Starting Your Own Book Club
No two books are the same, and every book club has its own personality, with members sharing perspectives and reactions—often along with snacks—for a truly unique experience.
Maybe you've been to one of our book clubs, and you're inspired to go out on your own. Getting your own club up and running is rewarding and fun, but it does involve some planning and preparation. Use these resources to start a book club that's right for you and your group.
I Love Libraries is a project of the American Library Association. On their Starting a Book Club page you'll find great practical tips on the basics—ground rules for your meetings, encouraging a lively discussion, finding members and books, and more.
If you are starting a book club for kids, you will want to check out our Tips for Running a Book Club for Kids.
Novelist Plus, available free through the Library, offers ready-made book discussion guides you can use to spark conversation in your group. It's also an amazing tool for finding your club's next pick—use its browsing features to choose books by genre [video] or appeal factor [video], or see which award-winners might be a good fit for you.
The Friends of the Library Bookstore also has multiple copies of titles to purchase for book clubs of varying interests and topics.
More Free Resources
The Bookreporter
Reviews in many genres, author interviews, polls, contests and more
LitLovers
Lots of resources, including reading guides and free online courses
Novel Conversations from Indiana Humanities Council
Free statewide lending library, loaning more than 600 titles, primarily fiction and biography, to reading and discussion groups all over Indiana, free of charge.
Reader’s Circle
A book club networking site
The Reading Club
A British site devoted to starting and running your own reading and book club
Reading Group Guides
A comprehensive online community for reading groups
The Booklist Reader by Booklist
a blog offering organizational tools, well-informed reading suggestions, and news
Books on the Brain
A mom presents essays about what she's learned about organizing book clubs
National Reading Group Month
Supports reading groups by promoting the love of reading and literature through nationwide events; also provides tips for enhancing book discussions