How to Host Your Own Book Club
If you’re hoping to get more into reading, make new friends, or both, starting a book club is great idea. It allows you to bond with friends (new or old), read new genres or books you may not have otherwise, and gives you a good reason to host at-home gatherings!
In this post, you’ll find your complete guide on all things book club hosting:
How to Start a Book Club
How to coordinate Book Club
Hosting Ideas for Book Club
Food for Hosting
How to Lead the Discussion
Personally, I always thought a Book Club sounded so fun and interesting, but I didn’t think I’d ever actually be in one. While I was in NYC, a friend was in a Book Club with other mutual friends and added me to the group chat and just like that I was finally in a Book Club! It was something I consistently looked forward to, so I decided to start one myself when I moved to Charleston!
So let’s dive into how you can start a Book Club and ideas for hosting your meetings!
How to Start a Book Club
After I met a few people in Charleston, I knew I had enough people plus their friends to start. I invited the few people I knew and opened it up for any of their friends too. You’ll likely find that every person you ask says “I’ve always wanted to be in a book club!” and is just as excited as you! I started a group chat and they just added anyone they knew that wanted to join – and just like that, we were in a book club!
How to Coordinate Book Club
After we had a group chat, I asked the group for recommendations for our first read (we ended up with “This Summer Will Be Different” by Carley Fortune, which I highly recommend!), and we voted on the week we’d meet and then again on which day specifically using iMessage Polls (super simple!). Our cadence was to meet once per book, so once we joined together, we had all finished it. You can definitely meet more frequently and set a checkpoint to read to in the book, such as a midway chapter or parts if the book is organized that way – we just found it easier to plan one every 4-6 weeks with so many people and hectic schedules!
For the next book, at the end of each meeting, I’d ask the group for any ideas, we’d read the synopsis, and vote, either in person with a simple raise of hands or slips of paper, or via text polls. Tip: Include the genre when listing the options. Similarly for the first meeting, we voted on a week and then specific day for the next meeting. You can create a rotation for who hosts or just leave it up to whoever volunteers.
Once those few logistics are figured out, all that’s left are the fun parts: actually reading the book and planning the décor and food for the meeting!
Hosting Ideas for Book Club
My favorite part of Book Club is it’s a fun, interesting reason to get together with friends at home with the added bonus of a built-in theme with each new book! I find in your twenties, the go-to plans are to go out to get dinner or drinks, which I love, but I also love planning parties and get-togethers, so it’s great to have an excuse!
Book Club is even more fun because you can choose your décor, music, and food around the themes of the book.
To be the best Book Club Host, you’ll want to make sure you have the below:
Food – whether it’s something to snack on or a meal
Drinks to sip on while you chat – if you have alcohol, it’s good to have non-alcoholic options too especially if you’re meeting mid-week
Décor – this doesn’t have to be over the top, but a few decorations that tie into to the book’s theme are a nice touch that guests love
Music – you can make your own playlist of light background music or even easier (and what I did), search ‘book club’ on Spotify! If a specific music genre relates to the book, that’s even better!
Discussion questions & prompts – we’ll touch on this in the next section
I’ll use “This Summer Will Be Different” as an example:
The front cover is a beach sunset in yellow, orange, and red with dark blue text, so I used those colors for plates, napkins, and flowers.
Tip: Head to your local grocery store and choose the bushels with one color/type of flower, so you can choose all your colors and make multiple bouquets!
The book is set in PEI so there are a lot of mentions of oysters and shucking, so if you wanted to be extra fancy, serving oysters would be perfect! Since they’re a little pricey, I settled on peel-and-eat shrimp and displayed my oyster shucks as decoration!
The girls also share a few bottles of their favorite wine, vinho verde, and their dad’s Rye with peanuts, so I bought a couple bottles of vinho verde and used some of my boyfriend’s empty bottles of rye as water pitchers
The main character worked at a flower shop, so I made sure to have lots of flowers!
Here are a few simple hosting ideas that add an extra special touch:
A welcome display with décor like:
A vase of flowers
A sign that says “welcome to book club”, the book’s name, etc.
Any other related décor, like oyster shucks, seashells for a beach theme, a toy cab for a NYC setting, or pumpkins for a cozy fall read – you get the idea!
Something on TV: either a themed scene, like a fireplace or beach; or if you have extra time, a slideshow with the book’s cover, group introductions, discussion questions, and the next book options
Food for Hosting
No party is complete without something to snack on, especially when you’re sitting and chatting! Some great options for 8-15 people are:
A charcuterie board – I recommend at least 3 cheeses, 2 meats, crackers, and a fruit (grapes are my favorite!)
Pre-made platters at the grocery store, like peel-and-eat shrimp or veggie trays
Oven-ready appetizers, like chicken tenders or jalapeno poppers
Homemade pizzas or ham-and-cheese sliders
And of course, you can’t forget a dessert! You can pick something up at your local bakery or fresh-baked cookies (bonus: your home will smell great for your visitors!)
How to Lead the Discussion
The number one question I’m asked when I mention I’m in a Book Club is “Do you actually talk about the book?” and the answer is yes! Of course, conversations ebbs and flows and among friends, you’re going to catch up and chat about other things, but if you have questions or prompts to go back to, you’ll be surprised how much there is to talk about with one book!
I promise, having a full conversation about a book is a lot easier than you’d think! The first (and easiest!) place I’d look is the last pages of the book! Many books have a couple pages of the author’s suggested discussion questions. You can just read these off and once the conversation dies down, move onto the next question. If your book doesn’t include questions, you can find tons of question options online. You can also, of course, ask your own questions! Often when the conversation is going, the group will naturally come up with questions or share their thoughts and ask the group their take.
I also highly recommend kicking off the discussion by going around the table and saying your rating of the book. It’s a really fun way to hear initial thoughts and hear what everyone enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) about the read. If it’s your first meeting or any new members join the Club, it’s helpful for everyone to introduce themselves with basic intros (e.g., name, where they’re from, their connection to the other members, etc.).
If you’re looking for a new fun way to connect with your friends or hoping to make new friends, starting a Book Club is a great option! I know starting a club can sound a bit intimidating, out of your comfort zone, or a lot of effort, I promise you it’s easier than you think! I’ve found that most people are beyond excited to be invited to a Book Club and you only need you and one other person to start! Through two Book Clubs in different cities, I’ve met 20+ new people and made great friends, had plenty of fun nights discussing books, and read dozens of incredible books!
For other ideas for hosting at home, check out these blog posts:
