What it is

Hi! So this is my vision of the book club I want to start. I’d like to keep numbers under 15 and, ideally, closer to 10, but there is still room for a few more.

Set in stone book club rules: I’m sure the guidelines and look of the gatherings will change and flow over time but there are a few ‘set in stone’ rules that won’t change: 1) No erotica/porn – all other genres are welcome – YA, fiction, non-fiction, mystery, fantasy, poetry, plays, whatever. Just no erotica. That does not mean that the books we read will have no sex/violence/foul language. I’m sure some will. But that should not be the sole purpose of the book. If you can’t finish a book because of content or just because you find the book so boring that you can’t read another word, that’s OK. Come to the book club anyway and discuss the book. Which brings us to 2) We will be discussing the book. This is an actual book club. We will be sharing thoughts and opinions. We will not be ridiculing or attacking each other’s thoughts and opinions. If you run out of time and can’t finish the book be warned – there will be spoilers at the meeting. Come and discuss what you have read but don’t expect us to not talk about the parts you haven’t read.

For now, the meetings will be the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. We will start with a discussion of the book and then enjoy refreshments and a time to visit with each other.

Host: Decides on and provide a location for the meeting. This could be the host’s home, a park, the library, or any other place the host feels is appropriate. The host also provides the food. We must have food! I think there will be a few of us that require gluten free refreshments. If this is a problem for you, let me know and I can help. Just about anything can be made gluten free and taste good – don’t let this be something that stops you from hosting, we can work around it.

Moderator: Chooses the book. There are a number of resources to help with this – library, web sites, friends’ recommendations, best seller lists, and we will have a theme jar if you want some direction (you don’t have to use this just if you want to). Don’t worry about whether everyone will like the book – you may even end up choosing a book that you don’t enjoy. No worries, sometimes those are the books that produce the best discussions. The moderator also leads the discussion about the book. You can find reading guides, for almost any book, online that include questions and ideas. You might also invite a special guest speaker or use videos or music to spark discussion. Feel free to be creative with this as well.

If you aren’t comfortable with either of these rolls right now but change your mind later (because, really, it’s fun to host and to moderate!) just let me know and I’ll add you into the rotation. If you just want to read the books and come discuss them, that’s OK too. No pressure.