Book Club Start-Up Tips

Thinking of launching a book discussion group? The Glenview Public Library has numerous resources to help you make a go of it.

Start out with Talking About Books: A Step-By-Step Guide For Participating In A Book Discussion Group by Marcia Fineman (374.22/FIN). This invaluable resource provides readers with the tools needed to think about book discussion in a whole new way. It's easy to use and full of practical pointers for getting a discussion going and keeping it going. Also included are lists of questions that can be used with any book. It's a great resource for new book clubs as well as for already established ones.

Another useful title is The Reading Group Handbook by Rachel Jacobsohn (374.22/JAC). Jacobsohn seems to have thought of everything one would need to prepare and think about before beginning a group. She gives helpful check-off lists to keep the mechanics of the group running and covers everything from cookies and coffee to how you diplomatically deal with "the rambler”.

Once you’ve got the basics down, consider checking out one of our “Book Club in a Bag” kits. Each bag contains 12 copies of a discussable title and a book discussion guide with thought-provoking questions. These handy sets go out for 6 weeks and are the perfect way for your new group to get up and running or for your established group to conveniently provide all its members with the same title.

So with the summer coming to an end (how did that happen?), now would be a good time to start planning for your book club. Those long winter evenings will be here before you know it and nothing warms you up more than a good book!

Search our Online catalog for these titles.