Books > Book Club Tips

Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous ALA and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Chains also received the 2009 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and Laurie was chosen for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award. Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. You can follow her adventures on Twitter, http://twitter.com/halseanderson, and on her blog, http://halseanderson.livejournal.com/.

Book Club Tips

Starting Your Own Reading Group

Ask people you know to help you organize the first meeting. Decide the ideal size for your group. Smaller groups (somewhere between four and ten) are great because they allow everyone a chance to participate, while larger groups (ten-plus) allow for greater diversity. You can also have special guest meetings where people invite friends or co-workers to join.

 

Mapping Out Meeting Logistics

  • Where will the group meet?
  • How often?
  • What time?
  • Are refreshments served?

Selecting Books

Identify what types of books you will read. Do you want to focus on specific topics or genres?

Decide how you will choose the books –discuss candidates and vote, host/hostess pick, members take turns, random drawings –all have their benefits and your group may try several methods before finding the right one.

Choose books that challenge the group and generate discussion. Books with additional resources such as reading group guides, publisher/author websites with author interviews, enhanced bios, blogs, etc. add new dimensions to the conversation.

See All Books With Reading Group Guides

Discussing Books

Consider what atmosphere you want to cultivate. Groups may be serious and academic in tone, or lighthearted and social. It's important to establish the tone as well as the pace of the meeting. "Social hour" may be designated at the top of the meeting with a specific time designated for the start of the book discussion.

Set the guidelines for the discussions

  • Do you want to designate leaders?
  • Who will introduce the title and author?
  • What, if any, are the ground rules?
  • Will guest speakers be invited?
  • What about members who have not read the current selection?

Resources

The web is a great place to find book club resources.

SimonandSchuster.com offers fantastic reading group guides, author interviews, suggested reads, contests, and much more.

ReadingGroupGuides.com, Shelfari.com, LibraryThing.com, and GoodReads.com are robust online communities for readers and book clubs.

You can also try your local library and bookseller for recommendations and additional materials.