Book Club Love
People from all walks of life who are crazy about books can celebrate their love of tomes, have fun, and make new friends by joining a book club. Nothing gets my writing buddy, blogger aficionado, and friend Lisa Bernard percolating like her book club does. My closet-book-club-binge-reading friend, who like so many of the ladies and gentlemen in her group, will schedule their doctor appointments to be able to attend their book club meeting. That's how much they love it. That's how worthwhile the group is to them. So here's to Lisa and all of her book club buddies.
Be prepared to get your groove on, my darlings. Book clubs are out there for every genre and literary topic imaginable and they exist from pole to pole. The sky's the limit; there are book clubs for students, children, women, cookbook fans, celebrity fanatics, poets, and yippee-ki-yay, even western book lovers, etc. They are virtual or up close and personal. They take place in homes, libraries, book stores, on Zoom, and other online platforms. Participants engage in meaningful discussion regarding assigned books they have read. A group facilitator leads the talk and members express their likes, dislikes, and overall opinions about the chosen book and author. Discussions can also center around a specific topic or theme present within a few different books
Book clubs afford aspiring authors an incredible opportunity to connect with others who may be on the same writing journey. It’s an invigorating experience to involve yourself with others who understand the struggles of those on the road to publication. Members can pick the brains of bookworms, established authors, indie authors, and writers, and listen to their take about the book on deck. This can lead to fresh ideas for first-time authors as well as eye-popping info that comes in handy when structuring a story. So, don't just twiddle your thumbs when you attend a session, pay attention my darlings.
Breaking down a book, especially if it's in the aspiring author’s genre, by plot, characters, dialogue, and premise can greatly benefit a new author and provide some aha moments. So, what if it’s not in the aspiring author’s category? No worries, these pow-wows can still help a writer gain untold insight about how to structure chapters, how to build characters, how to construct plot, how to describe settings, and how to create a satisfying ending, simply by listening to others. So, keep your noggin in the game and you'll learn the nay-nays and pitfalls along with the aye-ayes and strong points. Keep what works for you, throw in your two cents about what you know, and dismiss what you don’t agree with.
Book clubs can be a great equalizer for indie authors, debut authors, and other undervalued authors. How you ask? By providing a venue for these authors to strut their stuff, I answer. If indies and other novelists, poets, memoir authors, and nonfiction writers are willing to make an appearance to discuss their book, sign copies, and hold a Q&A to connect with their audience, the members might be inclined to buy the book, if they haven’t already done so ahead of the meeting. As a result of that intimate connection with the author, book club fellows may pass the book along to friends and family by word of mouth. Then they'll tell two friends and so on. This can increase book sales and review.
If you’re on the prowl for a first-rate book club that jives with your literary craving, hit up the internet for options or give your local library a buzz to see what they have cooking.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
BOOK CLUB RULES
Here’s the whole shebang:
Read the book or as much of it as you can
Be respectful ladies and gents
Don't just hang out, my writing darlings, participate appropriately
Decide how long participants will have to read the book
Choose a facilitator or rotate this job among members
If it’s your turn to moderate, kickstart the meeting with questions and topics you’ve prepared in advance
RECOMMENDATIONS
Yes Please:
Come prepared with questions and thoughts about the book
Share your perspective about: premise, theme, characters, dialogue, and plot
Discuss what gets a thumbs up from you and what was a bone of contention
Remember to take turns and be kind
Remember that everyone reads at their own pace so keep judgment out of the meeting
If you are the group’s moderator:
Create a meeting agenda with an open and welcoming environment
Lead accordingly
Use the club time appropriately
Keep members on point
Narrow down how often the club will meet
Set location (in person or online) and time
Oh No:
Don’t be afraid to chime in when there's an opportunity
Don’t barge in when someone is talking
Don’t forget that every member is entitled to their own opinion
Don’t feel like you always have to kick in your thoughts
Don't sweat it if you didn't finish reading the book
Don’t try to compel other members to pony up their thoughts
Don’t feel like you have to love every book the group reads
Don’t get sidetracked and yammer on about personal issues, other books, or life outside the group
HOW IT WORKS
The process is easy-peasy. There are no hard and fast rules.
Try these suggestions or create your own process:
Book club participants throw their book choices into the ring, the members vote, and select the book that most agree on
The group facilitator chooses the book or doles out a few choices and takes a vote
There is a running tab of book options and again a vote is taken to determine which book to select next
Books are selected by series:
An author and their series is chosen
Books are read in order and discussed
WHEN & WHERE TO MEET
Where:
In person
Someone’s house or other digs, library, book store etc.
Online:
Zoom
Online Platform without a formal meeting, to share thoughts
How often:
Example: Thursday at 7:00 PM
TYPES OF BOOK CLUBS
Celebrity book clubs
Specific to genre book clubs
Student book clubs
Ladies Only book clubs
Cookbook book clubs
Self-help book clubs
Non-fiction book clubs
Poetry book clubs
Mystery Lovers book clubs
Fantasy and Sci-Fi book clubs
And many more . . .
MEET THE AUTHOR
Book club members decide on an author to invite
Members get to meet the author
The author discusses their book and takes questions from the members
The author brings books for sale or if the meeting is on Zoom, the author gives a link to purchase the book
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Did your preconceived notions about the book change while reading it?
Did you detect any themes as you read the book? What were they?
Were you transported into the story as you read or was it torture?
Were you able to visualize the setting and scenes using the author’s descriptions or were you left feeling blah?
Did you get an aha feeling while reading?
Did the author inspire a change in your thinking or persuade you to a different point of view?
Were you able to relate to any of the characters? Which ones and why?
When did you begin to care about the characters?
Who was your favorite character and why?
Did you look forward to getting back to the book between reading times?
What scene or scenes did you enjoy or dislike the most?
Did you learn something new while reading?
What did you think about the author’s writing style?
Did any part of the story make you pause and think, hmm?
Did you have to work hard while reading to understand what was going on?
Were there any parts of the narrative that did not feel authentic or believable?
What did you think of the opening line? Did it grab your attention right out of the gate?
Was the ending satisfying, meh, or irritating?
Which parts of the story, if any, will stay with you?
If the chosen book was part of a series, did you find yourself waiting with bated breath for the next installment?
*** Join a literary society
*** Join a writing group
Words to Elevate & Enlighten ~ For Lovers of Adventure and Hidden Beauty
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