Meet New People & Share The Love of Reading
Last summer, I wanted to do something different in my local community. I thought about a women's issue group, lessons of some type, etc. Ultimately, I decided to start a local book club that highlights local and state authors!
Convenience is Key
I wanted the book club to be convenient for potential members (and especially me). A Convenient Time and Convenient Location are KEY!
Book Club Meeting Time
The time of the book club must be a good fit for all types of people: working women, moms and the senior ladies too! Older women do not enjoy getting out at night. As we get older, driving in the dark is harder. We are also more tired after a long day of activities! Right? Younger women may have families and other obligations during the evening.
Meeting during the lunch hour seems like a great fit for most people. And keeping the discussion at 30 minutes would be important to honor a 1 hour lunch break.
Our meeting times looked like this:
12:00 - Order your food (at a Deli walk up counter)
12:15 - Discussion Starts
12:45 - Discussion Ends
Book Club Location
Starkville is a small town, but location is important for the working women! The book club needed:
A restaurant close to the university (the biggest employer in town), has a
Adequate parking
FREE to reserve a small room
Menu that is appealing and reasonably priced
The perfect fit was McAlister's Deli in Starkville! We were able to get the room during lunch once a month. The location has worked beautifully.
Our Organizing Meeting
During our organizing meeting in August, over 10 people showed up! I didn't even know 4 of them. The only publicity was through Facebook. I was so happy that the book club was reaching members of the community and not just my group of friends.
At the organizing meeting at McAlister's Deli, we decided upon the meeting dates, times and books. I had a few suggestions for the group and everything fell into place.
Book Club Reading List
Date
Book
Author
Author Attending?
September
The Silent Woman (Cat Carlisle, Book 1)
Terry Lynn Thomas
Yes
October
Murder in Memory
Mike Thorne
Yes
November
The Reckoning
John Grisham
No
December
NO MEETING
-----
---
January
Wishful Romance Series (Books 1-6)
Kait Nolan
Yes
February
Gently Scattered Intentions
Laurie Parker
Yes
March
White Kids, Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America
Margaret Hagerman
Yes
April
The Family Secret (Cat Carlisle, Book 2)
Terry Lynn Thomas
Yes
May
Cemetery Road: A Novel
Greg Isles
Publicity & Sharing
The only publicity about the book club is through a Facebook Group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/233757397309735/). For each meeting, I created an Event for the group. The event would serve as a reminder and a way to easily invite their friends.
In closing, a Book Club is a great idea to bring together the local community and to celebrate local authors. We've read different types of books - romance, mystery, historical, academic - which adds significant value (and fun) to our group!
If you have any questions, please comment and I'll be glad to answer!