Running a book discussion group

Everything you need to know about starting a reading group. Connect and share ideas around your favorite subjects. Book discussion groups enrich our enjoyment of reading literature by providing an opportunity to articulate and share our impressions and hear other peoples. The reason for god would be good for a christian book club that wants to talk directly about issues in faith rather than getting at issues through stories. How to start a reading group reading group choices book. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and distribute. The reason for god is a nonfiction book that addresses the most common objections to christianity and presents a case for the rationality of christianity. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. These groups can be organized in a variety of ways. A book discussion club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. Print your own business cards with the name of your website.

Some groups might have a consistent moderator for example if your group is run by the local library, a librarian will probably lead the meetings. Will you share the responsibility with another or will you rotate who leads meetings. An effective discussion group depends on a leader or facilitator who can guide it through an open process the group chooses what its discussing, if not already determined, discusses it with no expectation of particular conclusions, encourages civil disagreement and argument, and makes sure that every member is included and no one dominates. If you want to learn something new or meet new people, consider starting a group on facebook, goodreads, or your preferred social media platform. Its like a team in business, only the purpose is a bit different, and you dont have a psychotic boss demanding impossible things in an unrealistic time framejust a psychotic professor, demanding you understand impossible things in an unrealistic time. Check out our book club discussion questions post that has 40 of them. A book club sometimes called a reading group or book group is a group of people who get together on a regular basis to discuss books. Try to find a group of like minded individuals, asking around family, friends, friends of friends and. A group may meet at a bookstore, home, cafe, church, or park.

Literature discussion groups have been called by many names. It can be hard to make contact with book groups, as they are normally set up by word of mouth. Also, you can provide a tool to help them make sense of their own thoughts and feelings before they begin their group discussions. For the first meeting, it makes sense for you to suggest the title and prepare a few discussion questions. The main difference is the group has a specific, focused discussion topic. Other frequently used terms to describe a book discussion club include reading group, book group, and book discussion group. Will you have a web based book club or will you meet facetoface.

Learn how to facilitate one in this video from the office of life ministry. Whether you are an outgoing extrovert or the shy one in the group, you can lead your book club in an engaging discussion by following these. Now youre faced with the basic question that all groups have to deal with when they first start out. How to start a book club that doesnt suck book riot. In comes the letter writers alliance, a worldwide organization of letter writers that hosts broadcasted online. How to begin and lead a book discussion group iowa. There are a lot of different social media platforms out there, but facebook is among. If your library doesnt offer a regular reading group at. The host and discussion leader are always 2 different members, so that no one has. How to run a successful study group quick and dirty tips. We take turns leading the book discussion and do this on a volunteer monthtomonth basisjust like the hosting. You can also create a group on meet up or put up fliers at local coffee shops and. How to start a book discussion group get together a core group it is much easier to start a book club with two or three people who already have some connection. Book clubs are popular not only because people like to read, but also because they are great social outlets.

A group may be made up of friends, coworkers, parents, neighbors, or people who were once strangers. That way, you can easily share them with the group later on. Classroom discussion is a timehonored way to learn. Obviously theres a lot more to running home group bible studies than ive covered here, but. A book discussion group is a forum where readers can come together and talk about books and the reading experience. Lauren johns running book discussion groups a howtodoit manual is a wellspring of historical data, organizational tips, publicity techniques, content summaries, managerial information, and very practical pointers about group synamics and group management. A little off topic conversation is fine, but you also want to respect the fact that people have read the book and expect to talk about it. But if youre running a digital book club, there are a few other rules that apply, too.

If your group decides not to use a paid leader, you have several options. Holding the discussion also see how to discuss a book with a leader. A place where all goodreads members can work together to improve the goodreads book catalog. Ask around the office, playgroups, your church, or civic organizations. We have 7 tips to help you lead a great book club discussioneverything from book discussion questions. The role of a moderator will vary from group to group.

Ten top tips for great focus groups theres no doubt that great focus groups require meticulous planning. Heres how to start a book club that doesnt peter out along the way. You can help your organization become a learning organization in which people continuously grow and develop. As the facilitator, it is your job to recognize tangents and bring the discussion back to the book.

How to effectively lead bible study small group or church. Our ideas can help you lead a discussion, find helpful resources, and be a smart participant. If youre like me, an introverted former english student, you may have an aversion to book clubs because they still feel too much like class, except they have wine. There are so many reasons to be part of a book club. Some clubs meet online, many meet inperson either in homes or public places such as a library, bookstore or cafe. Book clubs for every genre and discussion groups around every literary topic imaginable. There are adult groups, studentled groups, motherdaughter groups, fatherson groups, and parentchild groups, to. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. Running a book group so youve got a group of friends who are eager to start a reading group together. You can certainly bring the groups together for discussion on something especially sensitive. But if you think discussions irl can get out of hand, just wait until youre trying.

Use our litlovers resources below to help you with specific questions. Starting an online reading group with friends is simple if. Professionals can help you pick books that your group will enjoy and will lead your discussion of the book based on questions they prepare. Random house readers circle where readers can chat with fellow book lovers, find authors on tour, find book disucssion questions, and more reading. Make a designated facebook group for all members to join. In order to encourage engagement and generate a group discussion, you can give members opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings and provide feedback on what theyre learning. Rotate discussion leaders each monthmaybe its the person who selects the book or the one who hosts the meeting. Thanks to its partnership with publisher eye on education, educationworld is pleased to reprint the blog post why should i start or join a book study group. In general, we recommend having a moderator and rotating the role. Whether youre a facebook addict, an avid tweeter, or are willing to be part of any group that will read books with you, creating an online book club has never been easier.

Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Effects of literature discussion groups on reading. Some clubs hold book discussions first and invite social members to join afterward. The best king of stories feature dynamic characters who change throughout the book. The groups composition and the group discussion are carefully planned to create a nonthreatening environment in. The book club gives employees the opportunity to step up and practice leadership roles such as leading a group discussion or presenting to provide an overview of a chapter. The facilitators handy list of ground rules, guidelines and. You might have one member usually the one who chose the book prepare some questions that will launch your discussion. Bringing together book lovers in your area reading groups form for a variety of reasons, and in a variety of locations. Joining a book club can seem impossible, if you dont know where to look. You may be leading students, married couples, men, women, teenagers, youth, or any age group, these principles remain the same.

Tips for running a successful, sustainable book club. Starting a book club is more complicated than you might think. It is more often called simply a book club, a term that is also used to describe a book sales club, which can cause confusion. Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. Today, we are going to discuss principles to effectively leading small group bible study. Interested in running a book discussion group in your parish. You can really influence and impact your group members. Organizing and managing a book discussion group california. Nonlibrarians are welcome to join the group as well, to comment or request changes to book records.

How big or small of a book club do you want to create. Zepeda this post answers frequently asked questions about schoolbased book study groups. Her book provides a detailed stepbystep guide to the tasks and. Online book clubs are also likely to become even more popular as more and more of the world practices social distancing, in light of the recent coronavirus outbreak.

It is also an evidencebased way to help students retain information,garside, colleen. For more formal groups a prepared list of questions about the book will keep the discussion moving forward. Quick start guide book discussion groups libguides at. So here are some of the key principles for leading a bible study small. How do we go from being a random bunch of people who like to read to an organized reading group. How to begin and lead a book discussion group iowa center for.

Starting, running and choosing books for a reading group. And what if youd just rather be at home in your pajamas. Ask your family and friends to drop in and join in the discussion. As you read each novel, jot down page numbers and passages that moved you and where you found answers to the discussion questions. Having discussion questions before your book club meets will help facilitate a good discussion of your book.