Tips on How to Host a Book Club Meet

Amongst the most enjoyable aspects of starting a book club is hosting a meet. There are different types of book clubs in play these days, some include meeting virtually over video chats while others involve getting together at a bookish coffee shop, wine bar, or the park.

Virtual book clubs tend to lack a personal touch, and meeting in a public place means outside elements such as noise and crowds can kill the vibe of your book discussion.

Therefore, a member's home is the most comfortable and productive place to organize a book club meeting. However, to make it memorable and successful, keep the following points in mind when planning your event.

Send a Reminder

Hosting a book club means you have to start planning for it much before the actual date. Selecting the menu, buying wine, and getting some decorations are all necessary tasks, but make sure that you send out a personal text or email reminder to all the members a few days before the date. This way, no one will miss out and can hurry up and finish the book before the event.

Theme It!

Having a book club get-together based on a theme is not a necessity, but it does make the activity a whole lot more fun. You can choose the book's topic as the basic idea and then plan the theme around it. A themed book club meet can include special decorations and asking members to come dressed as a character from the novel. These are small shenanigans that take a little away from the actual book analysis, but in turn, keep the meetings fresh and exciting.

Make a Schedule

It is easy to plan if you consider hosting your book club as a business meeting. To ensure it runs smoothly, write down a schedule that everyone can follow. Your program should have time for members to mingle casually, discuss the novel, and also set aside a few minutes in the end to choose the next book and host.

Keep Information Handy

A book club is a casual way to discuss books, but it does require structure and rules. When preparing to host, keep a few copies of the rules and regulations handy. Also, pen down a set of discussion questions related to the book of the month in advance. Discussion questions help lead the members towards an engaging conversation that involves all the elements of the story and characters.

Prepare a Comfortable Area

One of the primary benefits of hosting a book club at home is arranging the space as you like. So, organize the room in such a fashion that people sit facing each other. Moreover, keep an appropriate distance between the seats to make it more relaxed. Book club meetings go on for a long time, and if the space is cramped, people tend to get fidgety. Lastly, throw in a few extra pillows and cushions to give the area a more homely, colorful, and welcoming quality.

Remove Any Distractions

When designing a space in your house to host the book club, look around and remove any possible distractions. No music player or instruments lying around, unplug the telephone and don't be afraid to tell your family members that the room is off-limits while the meeting is in progress. Although club members might not mind small disturbances, they can break the rhythm and throw people off their bookish thoughts.

Plan for Extra People

Although book club etiquette recommends that a person not bring extra guests without checking with the host and club members, there are times when people will do precisely that. Thus, as a good host, always prepare for a couple of extra participants. This way, you won't have to run around at the last minute for extra chairs, plates, pens, food, and drinks.

Keep Food and Drinks Ready

Food, drinks, and books have a rather odd way of complementing each other. When hosting a meeting, it's nice to welcome members with a drink and keep some snacks on the table, especially since bookish talks often make book lovers peckish.

You must decide on a menu that involves minimum cooking and food items that aren't crunchy, such as sandwiches, pizza, pita, and hummus, or cakes and pastries. This way, members can enjoy them during the discussion without making any distracting sounds.

Still, it is best to serve the majority of the food after the talk. Wine can flow freely from the very start and in some cases, might even lead to a livelier conversation.

Conclusion

Being part of a book club is a fun activity, and hosting a meet is a privilege. Do not stress over it though, as members come to discuss books, and everything else takes a backseat when it's time to talk about characters and stories. As a host, enjoy the experience and don't get so caught up in it that you forget to read the book yourself.