Ways to run a book club

The coworkers book club when i worked for a publishing company, the staff held a monthly book club, reading novels from popular to obscure. Its your turn to moderatelead your book club s discussion. Book club is not group therapy a member who loves a memoir about drug addiction because she was a drug addict and then spends the whole two hours talking about her struggles or a member who hates a novel about coworkers in a corporation because she works for a corporation and then spends two hours talking about her boss have missed the. Successful groups select good books, have interesting discussions, and foster community.

Litcourse 3 has a good discussion of close reading. When youre learning how to start a book club, youll find out fast that disagreements about books can get heated. Some book clubs run both virtually and physically, either alternating online and inperson discussions or running both at the same time. Setting a proper focus for your book club can help alleviate frustration and disappointment down the road for yourself and other book club members of your group. How to run a fullchoice book club in your classroom. Sep 05, 2016 having great book discussion questions is essential to leading a successful book club, and now that i run an online moms book club i use this lesson to avoid awkward silences yes they can happen online and create a lively, engaging book club meeting each month. How to start a christian book club pen and the pad.

Now that you know all about high school clubs and why youd want to start your own, lets get started. Just follow these basic guidelines and make adjustments to best meet the needs of your school community. There is never any one way to experience or interpret a book. In a book club, your employees learn new concepts and new ways of doing activities that they can apply in their workplace. Jul 12, 2018 your christian book club is likely to evolve as time goes by, but in starting, its best to keep it organized.

However, a number of cities, schools, churches, organizations, and conferences have used the. A book club is a great activity any time of year, but it works particularly well in the summer when schedules are more relaxed. Here, youll find a hundred viable approaches that one could use in order to recruit more members. The second post details how to establish expectations and create a schedule, and the third post discusses accountability and assessment procedures recent literacy research has revealed that choice is the key ingredient in a successful reading program, especially for reluctant readers. It is a good idea to plan on finishing the book a little earlier than you might otherwise so that you have time to think about it and prepare before your book club meets. Get your friends together for an oldfashioned book club or host one online. Keep your book club interesting by switching up the themes, genres, and time periods. Weve had as many as 18 and as few as 7 active members. It was casual, potluck style, and wed vote each fall for next years book list. We decided to max the group at 15 and then with at least four new people.

If you are starting a book club yourself, you may need some ideas for creating a fun group that people will come back to time after time. Work book club success stories the balance careers. Interview them briefly about the types of books they like to read, and. While its tempting to stick with your cliche, a book club is a great way to extend your circle and get to know new people. Ive only had experience with mine, so ill share how ours is organized and why i believe weve had such endurance. If the purpose of your book club is to get people together, theres no reason you all need to be reading the same book. How to start a book club that doesnt suck book riot. Since everyone in your book club is obviously a big reader in other words, has way too many books make time for a book swap at your meeting. Starting a book club is easier than you may think, but it all begins with a clear intention. Tips for running a successful, sustainable book club. Check out these tactful ways for book club leaders to identify the source of interruptions and harness them for good.

Email your book club members to inform them of the following. Does your book club need a little help in creating conversation. There are an infinite number of ways to organize a book club in a school or public library, and its interesting to see the various ways that they operate. Some book clubs run both virtually and physically, either alternating online and in person discussions or running both at the same time. If it is to share a book and have the group members read for enjoyment, then it would require the content to be of interest to each of the group members. Give each member a chance to partake by asking everyone to come up with potential books. Its up to you to keep the ball rollingconversation going. You can find a book group to join on the site, or find out how to add your. They can be an excellent way to enjoy books more and challenge your mind, they can also. Not everyone can finish every book, but nonreaders may still have valuable insights. Take notes or mark passages that strike youpassages you find significant, funny, or insightful. Looking for a fun way to enjoy books and meet new people. Its a great way to meet new people and keep the conversations fresh with different perspectives. Sep 03, 2015 setting up a book club is quite simple.

A session will probably have run out of steam after two hours, although if the wine is. Jan 22, 2015 last year the book club entered the book slam run by the wales book council which was an excellent motivator. When prospective members contact you for more information, explain the purpose of the book club and the number of members youre looking for. Every member should have the opportunity to voice their opinions. Developing a consistent set of book club discussion questions enables employees to apply the concepts on the job. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas.

If this sounds all too familiar, then starting a book club with your coworkers can be a great way to cultivate motivation and achieve your personal goals. Nov, 20 the book club needs to be a safe environment to share business challenges and offer solutions, he says. How to host a virtual book club social distancing parties. A book club sometimes called a reading group or book group is a group of people who get together on a regular basis to discuss books.

There are lots of book clubs out there now, and theres more than one way to run a successful one. Aug 05, 2017 the only time book club didnt run in addition to course literature was if we were already reading a novel that demanded reading time outside of class. We have always met the first monday of each month at 7. Some clubs meet online, many meet inperson either in homes or public places such as a library, bookstore or cafe. Maybe you could draw on a professional development fund. Your first step is deciding what you want your club to focus on. Mar 11, 2018 it is difficult to hold a book club discussion with 1214 active participants over the phone our book club is held across all nine of our offices.

For example, to kill a mockingbird is a long book, and when we read it as part of our curriculum, students had nightly reading assignments. Find recipes to fuel your gatherings, helpful hints for the host, ways to keep. This may seem obvious, but it is the most important step, so it is worth stating. In fact, differing opinions make the best discussions. Then here are 10 tips to hosting a great digital book club. Use our ideas to help you organize your book club activities, hold good discussions, and settle tough issues. Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. Use a video conferencing platform to host a book club to discuss your. The first step in starting a successful teen book club is to choose a purpose for the club. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and distribute. Coordinate with your members to set up a pre book club meeting. If youve ever dreamed of starting a book club, but worried you didnt have the right space to do it in, weve got some great news for you. It builds camaraderie, comfort, and teamwork in the group of employees who attend. They had to read two books from a list, discuss one and do a presentation on the other.

My favorite way to troubleshoot this fatigue is to rotate through every member picking a book he or she wants to read. Make a designated facebook group for all members to join. How to start a book club for teens welcome to the family table. Interview them briefly about the types of books they like to read, and why theyre interested in joining a book club. You do not want your book club members to get bored. Aug 09, 2011 whatever type of reader your child is, starting a parentchild book club can help foster a love of reading and provide a fun way to get families in your neighborhood together. Is your school launching a new program or initiative. There are 101 ways to run a book club, and here are some ideas for starters. This is a literary analysis technique called close reading. If youre looking to share your love of literature with others, it may be time to start your own book club. But as a leader of your book club, you need to take things in stride. How to start a successful book club in 6 simple steps.

This post is the first in a threepart series about how to run a book club in your classroom. Organising book club meetings how to organise successful book club meetings, including timing and frequency, decoration, music, food and others. If you feel that you have members who cant be trusted, the dynamic wont work and members. After the umpteenth book on the same subject or with the same feel, your members will long for a palate cleanser and may eventhe book club kiss of deathtake a break from reading the books. Follow the steps below to start a club that is interesting, well run, and will last a long time. But there is more to starting a book club than you might think. You need enough regular members to allow for an absentee or two each. Dec 11, 2015 book clubs are one of the intersections between collection development and programming. There are so many reasons to be part of a book club. If you and several friends are already interested in forming a book club, congratulations.

If you are in a book club and have some ideas to share, id love to hear from. Rotate discussion leaders each monthmaybe its the person who selects the book or the one who hosts the meeting. Running a bookclub by dymphna flynn producer, bookclub and peter guttridge. When you become an adult, your social interactions tend to shift from house parties on the weekend to drinks after. Most book groups have a rotating selection of books. Each member or a team of 23 takes a card and answers the question.