Inspired to start your own book group? Here are some ideas from a few of Seattle’s longtime book clubs, on how to make yours go the distance.
1. Guidelines. Mardie Rhodes’ book club celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and has guidelines to ensure members doesn’t spend all their meeting time in general chat. They also limit the number of books that people can present for possible selection. Figure out and agree at the onset how often you want to meet, what kind of books you will read, what kind of food/drink you’ll offer (meals or snacks) when in-person gatherings are possible again and how structured you’d like the discussions to be.
2. Keep it going. Lee Kramer, of the longtime Seattle gay men’s book club PageBoys, says it’s important to have at least a few people who “really have the time and effort to put into it to get it going and keep it going.” He also recommends appointing moderators for discussion, to keep conversations from being dominated by a few people.
3. Firm meeting dates. Karen Binder, whose group has met for 45 years, says they gather the fourth Wednesday of every month. “We’re very committed, and everyone dances around that schedule.”
4. Do other activities. Helen Harris, whose club celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, recommends book clubs do activities together aside from the book: cultural events, travel, walks (after the pandemic, of course). “The book is just kind of the hook to get you in, but try to develop relationships that go outside of reading that book.”
5. Smaller can be better. There’s enormous pleasure to be had in very small, intimate book clubs — such as mine, which has only four members — but it helps to make a rule that all members have to attend every meeting. Otherwise you might drift away. Bigger groups can get by with 75% attendance; very intimate groups need more of a commitment.
6. Mix it up. When first putting your club together, think about the mix of people. Be careful when starting a book club from an existing friend group; you might be too busy with ongoing conversation to talk about the book. If you pick members who don’t know each other well, you’ll start off more book-focused.
7. Keep track. Make sure there’s someone in your club who’s good with record-keeping, who can be tasked with keeping your book list up to date.
8. Libraries and book stores. Many library systems and book stores have ongoing book clubs you might consider joining. They also as good resources for guidance and book recommendations for those who want to start their own clubs.
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February 07, 2021 at 12:15PM
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8 tips for starting and nurturing a successful book club - yoursun.com
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