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As a kid, my mom started the most magical book club with all my friends in the summer. She would pick a book, we’dspend a few weeks reading it, and then meet at a special location with food and activities that were inspired by the themes in the book. It was so special and made my book-lover heart so fulfilled.
Fast forward twenty years, and I find myself craving to gather a group of girls together to create a memorable book club experience this fall (while I hope it’s something that will go beyond the season). It’s the perfect time to curl up on the couch with a hot coffee and a new book and meet up with your friends for a cozy night of rehashing all the happenings in the selected novel.
If you’re looking for a fun way to get together with friends and experience new stories, this guide will help you refreshingly ring in the fall season. Below, we’re detailing exactly how to host a book club, so you don’t have to worry about a single detail.
How to Host a Book Club This Fall
1. Choose a Book
First things first, you’ve got to choose a good book. There are so many good reads out there, and it can be overwhelming to know which ones are the best. Some places we like to go to search for up-and-coming books are Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club choices and Read with Jenna’s picks. They always seem to have a wide variety of genres to choose from, while also being super captivating.
Pro tip: You can even search “Booktok” creators on Titkok to find some great reads, too.
Broken Country
Society of Lies
Great Big Beautiful Life
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood
2. Invite Your Friends to Join
Once you have a book set, it’s time to send out invitations to your friends. This can be as simple as a text message; however, we love the idea of making this club feel exclusive by sending out invitations.
There are so many cute e-vites to choose from that you can send via text, or you can go the extra mile and send invites in the mail (this is our personal favorite).
Book Club Invitation
“Hot Girls Read” Invitation
Have you heard of a Cookbook Club?
We’re showing you exactly how to host one of your own, in this article.
3. Coordinate a Reading Schedule
Typically, book clubs are scheduled for every month, giving everyone enough time between their busy schedules to read the book in its entirety. However, you can choose to schedule your book club to your group’s lifestyle and personal schedules as well. Whether that’s every four weeks, three weeks, or a longer stretch of time, make the reading and meeting schedule that makes the most sense.
4. Plan a Book Club Meeting
After the book is read, it’s time to plan your meeting. I personally love the idea of hosting the book club at your home. Doing it this way, you can create the perfect vibe with homemade themed food, special playlists, and decorations for the book.
However, hosting a book club every once in a while at a special location is super fun as well. For example, if the book focuses on a woman who owns a bakery and falls in love in a small town, maybe find a quaint bakery to meet at to discuss the book. You can get as creative with the location and meeting details as you want. The more thoughtful, the better it’llbe!
5. Serve Themed-Food and Drinks
It’s always fun to create a food and drink menu around the themes and setting of the books you read. Keep things simple with small finger food snacks for your friends to enjoy as you sit around and talk about the month’s book. If you’rehosting the book club at night, maybe consider cooking a meal and serving cute drinks.
6. Set the Mood with Music
No matter the occasion, music always sets the tone. One of the easiest places to find personalized playlists for different events is Spotify. You could keep things generic by playing a “book club” playlist or search for something more specific depending on the book you’re reading (ex., if your book takes place in the early 2000s, search for a playlist that’s full of songs from that era).
7. Discuss and Have Some Fun Activities
After all the planning and prepping for the event, and your friends arrive, it’s time to get to the nitty-gritty — discussion time. Take a while to discuss the book — what you liked about it, what you thought was going to happen, but didn’t. It’salways interesting to see everyone’s perspective on the book. Here’s a list of some great questions to ask to get the conversation going.
In addition to discussion, play some games or have a fun activity to go along with the book. There are so many great resources on Pinterest for just about any book. Whether it’s a fun trivia game or charades, adding this element to the book club meeting will keep things interesting and upbeat.
8. Unveil the Next Book to Read
Before the book club comes to a close, it’s time to unveil the next book to read. There are many ways you and your group can choose to go about this process. Whether you vote on a new book, the next person to host the group chooses the book, or you draw a book from a hat. Have fun and keep the club going — it’ll be so much fun!
Pro tip: If you started your book club in the fall, it would be fun to transition into holiday books to read.
