You could start a book club, but why? With the help of your library, favorite book store, or a book club website you can probably find one that is right for you.
I recently published a reading poll asking how many books a person read per month. Twenty-two percent of those polled said they read no books in a given month. Twenty-two percent said they read 0-4 books in a month. Thirty-three percent said they read 4-8 and another 22% said they read 8-12 books per month. It looks as if the readers of this blog generally read about 4-8 books per month. The readers of this blog are ‘real’ readers.
What if you want to read more but need a little motivation? Why not join a book club or reading group? Book clubs are immensely popular right now. There are two ways to approach the book club issue. Either you can start your own book club or you can join an existing book club. If you are struggling with motivation, perhaps it would be best to join an existing book club.
There are many different reasons for joining book clubs. As a result, there are many different styles of book clubs. Some people join a book club simply for the social interaction (a good idea for any stay-at-home-mom who is beginning to feel that their life is a series of baby talk interludes); others join book clubs to meet new people; others join a book club because they want to meet people who share a fascination for a particular genre such as mystery or romance; and still others join book clubs so that they can study a book in depth. There are book club styles to satisfy any one of these reasons for joining a book club.
There are several ways to find a book club. Check out your local library or your favorite local bookstore. They often host their own book clubs that are run by professional facilitators or they can provide you a list of local book clubs with a brief synopsis of how club operates and what it expects of its members. You can also try looking the internet. There are many sites that provide on-line directories of book clubs such as the one provided by Reader’s Circle or check out the list provided by Book Club Meetup.
If you aren’t quite ready for the rigid commitment of a book club, try a reader’s circle. A reader’s circle is a new format for book clubs. Rather than meeting with your group to discuss an agreed upon book that you’ve all read, you simply show up with the materials you are currently reading (some groups create a bit more structure by adding an ‘optional book’ too). The idea is that people can discuss what they are reading at the moment, even if they are in the middle of their book. Discussion ranges wide – it usually covers the materials brought and then some.
If you can’t find a book club that suits you, perhaps you can start your own. I will write more about starting your own book club in a later post.
