What could be better than choosing and reading books you want to read and then discussing them with your friends? If you’re book-ish, not much! A neighbor/friend and I started and ran “Open Minds” book club together for years. Here’s what we discovered from the experience.

First, consider whether you have a strong desire and enough time to organize and run a club. Are you willing to do what it takes to make a club thrive? If so, read on!

IMPORTANT

First Rule: Insist that attendees have completely read the book to participate in discussing it. (Ha!) Knowing you can’t talk about a book without having finished it acts as a motivator. Nobody wants to stay mum when everyone else is persuasively expressing their opinions…

1. Consider when and where to meet with convenience in mind for everybody. We chose to alternate the neighborhood location each month but keep a regular day and time of day for meetings. For our group, it’s been the first Tuesday of the month, early evening: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and often beyond! The Founders like to select the kick-off book for September. In our group rotation, the next meeting host has the honor and challenge of choosing the next book to read and assigning it at the first meeting’s end. Also, whoever is host usually holds the meeting at their home. Another approach: select the books for a full year or 9 months, if taking the summer off.
2. Gather 5 to 7 friends and acquaintances.  If people already like each other in the first place, they’ll naturally be drawn together. A greater number, such as ten or twelve may be too many for all to enthusiastically participate. Alternatively, you may decide to organize a group through EventBrite.
3. Choose among book genres and consider book length.
   We tend to choose literary fiction and historical fiction, social justice, science fiction and true crime. Some clubs totally focus around one genre, such as mysteries or history. As the Founder, part of the fun is it’s your choice.
   Our optimum book length is 250 to 300 pages. This length seems achievable within a month even for very busy or very slow readers.
4. We usually discuss one book per meeting.
5. Keep the tiffs down and the interest up so you can enjoy an ongoing good time together! Sometimes personalities clash. Try to be flexible, diplomatic, and kind when minor problems arise. A member may arrive occasionally late which is sometimes unavoidable but shouldn’t hold everyone up every meeting. Practice polite ways to check the one who tends toward dominating the discussion.

Bonus tip: Abundant, flavorful food and flowing wine, water and other special beverages add to the party atmosphere. We’re lucky. One of our members is an accomplished cook who often generously volunteers to “Wow!” us. Sometimes, she even riffs off the theme of the selected book with the food she serves. An easier option is to keep it simple by just offering your guests snacks or desserts.

Enjoy your new club!