Organizing a Book Club

Series Summary

A book discussion club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books they have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. It is more often called simply a book club. This term is also used to describe a book sales club, which can occasionally cause confusion. Other frequently used terms to describe a book discussion club include reading group, book group, and book discussion group. Book discussion clubs may meet in private homes, libraries, bookstores, online forums, pubs and in cafes or restaurants over meals or drinks. Starting a book discussion club or group can be a little more complicated than it seems, although the steps themselves are very simple. In this free video series on literature and reading, an English professor discusses how to organize and run a book discussion club or reading group, including ideas for what type of discussion group it will be. There are a variety of literature genres that can be discussed, and book groups are often focused on one particular genre, although diversity in reading material is commonly encouraged. Whether it's coming up with a reading list, facilitating discussion or inviting possible members, all questions on book discussion clubs will be answered here!

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Jeanna Rock and we are discussing how to organize a book group. In a few hours this room will be full of women eager to discuss our latest book, The Book Thief. We're going to chat for a few minutes, eat some good food. Sometimes we argue, sometimes we laugh. We argue about whether we like the book or not but always, it's a very stimulating conversation and we all walk away feeling much better about our friendship that we've developed through our book group."