Don't Talk About Book Club

Talking about books continues to be one of my favorite things to do. Different perspectives light up receivers in your mind, sparking new ideas, new interpretations. Sharing a book with someone is one of the greatest connectors, I've found.

I've wanted to start a book club for a long time, but circumstances continually prevented it. In high school, no one really has the time, between homework, sports, learning to drive, etc. College was just oversaturation in the market; every class was a more intense version of a book club. And last year, my first in New York, I didn't meet many people outside my office, and those that I worked with were decidedly uninterested. That's why I made sure to make it widely known that I was open to book clubs when I started my new job three months ago. And it worked! I got a positive response, and I'm lucky enough to have genuinely kind and likeminded coworkers that were ready to commit! We had our first meeting last week, and I had so much fun sharing thoughts and theories with everyone.

But book clubs can be hard. It's nearly impossible to coordinate a group of busy people toward a common goal, that is for fun, not necessity. I want to share some steps I took to organize my book club that I hope will be helpful to anyone who's aiming to start their own.



Gauging Interest
I spoke with so many people in my office about this idea, and if they'd be interested. It was a great way of building a list of people that I knew had a good chance of sticking with the idea, and even bringing others on board. I did this far in advance of actually sending any sort of concrete invitation, and I think that was part of why it worked. By the time I actually sent the first email about book club, it had been in people's minds long enough for them to be comfortable with the idea. I think if you get an invitation to a new book club out of the blue, it can feel like a large commitment that you haven't had ample time to consider. But gently mentioning the idea for a few weeks let people get used to the idea, and get excited about it, so that when the email came, it was a "finally!" moment.

Nailing Down the Details
I had no idea how much actually went into a book club until I started organizing one. There are so many details to decide on, and with so many people involved, it can be hard to compromise. I used google forms to help me with this process, writing up questions, letting everyone have a fair vote, and tallying up the responses to come to a democratic conclusion. Here are some questions you want to nail down first:

1. Are you interested in being in this book club?
2. What day works best for you?
3. What time of day? Before work, after work, the weekend?
4. Where do you want to meet? A coffee shop, a bar, rotate through apartments?
5. How often do you want to meet? Every 2 weeks? Once a month? Once every other month?
6. How much of the book would you like to discuss? The whole book? Half the book?
7. What kind of books are you interested in? Classics? Bestsellers? YA? A mix?

Choosing Your Books

This is arguably the most important step. Something too ambitious, you lose people, something too boring, and you lose people. You have to hit somewhere in between. Quick reads that people can burn through in the last few days leading up to book club if they forgot work best. For the first book, you want something light, but with enough substance to get people excited about the discussion. Below are some choices that I think are great book club starters:

Stay With Me
Ayobami Adebayo


This is the book my book club voted on for our first book. It was just the right length, provided ample discussion topics (I'll post the themes we discussed in my next post so you can use them in your own reading). My book club loved discussing the moral and social implications in this debut novel.


Where'd You Go Bernadette
Maria Semple


I've written about this book before, and I recommend it to most people who ask what they should read next, because it's such a treat. Written as a compilation of notes, emails, journal entries, and other found items, this mystery takes you with it. Motherhood, marriage, trust, and the pressures of a successful career are all under the microscope in this novel.


Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern


This book is just perfect for chilly autumn and winter nights. Magic and romance abound in this crowd pleaser. This is a good choice for book clubs with a diverse range of reading tastes.


Olive Kitteridge
Elizabeth Strout


I read this in school, and I think about it constantly. This collection of intertwined short stories won the Pulitzer Prize and will have you contemplating the life stories of unsuspecting strangers in your everyday life. Everyone has a story. Beautifully written, with complex characters that provide plenty of fodder for discussion, this is the book I suggested for my book club's next read, and I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of Olive. It doesn't hurt that there's also an Emmy winning short series based on this book, which adds another layer of discussion and lends a hand to those who didn't have time to finish the entire book, but could squeeze in the series.



I hope this helps you start or inspires you to start your own book club! I think the world would be a better place if more people read novels, and book clubs are a great place to start. Happy reading, and let me know what your book club picked!!

xo
Caroline