Here are some tips and ideas for starting a book or other club, and having it run without you having to do all of the work. Get email updates on the club here we will host interactive live video sessions in our facebook group each monday at 4pm eastern time. She recalls one book club meeting at which someone wrote out meaningful quotes from the book and arranged them around the table. This book has overthetop humor laced with social commentary. Our ideas can help you lead a discussion, find helpful resources, and be a smart participant. A book discussion club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. The book recommendation website allows you keep track of members, moderate discussions on the forum, and catalog the books you have read and plan to read in the future. But every time the day of book club meeting arrives and most of the members have not finished that book and some of them didnt even open it. The best book club questions for every kind of discussion. There are some general book club discussion questions that should work on most books, especially popular selections and bestsellers.
Jan 29, 2009 need a little inspiration for your book club s next read. Book club parties are a good way to get friends together and have great discussion over appetizers, drinks, or brunch. What questions could everyone answer and discuss, no matter where they are in th. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. You dont want the group turning into an exclusive team that other employees will feel uncomfortable joining. What are the benefits of being in a virtual book club instead of a physical one. Or, is the team struggling with the last few books youve read. We build community the mouse book club endeavors to become the largest book club in the world that connects people through great literature and universal ideas. Its hard enough for book lovers to finish everything on their reading list, much less find an hour to attend a club meeting. Every month we pick a popular book club pick and set up some discussion questions to get you and your book club going. Book questions and reading guidesdiscussion guides for book clubs more than 500 printable reading guides for exceptional books. The current employee book club members can also recruit new readers by talking about the positive experience of participating.
There is an ongoing debate in the host about the true nature of humans. Get your friends together for an oldfashioned book club or host one online. Other frequently used terms to describe a book discussion club include reading group, book group, and book discussion group. Many books have reading guides at the end of the book that are perfect to use for your book club. For instance, weve included printable materials and book club discussion questions, as well as a fabulous list of the best book club books and ideas. In a book club, your employees learn new concepts and new ways of doing activities that they can apply in their workplace. Much like our virtual socials, we like to give our members a way to participate if they arent physically present in a location. Keeping the book club rooted in a genre historical fiction, chick lit or a subject matter politics, religion, ecology seems like a great way to gather a group of people with similar interests and provide them with engaging material. Librarians reimagine book clubs with the help of technology. Aside from the previously mentioned interview with the philadelphia inquirer, ann patchett has given a lot of great interviews about this book that could help enrich your book club discussion. If the book youre discussing has one its certainly worth printing it out. Use our litlovers resources below to help you with specific questions. In fact, differing opinions make the best discussions.
How to start an online book club online book clubs allow for great discussion without your leaving home. Ask around the office, playgroups, your church, or civic organizations. If you have the honor of moderating your book clubs meeting, find out how to make it memorable. They arent helpful in moving discussions forward, and can make others feel defensive. Winfrey holds tv discussion on american dirt in arizona.
Often youll at least recruit some help in completing the rest of the steps. Oprah hosts discussion on book club controversy black. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. The perfect day for me is spent reading while sipping a cup of tea, dozing occasionally, reading some more, pausing to reflect. Theres nothing like sipping chardonnay, enjoying small bites and discussing the summers hot read. There are several options for choosing the first host and subsequent hosts for a book club party.
Even if your members are used to being part of group discussions and are good at listening to each other, it can still be a good idea to have somebody lead the. There is never any one way to experience or interpret a book. Finding the right book club book is easy when you follow these helpful tips. My tablescape the yellow flowers i used for my table were disbud. Theres nothing like sipping on chardonnay, enjoying small bites, and discussing the summers hot read with friends, new and old. Find recipes to fuel your gatherings, helpful hints for the host, ways to keep the discussion lively and more. Its a fun and quick read that brings to mind several questions, although none of them are very deep. How to host a better book club the washington post. Have a good topic of discussion to start the conversation and make sure to have some more ready to introduce if the conversation flags, goes off topic, starts to repeat itself or gets uncomfortably contentious. The pitfalls to book club success are many too much wine, too little commitment, internal dissension over reading materials, and so on. Apr 03, 2020 so we reached out to a handful of authors to get their tips on how to host a successful book clubvirtually. It is a forum for people to talk about the book, tell others what they liked, share their disappointments and basically interact with others on an intellectual level.
Is the group on a roll and ready to tackle that long thick book youve been talking about for months. Each member or team of 2 or 3 takes a card and answers. Sep 05, 2016 the secret to each question is that they are all open ended if something can be answered with a simple yes or no you do not want to include it in your book club question list. The best thing about starting your own is that you can design it to reflect your particular reading. Our tenacious dewey d nonfiction book club if for adults. It is more often called simply a book club, a term that is also used to describe a book sales club, which can cause confusion. They had killed one another so frequently that murder had been an accepted part of life page 47.
Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. The host acts as a moderator, making sure everyone stays on topic and follows the rules. H ow to encourage a lively discussion at a book club meeting can be a challenge. Developing a consistent set of book club discussion questions enables employees to apply the concepts on the job. I mean, besides the wine and cheese, the real purpose of the meeting is to talk about the fantastic book you read. Our popcorn and paperbacks book discussion is for students in 9th through 12th grade. How to start a book club that doesnt suck book riot. Think aboutand bring up in your book club discussionthe reasons for marking those passages. At the first meeting, put everyones name on a slip of paper and put it in a bowl to. Pick a place to meet technology makes it so easy to connect with other, often farflung readers and have the sort of fruitful discussions that book clubs make possible, says childrens book author and illustrator. Host assumes that everyone will read the book and club will have fascinating discussions with the group of readers. For our very first book club, we are being joined by our friend ana, of the wellappointed desk, for this discussion. How to start and run a book club a thousand words youtube.
This free printable makes for the perfect conversation starter and to keep at least part of the discussion focused on your latest read. You can also come up with your own questions using the tips below as a guide. Our book club consisted of military wives all stationed overseas. Best for book clubs best books to read for a great book club discussion. What three words would you use to best describe this book. Apr 06, 2016 dear literary lady, i want to ask questions at my book club so that everyone can participate, even if theyre waaay behind on the reading. Everything you need to know for how to host a book club. Further reading what to do now that youve finished reading the dutch house. The same person can host every time and have different people bring appetizers and small dishes for each meeting, or a different person can host every time. Alicia berenson is married to a successful fashion photographer. Its hard to strike a balance between questions that are openended and inclusive, but not so broad that certain members ahem. Not everyone can finish every book, but nonreaders may still have valuable insights. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to.
Oprah hosts discussion on book club controversy by hillel italie ap national writer tucson, arizona ap when oprah winfrey chose the novel american dirt for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialog about the narrative, which follows a mexican mother and her son fleeing to the united states. The host may select the book, lead the discussion, and provide the meal or select the restaurant or coffee shop where you meet and perhaps provide appetizers and drinks. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Use our ideas to help you organize your book club activities, hold good discussions, and settle tough issues.
Book club meeting tips when no one has read the book of. Decide what will be best for your group and try it for 34 months, and if it doesnt work try something different. Book club in a bag is lake villa district librarys premiere service designed especially for book clubs. Lack of time, scheduling conflicts, mobility issues, desire for anonymity, and other. Aug 15, 2014 how can you keep your book club from fizzling out. You cant fix an irretrievably flawed club, of course, but you can make sure that you are the best possible member you can be, doing your own small part to sustain the health of your little literary community. One of the best pairings with our wine is a good book club. If there is any business to discuss, such as picking books for future meetings, you may want to cover these points before the discussion starts in case people need to leave quickly at the end.
Heres how to be the best book club member you know huffpost. Suggest books that your group has read that led to a lively discussion, whether people loved or hated them. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. On the group landing page, you can add a description of your club, keep track of members, moderate discussions on the discussion board, list. Most book clubs have members take turns hosting book club discussions. Educated book club lunch and discussion inspirational. In our more modern, connected, and everbusy age, however, traditional library book clubs have been undergoing a quiet revolution. Most carry their own recommended book lists or lists of what other clubs are reading. I hosted my book club about two weeks ago for a discussion and lunch for the book, educated, by tara westover. Our page turners book discussion is for students in 7th through 8th grade. We organize online discussions, host weekly podcasts, conduct interviews, post blogs and support our book clubs. Disbud were the closest flowers i could find in my local grocery stores to replicate. Aim to discuss the book for about half an hour to start with and see how it goes. Join nypl and wnycs virtual book club the new york public.
Apr 03, 2020 the new york public library and wnyc two indispensable new york institutions are partnering to host a virtual book club to bring new yorkers together and foster community during an unprecedented time of social separation. Many libraries also stock book club bags with a discussion guide and multiple copies of a title. Book club discussion questions of course you have the gossip and the wine to look forward to, but you might want an excuse to ensure you get some discussion time in. Get together a core group it is much easier to start a book club with two or three people who already have some connection.
How to lead a successful book club discussion bookbrowse. Most book clubs socialize first and then get down to book club discussion. Then dont miss our complete book club guide, including where the crawdads sing book club questions, hosting inspiration, and more. When you choose a popular book club book, you can often find a wealth of book discussion questions already written for you. How to conduct a great book club discussion youtube. I hate that a certain friend feels excluded if they havent had time to read. Book club discussions can get sidetracked easily if there are too many members, so. Mar 05, 20 check out my online book club and other awesome learning opportunities for you at. Which is why were providing you with this list of top book club questions that will generate general discussion whether youre focused on nonfiction, a selfhelp book, a juicy historical romance novel, or one of reeses, jenna bush hagers or, of course, oprahs favorites. Food, seating arrangements, and discussion questions are just some of the things that should be taken into account when youre the host. This book has been taking the world by storm, and news traveled fast when it was announced that tom hanks would be narrating patchett s latest release. It builds camaraderie, comfort, and teamwork in the group of employees who attend. This month, weve got questions for the dutch house by ann patchett.
Libraries have long embraced the reading public and provided public forums for book discussion, long before talkshow host oprah winfrey renewed interest in book clubs in 1996. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. There are a lot of different social media platforms out there, but facebook is among. Book club questions for the silent patient by alex. Everything seems perfect until one evening, when alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. An online book club is a space or website that brings people together to share their ideas and thoughts as they journey through a book. Oct 30, 2019 hoda kotb and guest cohost ashley graham welcome author ann patchett, who penned the dutch house, jenna bush hagers october book club read.
Two mini book clubs meeting at the same time might make people happy. Chandler has been a member of a bunch of them and has some tips for you and your book club. Everything you need to host a fun and engaging book discussion the books, a guide to resourcesin one convenient bag. Pick out a specific passage from the book description, an idea, a line of. How to do book club virtually during covid distancing. You want to pick a discussion worthy book, so we decided to make it. The host by stephenie meyer book club discussion questions. May 22, 2014 libraries have long embraced the reading public and provided public forums for book discussion, long before talkshow host oprah winfrey renewed interest in book clubs in 1996. How do i create a virtual book club for my students. Quick start guide book discussion groups libguides at. Food is not required, but it helps the discussion roll and makes the book club meetings more fun. The perfect book club is made up of three key things. Make a designated facebook group for all members to join. If there are new members, make sure they are introduced.
Many books suitable for book clubs have discussion guides. Do invite new members to the book club each time a new book is started. Even though there are many online book clubs on the internet, you can start your own online book club. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. Keep the mood of the club in mind when selecting the book.
How to host a virtual book club social distancing parties. Come up with eight to ten questions about the book. Remind the group when its time for the discussion to start. The host gets off to a slow start but picks up pace after the first 30 or so pages.
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