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Book Club Tips

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Bob Beecher

Suzanne Beecher

Suzanne Beecher has owned a restaurant, founded and published a business magazine, founded a non-profit program to feed the homeless in her area, and homeschooled her youngest son from fourth grade through high school. Today she writes a daily column at www.DearReader.com; designs book clubs for publishers, booksellers and libraries across the country; and speaks to groups every chance she gets because she loves to tell a great story. Her interests include gardening, writing, reading, storytelling, encouraging other businesspeople, baking chocolate chip cookies, and making pies from scratch. She lives with her husband in Sarasota, Florida.

Book Club Tips

Starting Your Own Reading Group

Ask people you know to help you organize the first meeting. Decide the ideal size for your group. Smaller groups (somewhere between four and ten) are great because they allow everyone a chance to participate, while larger groups (ten-plus) allow for greater diversity. You can also have special guest meetings where people invite friends or co-workers to join.

Mapping Out Meeting Logistics

Where will the group meet?
How often?
What time?
Are refreshments served?

Selecting Books

Identify what types of books you will read. Do you want to focus on specific topics or genres?

Decide how you will choose the books –discuss candidates and vote, host/hostess pick, members take turns, random drawings –all have their benefits and your group may try several methods before finding the right one.

Choose books that challenge the group and generate discussion. Books with additional resources such as reading group guides, publisher/author websites with author interviews, enhanced bios, blogs, etc. add new dimensions to the conversation.

All Book Club Picks

Discussing Books

Consider what atmosphere you want to cultivate. Groups may be serious and academic in tone, or lighthearted and social. It's important to establish the tone as well as the pace of the meeting. "Social hour" may be designated at the top of the meeting with a specific time designated for the start of the book discussion.