Best Book Club Ever
Book Club is more than a mere excuse to gather as friends to chat about a book we may or may not have read and eat tasty snacks. It’s about feeding our minds, forging friendships, lifting each other up and cheering each other on in our adventures. It’s about belonging. It’s about sharing our light with others and being there for them when they need someone.
I’ve been in several groups over the years and each one has been vastly different from the last. Let me tell you about a couple of them:
* One year my friends and I decided to have a family book club. We chose fun titles to read to/with our kiddos, for example The Chocolate Touch and Charlotte’s Web. That month’s host would prepare a themed craft or activity and a treat. The kids of all ages would participate until they lost interest and then ran off to play. We didn’t mind having a wide age gap (and variety of attention spans) because play time gave us an opportunity to hang out and relax. It was so much fun!
* Another group was made up of women of all ages from church. We did our best to choose a variety of genres to keep everyone happy. It was fascinating and enjoyable to hear their perspectives at various stages of life. The only downside was the difficulty in scheduling. The retired participants wanted to hold the meetings early so they could go to bed, but the ladies with kids still at home wanted it later so they could put kids to bed first. Aside from that, it was an enjoyable and memorable experience.
Some hosts have had Pinterest-worthy handmade invitations, centerpieces and scratch appetizers, while others were paper plates, a bag of Doritos, and a package of Oreos type people. Whether you’re one of the extremes or somewhere in the middle, ultimately it doesn’t matter—just have fun doing it!
These10tips will help you launch the best Book Club EVER! Go ahead and talk to a few bookish friends or family members to get the ball rolling. I guarantee it will be worth it. Remember: There’s no right or wrong way to do it, it’s all just a matter of preference. Just make sure everyone is on the same page (hahaha, pun intended) from the beginning so you can help prevent hurt feelings and misunderstandings down the road.
1. Who’s in charge? Is this a dictatorship, a monarchy or a republic? Maybe the members of your group have a say in what goes on, but you have more electoral votes. Either way, it’s important to know how decisions are made so you don’t end up with a coup.
2. Who’s invited? Is this a wide-open invitation to anybody in the neighborhood? Or is this an exclusive by-invitation-only group? Can people come and go as they please throughout the year, or do you want to know exactly who’s coming in advance? Do you want to have a large group, or a small, intimate one? Hint: attendance will have highs and lows depending on the time of year, so don’t be discouraged. I suggest you have at least five people invited so even at busy times of the year you still have someone show up.
*Note: These first two decisions will need to be made right away, because they will affect who signs up.
3. Where and when will you meet? Scheduling meetings can get a bit tricky if you’re trying to find a day and time that works for everyone. (Hint: There’s no such thing) The members’ personalities and seasons of life will affect when and where. I suggest you go with what works for most and let the others attend when they can. You could meet during the day while kiddos are at school, on a weeknight while the kids hang out with daddy or have a family book club and do it on Saturdays. What’s your flavor?
4. How often will you meet? Avid readers can knock out a book or two a week, while others take three-six months to read a single book. Because pace varies by the reader, you’ll want to discuss this as a group. Book clubs usually meet once a month. Depending on the people involved you could meet bi-weekly or even as little as once a quarter. I don’t recommend letting too much time pass between meetings because people will lose interest.
5. What will you read? I’ve read about book clubs that read all the titles written by a certain author. Or we have lined up our reading list with the seasons or current events. Some folks are stuck in a rut and will only read one or two genres while others read a bit of everything. Will you help each other stretch a bit and try something new? Or, will you stay within everyone’s comfort zone? You will also want to have a candid content conversation with your club. Again, you will want to go with the majority here. Just because one person doesn’t flinch at spicy romance and profanity doesn’t mean everyone is okay with that. In my book clubs, and at my house, for that matter, we don’t read anything that isn’t appropriate for the younger kids to hear about when they inevitably hear you cracking up at your novel and they ask, “What’s so funny?”
*Bonus idea: I just had an epiphany! You could make a bookmark with the reading list on it and a place to mark how many stars the person gives it. How cute and functional would that be?
6. How will the books be chosen? I like to have a party the first time we meet, and everyone brings a few of their favorite books and an appetizer. We then work together to choose which book to read each month and make a list. I’ve learned through experience to ask that the person has personally read the book before. Just because so-and-so recommended it, doesn’t mean the content is fitting for your book club. I’ve also learned that you can’t completely rely on the titles recommended when you google “Christian book club reading list”, either. Content is definitely something people will leave a book club over, so be sure and get input from your members.
7. What will you talk about at the meetings? Some groups like to have an in-depth conversation about the author’s life, other titles they’ve written, and applicable take-aways from the book. I’ve even been in groups that want to dissect the reasons behind the plot and the transformation of the characters. I personally don’t think the whole meeting needs to be structured. It’s good to visit and catch up, too. The nice thing is this is your book club, and you can do it however you want. You could even leave it up to the host.
(Note: Have fun with choosing your discussion questions! You don’t have to stick to the generic questions like, “What was your favorite part?” or “What emotions did ____ scene evoke?” Questions specific to the book you’ve just read can be fun! “Why do you think Jay overreacted when the Arnold family’s dog jumps on he and Bailey?” (Second Chances, by MJ Candland) or “What are three of the ways your own birth order affects your parenting style?” (The Birth Order Book, by Dr. Kevin Leman))
8. How long do meetings usually last? Honestly, this depends upon how chatty your friends are, LOL. Typically, though, my book club meetings have lasted between 1-3 hours. Do you have a bunch of chatty Cathys? Or do you have a group of introverts you have to bribe to speak, and keeping a conversation going is like pulling teeth? It’s easy to lose track of time—if that’s a concern for you, I’d recommend setting an alarm, so you know when time is almost up.
9. What do I do if people in the group aren’t getting along? For the most part, people go to book club to have a good time, not start an argument. However, contention and hurt feelings happen, as we all know. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid it. For one, if you know you have a group of polar-opposite opinions on topics such as politics or religion, avoid them like the plague. OR before beginning the new book let people know you want a civil, friendly debate and see what happens. You never know until you try, right? MOST people can have a conversation even about controversial topics without losing their composure. Others, however. . .not so much. You’ll know which way to lean, based upon the personalities of the attendees.
10. What books do you recommend? Ooooo, this is my favorite question, so I left it for last on purpose. I have an entire library of fantastic books I’ve read, love, and can recommend. Here are 25 of the books I love (They’re not listed in any particular order). I have a bajillion more books I’d love to recommend, so stay tuned for more suggestions.
Rent Collector, by Camron Wright
The Orphan Keeper, by Camron Wright
Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks (As always, the book is wa-ay better than the movie)
Heaven is Here, by Stephanie Nelson
I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai
Lemon Tarte, by Josie Kilpack (first of 13 in this culinary mystery series)
ADHD is Awesome, by Penn Holderness
The Birth Order Book, by Dr Kevin Leman
Second Chances, by MJ Candland (I just had to add this. I’m a little biased though ;) haha)
The Last Bookshop in London, by Madeline Martin
The Brothers, by Stewart (This is the first in the series of 6 and they’re incredible!)
The Explosive Child, by Ross Green
Love Does, by Bob Goff
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
Go Getter, by Peter B. Kyne (Very short. Leads to a great conversation)
The Walk, by Richard Paul Evans (A great series)
The Four Tendencies, by Gretchyn Rubin
Matched, by Ally Condie
The Tresspassers, by Stephanie Black
The Matchmaker’s Spell, by Julie Leister
Beautiful Ashes, by Shelly Edwards Jorganson (PTSD trigger warning. Gives beautiful perspective)
26 Below, by Kimberly Woodhouse
Walter Times Two, by Annika Champenois
Zero Day, by Jan Gangsei
The Overton Window, by Glenn Beck
There are 2 kinds of people in this world (ok, not really, but stay with me): ones that enjoy reading books at face value, and those that read a book and absorb the values and content and allow the book to become part of who they are. I’m in the latter group. I believe books of all genres can share the Light of Christ. We can learn from them and be inspired to make our lives better.
It takes all kinds of people to reach all kinds, and the Lord has asked us to love and feed His sheep. I for one, am convinced that we can do so not only one-on-one, or at church, but also at the park, during a game night with friends, on the phone with the internet company, and thousands of other places.
Including book club.
Choose Light, my friends!
Love, MJ
