Investing in Yourself and Others: Book Clubs

Curling up with a good book (or at least one that has the merest promise of being entertaining) is one of my favorite things to do in this life. There’s nothing quite like getting caught up in a great story. You know what makes this love of books even better? Finding a someone or three who shares your passion of the written word. Starting a book club is a great way to invest in yourself and others. And it couldn’t be easier.

Face to Face Book Clubs

What mom doesn’t need a little grown-up time indulging in adult conversation? A book club is a great way to fill this need. Not only will it get you face to face with other “big people,” it also gives you a ready-made conversation topic: the book. The essentials for a book club:

• People who want to read
• A few good snacks
• Beverages
• A comfy space to sit and talk

That’s pretty much it. If you’re starting a club, pick a date, time and place to start; use this first meeting to chat about what everyone has read and to pick the first book for discussion (a few popular suggestions out there for book club reads: "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, "The Book Thief" by Mark Zusak, and "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen). For the next meeting, you (or the host) could jot down a few discussion questions about the chosen book to get the ball rolling; a simple Google search can result in a good list of these kinds of questions to choose from.

Online Clubs

Through the marvel of modern technology, it’s certainly possible to host and/or take part in a book club comprised of people from all points of the globe. Simply pick your social media joint of choice, seek out your bookish friends and start a club. For example, Facebook has a feature in which you can form a group in which you add friends; it’s perfect for a book club. Anyone who is your friend (or even a friend of a friend) can be added to your book club book; it gives your group a forum in which you can choose, read and discuss a book from wherever you may reside.

Another idea: “gather” all of your Kindle (or e-reader of choice) friends together in one spot online and grab a freebie ebook to read and discuss for a cheap and quick start-up of a book club.

Branching Out

If, for whatever reason, you just don’t have friends who are interested in joining forces with you in a book club, or if you want to branch out and seek out others who have the same genre interests as you, you can browse the web for an online community and link up with a reading group online. One website I’ve recently fell in love with is goodreads.com. This site is devoted to book lovers, and among its many attributes one can find a number of open groups who routinely pick out books for reading and discussion.

What about you, readers? Have you formed, joined or participated in a book club?

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