I just recently joined my first book club and I'm so excited! A former colleague asked a few of her friends and there are 4 of us in total. I'm the youngest (31) and the other ladies are 45-ish years old.
We're starting with "Joy for Beginners".
Have you ever joined a book club? Did you like it?
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
My co-workers and I are starting one soon. We're all book-nerds and are always asking each other for suggestions, so we def want to get something going soon 
Sounds like fun!
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
Yay for book club! I started one when I lived over in London. It was great. I miss it!
coconut / 8854 posts
That sounds like soooo much fun!! No one I know really enjoys reading that much on a regular basis......virtual book club??
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
No, but I'd love to! I'm an avid reader and am always on the lookout for a good book to read.
cantaloupe / 6800 posts
I want to SO bad! Where did you find one? I don't know how to go about joining one and I don't know anyone who likes to read
hostess / eggplant / 11068 posts
@MrsTiz: My friend just gathered a few of her avid reader friends. My friend is the common denominator amongst the rest of us. Do it! Call a few friends!
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
No, but we have talked about creating one since we all love to read. A girl I work with and I read the same book all the time so we can discuss it together, I guess it's a mini-book club without the formal get-together. We use our lunch hour to discuss!
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
I've been on the lookout for one recently! I like to read, but would really love the accountability of having an assigned book and a deadline.
persimmon / 1453 posts
Yes! One of my BFFs started a book club based on book-to-TV/movie adaptations. We read a book, get together to watch the adaptation, and talk about both. It's great fun.
pomelo / 5331 posts
Fun! I joined one a while back, through Meetup. I probably wouldn't now because even without LO here yet, I don't have much time to read and I would feel guilty never keeping up. I read before bedtime but an always asleep 5 minutes in. I've been reading this one book for three months! Grrrr.
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
I'd love to. My mom is in one and when she hosts ill go help. They're so fancy about it. The host will make a dinner to fit the theme of the book, and they break out their fancy China, and they always give out favors.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@MrsBrewer: yessss seriously, could we set one up here on HB?
I haven't but would love to!
grapefruit / 4187 posts
I'm currently in a book club and about to join a second! The one I'm in currently is literally moving to Brooklyn since most of the girls have moved out there in the last few years, so it's harder for me to attend the meetings. I still read the books though!
apricot / 426 posts
My book club has been meeting & reading for seven years -- the same five women. We love it.
We started ours this way:
I had one friend who loves to read as much as me and has similar taste in books. She had another who fit the same description. That friend recruited a friend of hers, and that recruit asked a different friend of hers. So, you don't need to know a whole of bunch of readers, you just have to know one, who knows someone else, who knows someone else etc. It was a great system and we are a great group!
A few other tips that make it work:
We meet every two months (this gives us time to read other books too if we so desire and takes the pressure off of "keeping up")
We rotate whose house we meet at. the host provides wine and snacks.
We all bring book suggestions to each meeting, discuss and decide on our next book. Ultimately, whoever is hosting the next meeting gets to choose or be the tie breaker to decide on the book.
The host facilitates the meeting -- researchers book club questions for that book and makes sure we DO talk about the book. (in past experience, sometimes book clubs digress pretty quickly).
Anyway, hope this helps anyone looking for tips on how to start and make one work. It worked for us.
coconut / 8681 posts
I was part of the virtual book club on WB but the participation was spotty when it came to actually reading/discussing the books (everyone was always really excited when it was time to pick the next one but once it came time to actually execute the discussion only a handful of people joined in). I'd love to be a part of another online one but I'd REALLY love to find a group of friends to do an in person one with!
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
@Jumpingjacks: Nice!!! I really would love to start an in-person one too.
cherry / 103 posts
I adore my book club! We are going on three years (although there has definitely been some evolution in the membership over that time between people moving away, new friends joining, etc.) It definitely has grown organically from a few friends I first emailed about the idea, and as @Jumpingjacks said, lots of the other ladies ended up inviting someone else, etc. It's actually a great way to meet some new people!
We keep it casual - we meet once a month and rotate who hosts. The host provides food (typically heavy hors d'oeuvres and snacks) and all the other attendees bring a bottle of wine.
For books, we also vote (I know some groups where the host for the month chooses the book, but we didn't like the pressure of one person choosing) - we typically pick about 3 at a time in case anyone wants to read ahead. So everyone just brings a few suggestions and then we pass around the list and pick 3 each, and the top 3 vote getters are our next 3 books. I like this process also because it always gives me other book ideas beyond the "official" book club reads in case I want to do any others on my own. It definitely also makes me read more of a variety than I would choose on my own, which I like.
Hope this helps anyone else who wants to start a book club - seriously, such a great time!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I'd love to. I bet it's a great way to make friends. I love to read. I always have a book with me.
pomelo / 5178 posts
I started a book club when we first moved here; we had a potluck dinner and book discussion twice a week. It was so much fun! I don't think I have time for it now, though; I've got too much on my plate these days.
bananas / 9229 posts
I became part of an already existing book club about 3 years ago. It was a group of overlapping friends - some went to high school or college together, worked together, etc. We would rotate apartments and usually met every 6 to 8 weeks. As people have started families, we've met less and less though.
pineapple / 12053 posts
my GFs and i started an informal book club, but we never met more than 3 times because we were so busy!
grapefruit / 4823 posts
I did...I'm not a big reader, so I'm not entirely sure why I joined lol Thursday is their 4th meeting...I read a total of 70 pages from all 4 books, only went to the first meeting and quit last week. It came as no big surprise I quit that's for sure haha. I'm thinking of starting a 'craft club' I need some motivation for the projects I have started and thought it would be cool to have people get together once or twice a month to work on their current project, whatever it may be. It might inspire someone to start a craft they never did before. Not sure though.
pear / 1698 posts
I belong to a book club through the local library. We meet once a month at the library and there's a rotating schedule for snacks. The books are chosen by the librarian and is based on how many copies she can get since we have a pretty large group. I've only been a member for a year, but most of the group has been together since the beginning (maybe 10 years?). There's 3 males in the group and a mix of ages from late 20's to grandparents in their 70's. I like it, but wouldn't mind finding another group with people more my age.
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