Before (or at) your first meeting, discuss:

• When, Where, and How Often your book club will meet
• How long each meeting will last
• Will your host/hostess serve refreshments
• What is the role of the leader (if you have one)
• Who develops the discussion questions
• What type of books will you read and discuss

Types of Book Clubs

There are several types of book clubs. You can make up your own rules or choose one of the following:

• One person is the leader and reviews her/his own book selection & the other members participate with questions, comments, and develop discussion questions. Each member of the club will have her/his own turn to review a book during a predetermined number of sessions.
  
• There are two leaders. Both review the same book, and develop discussion questions. Each member of the club will pair with another member and all members will have a turn to review. This may have the following effects: Shared task may give a more comprehensive and richer review including two different view points. The club will meet less often and will choose a fewer number of titles.

• The same leader/leaders every time the book club meets. Leader(s) will be in charge of all reviews, biography of the author, discussion questions. The other members of the club will offer their own comments.
  
• The whole club reads, researches and discusses a title. This is less structured, and is good for small clubs, 4 or 5 people.

Finding Good Books for Discussion

• Best books for discussion inspire strong reactions, positive and negative
• Multi-dimensional characters
• Characters that are forced to make difficult choices
• Author’s view of an important aspect
• May send a message to the reader
• Ambiguous endings
• Books in pairs: these books maybe on similar topics, by same or different author
• Books that raise many issues

• Make notes and write the page number you are commenting on, and mark pages as you go with a post-it note. This step will make it easy to retrieve what you need.
• Ask tough questions of yourself and of the book.
• Is there a character with whom you identify?
• Analyze style and structure
• Analyze themes
• Get to know the characters. Consider their faults, motives and would you like to interact with them. Are the characters believable? Are the protagonists sympathetic? If so, why?
• Does the order the author chose make sense to you? If flashbacks are used, are they annoying or satisfying?
• Compare to other books by this author and other authors. Themes often run through an author’s work.
• How does the title relate to the book?
• Are the plot and subplot believable?
• Any symbolism?
• Themes? Self-discovery, coming of age, etc?
• Is the setting important to the theme? What is the atmosphere of the book? Does it help or hinder the reading flow of the plot and does it affect the characters?
• Did the author leave any loose ends?
• Was the book enjoyable? Would you read this author again?
• What is the author’s worldview? Are any social issues tackled?

The Role of a Discussion Leader

• Obtain critical book reviews from different journals.
• Biography of the author, even if it is a short one.
• List of other books written by the author.
• Where applicable, mention similar authors.
• It is recommended that the leader/s write down his/her own review, or at least write down his/her comments about the book.
• If not available, develop the discussion questions

The following suggestions can help leaders promote a good discussion:

• Prepare 10 to 15 open-ended questions that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no”.
• Ask each group member to come with discussion questions.
• Be ready to let the discussion flow naturally.
• Push members beyond “I just don’t like…” Have them describe what is unappealing or what is appealing.
• Author: The more background information given the better the discussion. The author’s biography may shed a light on what he/she writes. Also, if the author has written other books, how do they fit in (or not) with the books being discussed?