Do you love to read? Looking for a way to meet new people or socialize with friends? Interested in reading books that others have enjoyed but don’t want the commitment of reading a whole series on your own? A book club is a perfect solution. And here are some tips for starting a book club yourself!

• Choose a book: The first step may seem obvious, but it is one of the most important: choose a book! It should be something that everyone in your book club enjoys reading. A great place to start doing research on books would be Amazon’s bestseller lists. They have a variety of lists, from “Bestsellers in Romance” to “Books for Teens.”
• Invite people to join: Contact your friends and family members. There is no better way to get people excited about something than by telling them about it! Ask them if they’d be interested in joining you. 
• Pick a time to meet: Now that you’ve chosen a book and recruited some friends or family members who are willing to read along with you, it’s time to choose when your meetings will take place. The best times would probably be either at lunchtime or after dinner during the week, but there might also be other options available such as a weekend afternoon or weekday morning sessions depending upon everyone’s schedule.
• Pick a place to meet: Now decide where you will meet. You can choose to host the club at someone’s home or even a public place such as a coffee shop. You might even have your book club meeting at a restaurant so you can enjoy dinner and a drink at the same time.
• Set some rules: The next step is essential: set rules that everyone agrees to. These could include things like how often meetings take place (weekly? biweekly?), what time they should happen, who will provide snacks, etc. They don’t need to be overly complicated – just communicated so that everyone is on the same page.
• Gauge how the discussion went: After your first meeting, take a look at how the discussion went. Did you get to discuss all of the book? Only the first few chapters? Did you get through it all and had time left over? This will help you decide on how to plan for future book club gatherings.
• Invite others: Ready to expand your book club? There are always people who can’t make it due to other commitments. If you’d like to grow your group, let others know about your club meetings by posting flyers around town or sending out emails/social media messages to let people know. It might be hard to get the word out at first, but once you have a few meetings under your belt with some positive experiences shared by all members, then it will become much easier! Additionally, you might let your local library know – in case they have patrons who are interested.
• Pick your next book: Once you’ve finished with your first book, it’s time to pick another and start reading! You can ask for input from your book club members, draw from a hat, or take turns letting members make a pick. 

Why not start your own book club this year? Book clubs are a great way to connect with people who share a common interest in reading. It’s also a great way to explore new genres, engage in discussions with others, and just make reading much more fun!