How to Set up a Book Group

Reading and escaping into a great book is one of life's pleasures.  But sometimes it may not seem enough to read in isolation -  you want to share your thoughts on the book.  It seems wherever you turn these days - friends, libraries, Richard and Judy, Newsnight Review - you find groups of people discussing the latest book.  Fancy having your own book group?  Setting one up may seem like a daunting task but it's really quite simple....
 
 

Where to start
 
Start by canvassing your friends - include those you think may not necessarily be interested - you could be surprised.  What many groups do is to get together once a month, to read and discuss a book, taking it in turns to have it at someone's house. This is easier than trying to organise an venue and is also a great way to keep in contact with friends.  Make it a social engagement and bring reading out of the closet!

If you're starting a new reading group in your area and need to recruit additional members, start off by telling your friends but ask them to pass on details to their friends and so on. As word of mouth spreads, chances are you'll have plenty of keen members!  If  you still need more members, why not put a notice up at your local library or bookshop? Your local freesheet may allow 'community groups' to post classified ads for free.
 

How many people does a book group need?
 

Most Reading Groups work best as informal events, with 5-10 members. You can also give your Reading Group a name - e.g. The Bruntsfield Book Worms or Book Lovers Anonymous.
 

When and where to meet
 
Meeting monthly gives everyone enough time to properly read the book.

Bear in mind that not all members will be able to attend every meeting, but try to keep the day and time of the meetings the same every month so members can book the time into their schedules and the group has a sense of continuity.

Reading groups largely take place in people's homes - often alternative members' homes. If your meetings are more informal, the host could provide drinks and snacks on their turn. 
 

TOP TIP FROM OUR USERS - Don't panic about cleaning your home from to bottom when you host the meeting  - no one notices and it just causes you undue stress!

If meeting in each others' homes doesn't appeal, you could also meet in a local library, schoo, a pub or even in a park on a lovely Summer's evening!

It tends to work best if one person remains in charge of organising the meetings. They should have all members contact details in order to inform everyone in the event of a meeting being postponed or cancelled. 
 

How do you choose which books to read

Choosing the book itself can be the difficult task. Book groups normally work by asking members to suggest books and voting on the most popular.  So how do you know what to suggest?  Below are some ideas to get you started:

> Best-sellers
> Old favourites you'd love to re-read
> A classic you've not read but have
   always wanted to. 
> Recommended books from
   newspapers, radio and TV.
> Literature Prizewinners (the Man
   Booker, the Costa)
> The Richard & Judy Book Club and
   other online book clubs
> Other ideas such as trying to read
   round the world.  Each book comes 
   from a country next to the previous
   book. 
 

The possibilities are endless - just open your mind......  Remember your Book Club reading is generally in addition to your regular reading so it's a great opportunity to experiment.

Since the book's the focal point and your choice of book will largely determine the quality of the discussion it's worth putting a bit of thought into what you choose.  Some of the best discussions centre around provocative topics - though you don't want to fall out with other members!  You can come along with a few suggestions each and take a democratic vote or you can simply say the host of the next group chooses. If held at a library you could  just take it in turns to choose, or nominate a 'chair' for each meeting who will choose the book and direct the discussion. 
 
The Discussion

For the discussion, keep it simple. Jot down a few notes when reading (characters, themes, your response to the book, strengths/weaknesses, dialogue, descriptions). You'd be surprised at how far a few quick notes will take you in a lively discussion about the book du jour!

You can start your discussion by going around the group and asking every member to say what they thought of the book and why. This will naturally lead onto wider discussion of the points they make.

If you've chosen an online Book Club featured book there may well be associated Reading Notes.  You can download and print copies to use to steer the discussion. This gives your Reading Group a structured start to the session and will lead to more in depth discussion about the book.

These online groups may also provide information about an author to further enhance your discussions. 
 
So read, discuss, analyse and possibly even argue.  But above all, enjoy!