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Book Club Tips

Rafael Yglesias
Photograph by James Salzano

Rafael Yglesias

Rafael Yglesias is an American novelist and screenwriter. He dropped out of high school upon publication of his first novel in 1972 at age 17. He is the author of nine novels, including Dr. Neruda’s Cure For Evil and Fearless, which he adapted for the screen. He also wrote the screenplays for Death And The Maiden, Les Miserables, From Hell, and Dark Water. He has two grown sons and lives in New York’s Greenwich Village.

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.

All Book Club Picks

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.