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Hosting a Book Club

By Kira Lewis 19 Comments

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Hosting a Book Club

Have you been wanting to start  a book club? Wondering what to read and how to host one? We've got great book club suggestions as well as an easy way to pull together a fun party for all your book club friends. SunshineandHurricanes.com

I absolutely LOVE to read, I’m a little bit obsessed. I have a Kindle Fire and the Kindle app on my phone. I consider the best form of “me time” to be a trip to the book store where I can look at and read MORE books. I even subscribe to about half a dozen magazines. What I love ALMOST as much as reading is talking about what I’m reading with other people.

So, when Michelle suggested we start a book club last fall, I was ALL IN!!!! We’ve had a great year of get togethers with our fellow book club members and read so many really good books. However, since everyone in our book club is a mom, we decided to take the summer off.  This of course gave us a great excuse to have an end of year book club party!! We decided on a wine and dessert theme, because, well, besides reading they definitely are two of our other most favorite things. Then we created a fun and whimsical summer feel with pink and green decor and held the party on my outdoor patio right by the pool.

A Wine and Dessert theme is an easy way to have a fun and classy book club get together. Hosting a Book Club. SunshneandHurricanes.com

We also thought it would be fun to use Middle Sister Wines, which are based on a series of quirky  “middle sister” characters who each claim their own varietal and personality. The different sisters featured on the wines are engaging and entertaining, just like a good book, and our book club members, making them a fun addition to our little soiree. The wines are made by award-winning winemaker Nancy Walker, who just happens to be a middle sister herself. You can find red, white and sparkling wines from California and Argentina to choose from and the brand is carried at Target, where I think Michelle and I spend half our lives. So, it was easy for us to pick-up along with all our other goodies.

Hosting a Book Club. Middle Sister Wine. SunshineandHurricanes.com

I loved the cute new brand makeover that the Middle Sister wines just received that now feature “Drops of Wisdom”-  fun and sassy doses of inspiration right on the front label. I thought  “Drama Queen” Pinot Grigio and “Mischief Maker” Cabernet Sauvignon seemed pretty appropriate for out little party based on what we read this year. This way I also made sure both the red and white wine drinkers were happy.

Hosting a Book club with a wine and dessert theme. SunshineandHurricanes.com

The evening was a great way for us to talk about our final book of the year, The Rosie Project by Graeme C. Simsion. We lucked out with perfect weather and the Middle Sister wines along with cute mini-cupcakes complimented our discussions beautifully.

Hosting a Book Club. SunshineandHurricanes.com

We also enjoyed the chance to celebrate the beginning of summer. The school year is a busy time for moms, so we were all looking forward to a more laid back pace of life for a few months, and of course some beach reading.

Hosting a Book Club. SunshineandHurricanes.com

Michelle was giving us a few suggestions for what we might start reading when we resumed our book club this fall. Overall all our wine and dessert book club gathering was a success. Such a success that we talked until after the sun went down. We’re in no hurry for summer to be over, but starting book club up again does give us something to look forward to this fall. Have you been wanting to start a book club of your own?  As Michelle and I formed our group, we came up with a list of important questions that can really help set your book club up for long term success.

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Book Club

1.  How many people should you include?

At first, you may want to have as many people as possible because you don’t want to leave anyone out or just because you’ve got so many friends you wish you had an excuse to get together with more often. However, we are busy people these days and when you start trying to coordinate too many overloaded schedules, it can be almost impossible to find a day and time that will work for everyone.

Also, you want to foster good discussion, and when there are too many people trying to share their opinions it can just become a shouting match or it can discourage the more introverted members of the group from sharing their thoughts. Ultimately, we settled on no more than six people as about the ideal number for a book club.

2. Who should be a part of the book club? While you may be inclined to stick to people you know and who share similar views with you.  Starting a book club presents an opportunity to widen your circle.  It keeps things more interesting when you get a little bit of disagreement (as long as it stays civil) and when people see things in slightly different ways.

3. What should you read?

Again, don’t be afraid to change things up a bit and go a little outside your comfort zone. It’s good to read things that challenge you and make you really think.  At the same time, you also want to make sure that you aren’t always reading books with heavy subject matter.

Some book clubs do a rotation where a different member chooses the book each month. We liked looking up book reviews from other book clubs or even best seller lists to come up with our selections. Although, sometimes someone would come in with a book they felt passionately about us all reading and we were happy to go along.

Feel free to check out our 10 Book Club Suggestions

4. Where to have your book club?

You’ll need to determine if you’ll take turns hosting the book club in your homes or maybe that just adds too much stress. You can pick a favorite restaurant that will be your go to place each month, you could reserve a room at your local library or even a local coffee house.

5. Should you theme your gathering based on the book?

This can be a fun idea, but not all books lend themselves to a theme as we discovered.  It also can make things more complicated, which nobody needs in their lives these days.  At the end of the day, the point is to make time for reading and friendship.

Are you already part of a book club? What tips do you have to offer?

For more great book club fun: Follow Sunshine and Hurricanes ‘s board Book Club Banter on Pinterest.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Filed Under: Mom Life Tagged With: Books for Moms

About Kira Lewis

Kira Lewis is a mom to a strong and sassy 8 year old girl and a funny, soccer playing teen boy.  Her career has included everything from corporate ladder climbing to teaching yoga. She's settled for now on free-lance writing and blogging where she covers topics like motherhood, parenting, technology, Florida travel and raising tweens and teens.Keep up with her parental musings by subscribing to sunshine and hurricane's weekly newsletter HERE.

You can also find her on social media:

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Comments

  1. Jamie Collins says

    March 19, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    All it takes is an open mind, some great wine, and a really good book! Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  2. Jamie Collins says

    March 19, 2016 at 11:05 pm

    All it takes is an open mind, some great wine, and a really good book! Read on…! Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  3. Matt @ Plating Pixels says

    July 17, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    I’ve never attended or even hosted a book club. But I do love to read. Looks like I know how to now! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Stephanie of The TipToe Fairy says

    July 16, 2015 at 6:33 am

    I’m in a couple online book clubs, but I’ve never done one in real life. It would be so much fun to have one and do all the food in a theme for the book. The middle sister wines sound so cute!

    Reply
  5. Ramona says

    July 15, 2015 at 1:01 am

    I’m part of a book club. This year we’ve been reading a lot of self-help books. I’ve enjoyed our meetings, but wine makes them better. Middle Sister Wine sounds like a fun brand.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. Becky says

    July 14, 2015 at 11:29 am

    I’m not part of a book club, but it sounds like an amazing way to have some “girly time!” Good books, good food, good wine and good conversations…I’m in!!

    Reply
  7. CM says

    July 14, 2015 at 10:41 am

    I started a book club along with my gal pals several years ago. We would have brunch or lunch at different restaurants around the area. They are still going strong since I moved.

    Reply
  8. Joanne T Ferguson says

    July 14, 2015 at 4:19 am

    I love reading and always wanted to host a book club! Here, to get people to commit to anything these days, is a nightmare, so really admire groups like this!

    Reply
  9. Debra says

    July 14, 2015 at 3:06 am

    I have always wanted to be in a book cllub but I haven’t found one yet!

    Reply
  10. kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says

    July 14, 2015 at 12:10 am

    This looks like so much fun! I love your tips!

    Reply
  11. Becky @ lovetobeinthekitchen says

    July 13, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    This makes me want to join a book club! I’m all about hanging out with my girl friends and eating good food! Great tips!

    Reply
  12. Betsy @ Happily Ever After, Etc. says

    July 13, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    Love this whole post… I am an avid reader but have never joined a book club before. Maybe I need to find one! Plus those wine bottles are adorable… I love the quirky descriptions!

    Reply
  13. Tiffany of Macarons and Coffee says

    July 13, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    Never been in a book club, but would love to!!

    Reply
  14. Meagan says

    July 13, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    This is great! I love book clubs. I wish I had more time to devote to them. So many great books out there, especially for the summer. I’ll have to do this with some of my friends. I bet they would love it!

    Reply
  15. Melanie says

    July 13, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    I’ve never been to a book club before. Only seen them in movies haha!

    Reply
  16. LydiaF says

    July 13, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    What a lot of fun! I’ve been part of a dinner club, but not a book club. If there’s wine involved I’m all for it 🙂

    Reply
  17. Brenda @DailyMayo says

    July 13, 2015 at 10:42 am

    I love the idea of an in-person book club. Reading books is more fun with friends!

    Reply
  18. Teresa @ Crafty Wife says

    July 13, 2015 at 10:32 am

    I’m part of an online book club but I love the idea of getting together with my girlfriends to discuss books and drink a good amount of wine! 😉 I could spend hours in a bookstore just browsing the shelves and looking through some of my favorite classic stories. I wish I got the chance to do that more! Love these tips. I’ll be pinning for future reference!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 8 Fun Ways to Celebrate Read a Book Day! – Tip Junkie says:
    January 3, 2017 at 8:11 pm

    […] If you are in a good club, schedule it today. Here are some amazing ideas and tips for hosting a book club. If you are not in a club, it’s time to join one. […]

    Reply

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