Since our official launch on September 1st, we have received dozens of e-mails from readers wanting to know how to start their own local She Reads book club. Below you will find a few tips on creating and maintaining a book club.
These groups can meet in a home, at a church, in the work place, or at a park. Be versatile and be creative.
1. Invite friends and family to join your She Reads book club. Ask women from your church, neighborhood, small group, workplace, etc. Pray first and see who God leads you to ask. The answers might surprise you! Don’t be afraid to invite a diverse group of people—the diversity can add to the depth of the discussion. Set a limit of members—keep it small enough for intimate discussion and relationships to be formed. An ideal number is 5 – 10 women.
2. Choose one or more of the She Reads selections for the upcoming season. (We recommend going through one novel per month, but each group has a different pace. Proceed at the level you are comfortable with) Encourage all members to purchase and read the the book before your first meeting.
3. Register your book club on the She Reads site by having each member sign up for our quarterly newsletter.
4. Choose a monthly meeting time that doesn’t change—for example the first Tuesday or the third Friday evening, etc. Try to come up with a time that suits everyone.
5. Before your first meeting, read the book, look over the provided discussion questions, and choose recipes to serve, ice breakers to play, and other activities provided at the She Reads site. Be prepared to contribute to your book club.
6. At the first meeting see if your members want to rotate hosting duties, and have members sign up to take turns leading the discussion. Go around the room and ask each person to share why they joined the book club. Also lay out some ground rules. For instance: If you can’t attend, let someone know. Don’t interrupt when someone else is sharing. Respect the opinions of others, etc.
7. Enjoy the time spent with a great book and dear friends!
