How to Start Your Own Book Group/Club

Start Your Own Book Group!  It's as easy as A-B-C!

The Haverhill Public Library is pleased to support and encourage book discussion groups. Ask us to show you how to request your own books, find reviews and author biographies, and search for book discussion guides online.

A . Choose a Book to Discuss

•  Ask a librarian for a recommendation!

• Use a book club kit. Kits are newly available starting in 2004! One box contains 15 copies of a book, a discussion guide, author biographies and more.

• Follow along. If the members in your group are purchasing their own books, read along with Oprah or the Today Show  (note: waiting for library copies of current book club picks may take a long time)

• Try one of the following book discussion resources:

The Readers' Choice : 200 book club favorites by Victoria Golden McMains (028.1/McMains V)

The Reading Group Handbook : everything you need to know, from choosing members to leading discussions by Rachel W. Jacobsohn (374.22/J17)

A Year of Reading : a month-by-month guide to classics and crowd-pleasers for you and your book group by Elisabeth Ellington and Jane Freimiller (011.73/Ellington H)

What to Read : the essential guide for reading group members and other book lovers by Mickey Pearlman (015.73/P35)

Start with a "tried and true" title:
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fall On Your Knees by Anne Marie MacDonald
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
The God of Small Things by Ardunhati Roy
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

B.  Try A Discussion Circle
Try this low-maintenance book group! Ask each member to bring in a book to share.  Pick themes every month.  Have someone keep a list of recommendations.

C.  Running the Group - How to get started

1.  Send flyers or invitations to potential members.
2.  At your first meeting, make decisions as to:

• What type of group

• Frequency of meetings

• How many members

• Refreshments

• Meeting place

• Who will prepare author biographies and reviews

3. Take turns. Instead of having one moderator, invite each member to take responsibility to lead the discussion each month.

4. Limit time. Giving each member a certain amount of time to share their thoughts on the book has several advantages-no one monopolizes the discussion, and quiet people are encouraged to talk.

D. Guiding the Discussion - open-ended questions to ask

• What is the book about?

• Who are the characters?

• From what point of view is the story told?

• How does setting play a role in the book?

• How is the book arranged?

• What are the themes of the book? 

• What is the author trying to say? Why did s/he make the choices s/he made?

• What did you like about the book?  What did you dislike? Why did it appeal, or not appeal, to you?

• Did you like the ending? Why or why not? How would you change it?

• Look on the Internet for other discussion questions!