If you're in a book club how does it work?

[INACGMOOH]

Thinking of setting up a club and wondered how other clubs work. i.e:

How many people in the club?
How often do you meet?
Where do you meet?
If you meet in each other's houses do you provide food?
Do you have a limit on how long books are?
How do you choose your books?
Any other thoughts?

I see uo a book club a few years ago.

Ok to answer some questions.....

About 6 in mine, were more to start with but people fizzle out. We meet in the local pub the first Tuesday of every month. I get every one to write down a book suggestion and out the entries in a pot and every month we draw one out so everyone gets their suggestion at some point. We don't eat there, although we always have a Christmas meet up where we do.

We meet monthly and used to take it in turns to recommend a book but now we tend to listen to suggestions on the night and then decide.

Host provides tea/coffee/wine and some snacks although often members will bring wine along as well.

8 of us. And we normally have at least seven turn up to each meeting.
We meet once a month, in one another's houses.
Just crisps/snacks, wine and soft drinks. Not too stressful for the host.
No limit on length.
We each take a turn to bring along four books to select one for the following month, and we give a short description, or a couple of review quotes if we haven't already read the book. Pass them round for everyone to have a look at. Then each person votes for their favourite two of the four and we choose the book with most votes. This sounds complicated but actually works really well.
One more suggestion .. to start off, we go round the room and everyone gets to give their view of the book for a couple of minutes with no interruptions. This works particularly well if there's an individual who tends to dominate. Unusually, we don't have one of those! After that it's just a general discussion.

I've been to a few.

How many people in the club? 6-16
How often do you meet? Always monthly, some with Xmas/ summer breaks so 10-12 pa
Where do you meet? Cafes pubs and community rooms, sometimes a private room in these
If you meet in each other's houses do you provide food? N/a
Do you have a limit on how long books are? No but I'd prefer under 500 pages!
How do you choose your books? Either the organiser, a poll on Facebook or through discussion/ suggestions at a previous meeting
Any other thoughts? I've not seen any advertised as women only but they always become women only!

Eight of us. We take it in turns to host. We haven’t had a book involved for about five years. We just drink wine.

We meet every 6 weeks, there are 6 of us currently but it's been more than this at times.
We meet at my house and take turns to choose the book. It has to be one that the chooser hasn't already read. The person who chooses the book brings questions and snacks, I usually provide drinks. Sometimes these are themed to the book.
We are registered with the library so try to alternate book club sets (they have special sets of 10 books that you get a longer time on) and books we need to buy.

We have 6-8 in ours. We meet in a pub that does cheap food, although there’s no obligation to have a meal. We meet on a Monday when the pub is quieter and we sit in a quiet alcove. During covid, we had our meetings via zoom, and we occasionally still do this, if someone is poorly etc. We meet monthly.

initially we got bookclub ideas from a relative who was already in a book club. Alternatively, we look online, or suggestions has come from Sara Cox’s bookclub programme on tv. Or we have a theme. Ie. Winter/Christmas books in December. Some books have been literally, ie. Frankenstein, others at the other end of the spectrum. Some books we’ve all enjoyed, others there’s been a mixed reaction.

i’ve really enjoyed it and read books and genres I wouldn’t have read, and been introduced to some new authors which I’ve subsequently read other books.

(sorry, long post).

Ours is not really that serious.

We all bring food/drink

We do try to read all the books but real life gets in the way.

We don't always discuss them but sometimes someone will bring up a point.

Sometimes we have a theme and sometimes it is whatever you want.

We try to meet monthly if we can.

There are 5 of us - all female

We tend to meet in one of three places. My place is one room only so not suitable.

Six of us (has been more historically). We meet every month except school summer holidays (we all have school aged children and too difficult to find dates when everyone around).
We rotate around member houses. Host provides dinner (shepherd’s pie, curry or similar) and drinks (but everyone brings a bottle).
Host suggests selection of books for next read and choice is selected by all as have to rule out ones some may have already read etc. No themes. We save any particularly long books for the summer holidays.
We always discuss the book but length of discussion varies depending on the book.

8 people
Once a month, each other's house with easy dinner
Everyone choses a book at the beginning of the year and list sent out
Don't meet December, April, July August in case of travel

But how did you actually start it? Where did you find the members?

7 members in mine. It was started by a friend of a friend with a core group of 4 and then more people invited. Three of the people in the core group had children in the same class at primary school and chatted at pickup, the other had children in a swimming class with one of the group and again, time spent chatting while watching swimming.

We meet every 2 months. We have certain themes of book e.g. one biography, one non-fiction, one classic fiction to read over the year as one of the members is really keen on diaries and it keeps it balanced. We have various selections proposed but more or less everyone takes it in turns to suggest a few - we tend to have big planning meetings in january and september to plan the next few books ahead. We take it in turns to go to people's houses - wine, tea, snacks etc

We meet every month. One person set it up and invited various friends she thought would be interested. I only knew her when I started going.

Rotate around each persons house. They pick the book and provide the wine / food.

Between 6- 10 people in ours. We meet once a month in a café. Each person takes it in turn to choose a book this way everyone gets to choose a book.

We use the Goodreads app for admin ie meeting date/time/ current book. It's pretty good as as it has some discussion guides too.

Our group is fairly informal and we all turn up even if we haven't read the book for a bit of chit chat. Saying that most people do read the book.

6 of us. Friends already. Take it in turn to host once a month. Books suggested and voted for. Tbf if people don't like the book and don't even read it it's ok, we're a v laid back book club!