Organizing A Book Club in College
If you're in the midst of pursuing your
bachelor's degree then you know that reading for leisure is a luxury most
seldom have time for. Between having to read 10 chapters of your MicroBiology
textbook and reading the excerpts of The Odyssey for your introductory
Literature class, it may seem impossible to squeeze in time to read material
that you're actually interested in—material often reviewed on this site. But
reading for pleasure can actually help you succeed in your classes—it can help
you think more creatively and by giving your brain a break from textbook
technical writing, you can also absorb different writing styles that can come
in handy in essay writing. One of the best ways to make sure that you fit
leisure reading in your busy schedule however is to join or organize a book
club with friends. To learn the best way to do this, continue reading below.
Establish
Purpose
Some book clubs are a
"free-for-all"—members will read anything and everything, new or old.
But there are other book clubs that have a specific "theme;" for
example, all of the book selections are non-fiction, fantasy, or mystery
novels. Decide what kind of book club
you want to be before inviting members, which leads us to our next tip—
The first thing you need to do is find
people who are interested in joining your book club. Book clubs can get really
large, but if you rather keep things intimate only ask a few fellow book lovers
if they'd be interested in joining. Inviting your friends can suffice, but if
you'd prefer to make more friends,
try asking a few classmates, especially those in your English and Literature
classes. You'll get a new book club member and perhaps even a possible study
buddy during finals week.
Choose
Reading Selection
Since you're the host, it's probably
easier if you go ahead and make the first selection to get things going. If
you're struggling coming up with a good selection, there are several resources
to help you, including Jagged Edge
Reviews, Good Reads and The New York Times
Best Sellers List.
Establish
Meeting Times
The average book club gives their
members about a month or so to read the selected book. Asking via social media
which time and date works best for them is a great way to check in with
everyone's schedule at once. Do note that weekend evenings are probably bad
meeting times since people like to do more social activities at this time.
Day
of Meeting
On the day of your book club meeting,
make sure to have a list of questions that you think would spark up good
conversation about the book. Essentially, books clubs are "spoken reviews."
Some book clubs even like to watch the feature film adaption of the book during their meetings and compare
and contrast the two. Others just deeply analyze the book. Have members bring
snacks for a pot-luck type meal and just enjoy each other's company. At the end
of the meeting, ask members to write down book suggestions on a piece of paper.
Then add the suggestions in a hat and draw a selection. That book will be read
for the following meeting.
This guest contribution was submitted by Samantha Gray, who specializes in writing about online bachelors degree. Questions and comments can be sent to: samanthagray024@gmail.com.
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