Oct 27
This is part 2 of a continuing series about Book Discussion Groups. Future posts will look at ways to make your book group successful, reading group resources, and loads of book recommendations for use in your book group, along with anything else we can come up with. Click here to read Part 1: 5 Reasons to Join a Book Discussion Group.
It may seem that everyone you know is in a book discussion group. Or, perhaps no one you know is in a book discussion group. In either case, if you want to join a group yourself, it may prove to be more difficult than it would readily appear. Below are some ways to find groups to join.
- Ask your friends and acquaintances. You may not know anyone who is in a reading group, but chances are that your friends or family might know just the perfect group for you to join. If your friend is in a reading group but does not offer to have you join, please don’t be offended. The group may be full, or the members so comfortable with each other that they may not want a new member, no matter how wonderful she may be.
See if your local bookstore has a reading group. Local bookstores are usually the hub of a community’s reading activity, and a natural place to find a book group. Many stores host groups that meet in the store. Typically, the groups are open to all who want to attend, and they are traditionally moderated by a bookstore staff member. Some stores have many groups, with varied focus. For instance, The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, MA features a literary fiction group, a mystery book group, and a group that they call “Sundays with Shakespeare.” Bookstores may also know of reading groups that meet locally that might be looking for new members.
Check your local library. Libraries are another great place to find reading groups. Your local librarian will know about groups that meet at the library, and possibly other groups that meet locally as well. My local library has a bulletin board where I often see reading groups advertising for new members, or people posting that they are looking for a group to join. Some libraries hire professional group leaders — these are often professors from local universities, and the discussions are well organized. Other library groups may be informal, with the library providing the meeting space and possibly a staff member to moderate.
Try Meetup.com for groups in your local area. A quick search for “book club” in my area found several pages of groups. In fact, I am currently a member of a book group that I found out about through Meetup, and it’s been fantastic. Once you’ve found a group or two that sound interesting, you can contact the group leader for more information. Most groups seem to meet at public spaces (we meet at a Panera restaurant) so there’s pretty low risk in attending a new group.
Search Readerscircle.org. Readerscircle is a site serving the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with listings for local groups, author events, and phone chats. You can search for a book group by zip code, and there is also a comprehensive listing of independent bookstores by state.
Join an online book group. If you can’t find a local book group that you like, or if your schedule doesn’t allow you to commit to a regular meeting time, consider online book discussion groups. The three major book-related social networking sites, Goodreads, Librarything, and Shelfari, all host hundreds of groups dedicated to discussing books. Some groups operate like a formal book group, with the selection of a monthly choice and perhaps a moderator. Others are more free-form: you read the book on your own schedule and discuss it when and if you want to. One of my favorite groups on Goodreads is Constant Reader, which is a welcoming and friendly group that has existed for a very long time. They host several formal monthly book discussions, including classics, short stories and poetry as well as general fiction and nonfiction.
It may take a bit of work, along with trial and error, to find the perfect book group to fit your needs and schedule. But once you’ve found that group, you will hopefully find a group of people that can inspire you to think about books in a new way, and to enjoy books that you may not have wanted to read. The initial investment in time needed to find the group can pay large dividends later. I hope that some of these ideas work for you.
If you belong to a book group, how did you find out about the group? Do you know of other online resources to find book groups? Please share in the comments, and come back for Part 3 of this series, coming soon.
photo credit: Jonno259 via Flickr
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On behalf of my favorite Goodreads group Constant Reader — thank you for the kind words. Of course having been a follower of the group from site to site to site, I may be biased but everything you said is true.
I am just now catching up on blog posts and podcasts due to real life taking up most of my time for a long while now, but just had to comment on your promotion of the best online discussion group I’ve found — though there are a few (including your own Goodreads group — which are coming close these days!
Thanks for this excellent post. You might also check with your CHURCH or place of worship for a book group. Many churches, mine included, offer small groups that read and discuss books on different topics.