Let’s Talk Books: Five Tips for Starting Your Own Book Club

I love talking about books. A lot. And for years, I wanted to be part of a book club. But there was one small problem: after taking too many English classes in university, I hate being told what to read. Cue the Book Witches, a group of librarians, writers and publishers, that also happens to be my book club. It’s not a traditional book club, though. Instead of reading the same book and discussing it, when we meet up, we bring books we’ve read and loved, and everyone goes home with a new TBR pile.

But this ad hoc, untraditional book club isn’t for everyone, so I reached out to Sarah Pietroski, the owner of The Novel Spot Bookshop in Etobicoke, and hosts Novel Nights—an in-store book club—to find out more about how her book club works.

“As a bookshop owner, it is a goal of mine to be a bigger part of the community by offering author talks and signings and hosting book clubs,” she says.

“I started Novel Nights 10 years ago to fill a void. There are many voracious readers who do not belong to book clubs or don't want to belong to one because they don't want to be told what to read. These readers would still love the chance to talk about books with others but not have a monthly commitment, so after a lot of thought Novel Nights was conceived.”

Novel Nights is a bit of a hybrid between the monthly meetings of most book clubs where everyone reads and discusses the same book, and the choose-your-own-adventure of my Book Witches.

How it works is Sarah and the Novel Spot team announces the new book club book in on their newsletter and social media. If the date of the book club works with the person's schedule and they like the sound of the book, then call the store to reserve a copy of the book and a ticket.

“We cap it at 10 participants as we feel discussion flows better and people are more comfortable adding their thoughts/insights to the discussion,” Sarah says. “Each month is a new adventure with new faces.”

Sarah adds: “If you're not in a book club, fear not! There will be others who have also never been in a book club. If you let your friends know that, they may feel less intimidated and want to partake. We have a number of Novel Nights participants who come because they've never been part of a book club. Now they are repeat attendees!”

Sarah’s tips for starting a successful book club:

Just do it
It's not a forever commitment.

Make sure at least one of the members has actually read the book
You want to make ensure there is something to discuss!

Picking the right book is key
Book selection is the toughest part. You want a book that is well-written, and has lots of great things to discuss. We try and switch up themes, time periods, book settings etc.

Finding a theme
If the book has a theme or specific setting, you can have food and treats that work with the book. At one book club we read a book by a Turkish author so we had Turkish sweets!

I’m going add #5: Invite an author! Authors (often!) love coming to book club events!

Sarah notes that some months everyone will love the book. “It makes for a very different discussion than others where readers had differing opinions. Likewise, some personal stories that attendees have shared were truly amazing.”

“Once again it shows the power of books and book clubs!”