Book clubs are getting more and more famous in the last couple of years. Here are some book club recommendations for that great 'book clubbing' experience.
If you are a book lover and are planning on starting a book club soon, here are some recommendations, in order to make your club a huge success and to give you the satisfaction of imparting knowledge.
So you want to host a book club. Great. But that's not really the end of it all. You can't just stack it with novels and say that your work is done. There have to be some great things planned out if you want the book club to be a success. The following are some recommendations.
Seating Arrangement
Have a very comfortable set up made for the book club. If you're going to be sitting there having long discussions, then there needs to be that kind of an ambiance created. A round table-esque format is shown to yield very lively discussions.
Comfortable bean bags or a soft mattress on the floor with all perched above it are other two great options that you can look into. The lighting of the room is also essential. Lots of light and none of that dimmed light effect, please. A wall-mounted book shelf in the room makes for easy access, and frankly, helps to create the correct ambiance.
Background Study
Ask any literature student and they will tell you how important background study is to understand a book in its entirety. Study about the era in which it was written, the historical events that contributed to its conception, the familial history of the author, the mind set, can help to understand a book completely.
And if you have members who are interested in going beyond the obvious and studying something more than what meets the eye, you should definitely include a background study of the novel in your book club. Even before reading the actual book.
Discussions
Discussions can be on the following:
The things they liked about the book
The characterization and how it helped the story
What were the other possible outcomes or a storyline that could have been followed
Where is the book flawed
What parts of the book are the most effective
A language analysis of the book
Favorite quotes
Inviting Experts
One could invite experts from the specialized fields to come and speak to the book club about some famous novels.
In the process, one will definitely get a more in-depth knowledge and additional information about the book and the subject, the era and other factors like that. The club will also get a chance to ask questions to the expert(s). Nothing better than first hand knowledge.
Visiting Places
This needs careful planning and execution. One could arrange for field trips to places like museums and the author's homes. It gives the readers a perception about how/when/where, and in what conditions the book was written. They'll be able to understand the book better.
Book Club Selections
Most book clubs are formed because its members have a particular favorite genres―classics, tragedies, Shakespeare, comedies, contemporaries, biographies, fiction, prize-winning books, regional etc.
You could experiment with the kind of genre of books that you want to read in a month, then change to a different genre. This will allow you to have a choice of books and the constant change in the types of books will keep things interesting.
When you start or join a book club, these are some of the things that you can include as a part of the activities offered. Other than these book club recommendations, you could also include some other activities of your own. So, get creative and start experimenting.