Once upon a time, book clubs were mostly associated with lukewarm coffee, awkward silences, and everyone pretending they definitely understood the symbolism and they for sure finished the full book before the meeting started. Now? They’re themed dinner parties, chaotic group chats, and cute bookstore crawls with your friends.
Whether you’re an avid reader with a never-ending backlog or someone just trying to wean themselves off doomscrolling, there’s space for you in a book club. Because books are no longer the only main event; sometimes, they’re just the thing that brought everyone together in the first place. For anyone looking to start their own little community of readers and yappers, here’s your guide on how to run a book club!
Chapter 1: Assemble Your Main Characters
Every book club needs an iconic cast of readers! Book club members come in all varieties – once you’ve assembled yours, see if you can spot the following! Not every group has to have these exact members, but we encourage you to discover the found family trope IRL.
The Social Butterfly
Hasn’t touched a book since elementary school, but somehow keeps the entire group alive with voice notes and dinner reservations.
The Romance Reader
Arrives with the highlighters for annotating juicy details, the good bottle of wine, and zero shame.
The Spreadsheet Supreme
Already has the online tracking system set up, tracks the team’s ratings, and makes color-coded pages to highlight all the different themes.
The Literary Fiction Fanatics
Casually suggests the deep-cut original copies in Icelandic, and will always stand behind the prose being the whole point.
The Thriller Thinker
Only reads books with in-depth mysteries that they can bring out their red string for, and has time to curate a whole podcast selection to pair with their reads.
The Chaos Curator
Never finishes the book, but always has the strongest opinions anyway! Brings the best snacks and will always facilitate the ultimate lore deep dives – with only a million different tangents.
Chapter 2: Pick Your Vibes Before Your Books
Your book club personality determines everything: the books you choose, the snacks you bring, the background playlists, and whether the group chat is refined discussion or unhinged emojis at 2am. So, brainstorm some possible club identities!
Will your club feel like dark academia over red wine and paperbacks, or cozy fantasy wrapped up in blankets with tea-stained pages? Maybe it has chaotic thriller energy, filled with wild theories, or contemporary fiction that turns every meeting into a beautifully dramatic therapy session. After all, you have to build the bookshelf before you can start stacking the shelves!
Chapter 3: The Book Selection Process
We all know that one bad pick can send you spiraling into the dreaded reading slump, which is why coming to an agreement on your reading list is important. The right book will create connections as well as discussions, so try voting systems, genre rotation, and monthly themes so everyone gets involved. You might want to avoid 700 pages of emotional damage until you’re sure everyone is in it for the long haul, or, at the very least, include some short options between the heavy reads! You can even play around with hilarious prompts to spark inspiration for your next title:
- ‘Books everyone pretended to understand in university’ for the more academically inclined readers
- ‘Unhinged dystopian classics’ to get into the nitty-gritty of society
- ‘Books that everyone can’t stop raving about on TikTok’ if you want to keep up with the trends.
Chapter 4: Make the Meetings Memorable
If it feels like the meetings are turning into homework, then your club might be cooked. But worry not, with a few fun additions, it’s easy to make your meetings interactive.
Schedule trips with your group, like heading off on a reading retreat to read books (obviously), hang out with friends, and get a lovely dose of wellness. Or, jump on the trends to keep things fresh! Themed food and drinks? Excellent. Matching outfits based on your book? Fabulous. Blind book exchanges, annotation nights, dramatic read-alouds of cringey scenes? Even better. Modern book culture is becoming increasingly more connected, combining a solo hobby with a social community!
Chapter 5: Master the Art of Book Club Conversation
Keeping up an open and honest conversation is always a good call – because, let’s be real, miscommunication might work as a book trope, but it’s way less entertaining in real life! Let’s normalize chaotic opinions, topical tangents, and meme-sharing. Not everyone engages with literature in the same way; some might focus on the topics and abstract ideals, others might look to the emotionally devastating quotes – and hey, some of us might just be here for the good snackage! All are valid.
Now, don’t get us wrong, you can definitely add in the usual by-the-book questions for breaking down a story, but above all, you should have fun engaging with the discussion. So bring forth the hot takes! Replace the “What did you think of that ending” style questions with fun, relevant options like “Which character is the most likely to be cancelled online after starting their own podcast?” or “What trending songs would this character add to their TikTok post during this pivot scene?”
Chapter 6: Digital Discussions
Not every book club exists in the same city anymore, and that’s part of the modern charm! Sometimes your book-loving buddies live all around the world, but that can make it tough to get everyone together in the same space. Platforms like Zoom, Discord, and a dedicated WhatsApp group make it much easier to keep the bookish conversations going! Reading trackers and live reaction vlogs help to keep the party going without everyone having to physically meet up. You can even schedule fun virtual activities like live reading sprints, reaction challenges, and virtual background designing based on your current reads!
Online reading spaces are also becoming an alternative to algorithm-heavy social media feeds. Spaces like Pagebound, Fable, and StoryGraph are creating communities formed around discussing stories, recommending books, and meeting new people with similar interests. Additionally, celebrity book clubs are shaping mainstream reading through influential figures like Oprah Winfrey, Dua Lipa, and Reese Witherspoon. These celebrities are using their platforms to spotlight diverse authors, mix up genres, and pair reading with other multimedia outlets like playlists, podcasts, and online discussions.
Chapter 7: Your Book Club Brand
Your book club brand is what turns your club from ‘people who read together’ into an actual clockable community. We’re talking about a recognizable club name, your very own logo, your dress code, signature colors, and inside jokes. You can even start your own social media profile, posting current reads, star ratings, and hangout fun – all creating a shared timeline of memories you can look back on for years to come!
You can also go all out with bookworm essentials like custom bookmarks, matching tote bags, cute mugs, cozy sweatshirts, themed candles, and annotation/bookish stickers. Or, keep it simple with a shared playlist and that one running joke that somehow becomes the backbone for the entire group dynamic. And, hey, both approaches work in our book!
Chapter 8: Make It Inclusive
A good book club doesn’t feel like an entrance exam for literature lovers – they’re welcoming, not intimidating. This is ideally a space where everyone feels comfortable participating, so try to balance the voices by creating an ‘everyone gets a turn’ token. All readers and opinions are valid, so it’s important not to yuck someone’s yum!
Inclusivity also means keeping participation realistic! Library dates, secondhand bookstores, ebook deals, audiobook access, and book swaps all help remove cost barriers, while also being a great way to eat up the literary feast without breaking the bank.
Chapter 9: Keep the Momentum Going
Book clubs can fizzle out due to scheduling chaos, too much pressure, and even overcomplicated planning. The trick is to keep things flexible! Not everyone needs to attend every meeting, just like not every book needs to be a life-changing masterpiece. Sometimes those relaxed, low-stakes discussions on a fun ‘bad book’ are much more memorable than the critically acclaimed book breakdowns anyway!
Seasonal themes, adaptation movie nights, bonus café meetups, and casual reading periods help to maintain excitement without causing burnout. Consistency (and enjoyment) matters way more than perfection! Be mindful of scheduling all these activities too frequently, though! Because people are busy and sometimes life just starts life-ing. A strong book club is one that adapts, loosens its expectations, and keeps people coming back because it’s enjoyable, not obligatory.
The truth is, the modern book club isn’t just about reading anymore – it’s moved away from its solitary roots and transformed into something far more social, interactive, and just plain fun! Because, at the end of our story, maybe the real five-star reads were the friends we made along the way.
Lily is a Content Specialist at Zazzle from Galway, Ireland. Before she could even walk, she was begging her parents to read her fantastical stories filled with great adventures. To this day, just give her a cup of tea and a good book to cozy up with, and she will be happily lost for hours! If she doesn’t have her nose in a book, then she will probably whipping up something delicious in the kitchen for her friends and family, or, negotiating with her house plants to stay alive.
Read more from Lily.
