’s pretty normal for a book club to take turns picking books, but you could decide that as a group you’ll pick all the books at the outset, or read the book of the month of your favourite Facebook book club instead.
Tip 4: Work out the logistics
This is the boring part, but the most important. Decide how often you will meet, where your meetings will be held, how long you’ll give to read each new book.
It can be fun to pair your book club with some wine and cheese! Or choose to hold it at a fun local bar or cafe (over brunch)!
Tip 5: Picking your first book
The fun part! But a tough one, how do you start your book club off with a bang?
Here are a few of our picks for fun, but complex, romance books you could pick for your book club!
- If you love quirky rom-coms read The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
- If you love rural romance read The Promise of Home by Nicola Marsh
- If you love historical fiction read The Unworthy Duke by Charlotte Anne
Tip 6: How to source discussion questions
Did you know a lot of publishers put discussion questions on their websites? If you’re struggling to find great discussion points for your book club pick head to the publisher website and see if they have any notes you can use.
Tip 7: Having your first meeting!
Grab a bottle of rose and a chunk of Mersey Valley cheese. Fire up a great ‘Jazz in the Background‘ playlist. And have fun!