I currently have about 5 people and am waiting on a couple more. So do you have the meetings once a month? Is that enough time for everyone to read the book — I mean we do all have jobs. And then I guess we take turns hosting it? How do we decide who hosts and when? Anyone who ever started one up and has any advise, I’d appreciate it. What did you do that didn’t work and what did you do that did?
Also, being that we’re just getting started and we don’t know who has read what, I thought we should start with a newly released book? Any suggestions on good newly released books?
If and when you decide to start your own group, your first task is to recruit members. Think about how many people you want to participate. The size will likely be dictated by the place where the group meets. If you plan on hosting meetings in your own living room, for example, you may find it difficult to accommodate more than seven or eight members. On the other hand, if your group is too small, discussion may suffer, especially if you don’t have perfect attendance at each meeting. Many book clubs recruit solely from friends or coworkers, but you don’t need to stop there. Posting flyers at your local public library is an excellent way to foster diversity in your members and meet new people.
Once you have a solid group of people together, it’s time to set some guidelines for your group. It is a good idea to do this at your first meeting. How often will the group meet? Most book clubs typically meet once a month and discuss one book per meeting. Decide on a process for choosing the books you will read. Be sure to set a consistent time and place for meetings, so that you do not have to go through the process of scheduling each meeting. Make it clear to members that they are expected to plan their schedule around your set time, not vice versa. While the living room is the obvious choice for a place to meet, you should also consider such places as a library, restaurant, or community center.
Once you have recruited members and established guidelines for your book club, it is time to focus on the actual discussions. If you are serious about having quality discussion and are willing to invest some money in your book club, you may want to consider hiring a professional leader to moderate meetings. Not only will a leader help insure that a fulfilling, balanced conversation takes place, but he or she will also help your group decide which books to read (or even choose the books for you). A good way to find a discussion group leader would be to contact your local public library or college.
If you choose to not hire a professional leader, you should be prepared to guide the discussion yourself. An excellent starting place for a particular book would be a reading group guide. If no guide is available for the book you are currently reading, you may wish to turn to some general questions and topics for discussion.
To be sure, planning and running your own book club can be a challenge. But if done properly, your book club will prove to be a rewarding and fulfilling experience for you and your peers.
this is the artical i used to start my book club we just read "sharp objects" it was a really good book
Hope this helps
. We are all trying hard to think of books that only one or none of us has read, but its really hard! We are all pretty advanced readers, and we all like the genres of science fiction, adventure, fantasy, historical fiction, and anything else around these lines