With a loose guideline, everyones sure to find something theyll enjoy. You can help your organization become a learning organization in which people continuously grow and develop. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. While fiction has long been the most popular genre with reading groups, works of nonfiction can bring quite a different set of objectives and intellectual experiences to the group and spark lively discussions as well. Shop online for our annual print editions, which include book overviews, suggested discussion topics and discussion questions for all our annual books. Book club ideas kid through adult great group activities.
Beyond ember, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Specifically, its broken up into different techniques for different types of discussions, so you can find what you want pretty easily. Book club ideas to breathe new life into your book club. These tensions make the catcher in the rye one of the best books to discuss with others. Instead of picking an official book to read each month, how about a theme. Publishers sometimes create reading group guides to help a book club host out with. Whether your book club is a few close friends or a larger group, hosting a book club party still takes some amount of planning. For possible questions to start discussion on specific books, check the back of the book, particularly if the title is a popular book club choice, or the publishers website. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book.
Each member or a team of 23 takes a card and answers the question. Want to join a reading group, but worry that the group will choose a book that utterly bores you. But it can be overwhelming to find great book club ideas. Groupwork practice for social workers sage publications. Monthly meetings work well because it gives everyone a chance to get hold of the book, or find it in the library, and to read it, no matter how slow a reader. We know how much effort is put into selecting the perfect name that reflects the character of the group, the history of the group, and the mission of the group. Quick start guide book discussion groups libguides at. But your book club can still fall into a rut once in a while.
Those questions might work for some groups, but they dont really fit your groups culture or dynamic very well. This book gives lots of great alternatives to get people engaged, participating, and talking. People see the graphics before they start to read the content. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and distribute. The book club gives employees the opportunity to step up and practice leadership roles such as leading a group discussion or presenting to provide an overview of a chapter. As joseph addison said, reading is to the mind what exercise is to the brain. At your first book club meeting, or whenever new people join your reading group, its good to spend a bit of time getting to know each other. The city of ember is the only light in the dark world. That way, you can easily share them with the group later on.
Name inspiration for your reading groups reading group. The monthly in the loop book club meets saturday, february 4 at harold washington library center to discuss just mercy by bryan stevenson. I love explicit teaching about how to hold discussions literature group discussion i like the cues it gives the kids. Some activities work well for a fullsession discussion group, as they are comprehensive enough to last for a full sixty to ninety minutes. Book theme there is nothing better than a lively discussion of a good book unless you, say, pair the perfect menu to go with the books central theme or location setting. It might even be harder than selecting the books you read. Reading nonfiction is a great way for readers to expand their knowledge and to gain. Games to break the ice at book discussion groups and other. Book club parties are a good way to get friends together and have great discussion over appetizers, drinks, or brunch. A book discussion group is a forum where readers can come together and talk about books and the reading experience.
As joseph addison said, reading is to the mind what. Or use a search including reading guide to find information on the various book group sites. When the children of the city of ember finish school, they begin work at 12 years of age. These groups can be organized in a variety of ways. As the facilitator, it is your job to recognize tangents and bring the discussion back to the book. Groups receive enough copies of their selected title to allow everyone in the group to read the same book at the same time. If you want to learn something new or meet new people, consider starting a group on facebook, goodreads, or your preferred social media platform. Sixteenyearold starr carter moves between two worlds. When employees learn the same concepts, by reading the same book, they share a language and ideas that make the application of the ideas easier and more seamless in the workplace. Each member or a team of 2 or 3 takes a card and answers the question. Here are book club ideas from reading group themes to fun book group activities that liven up any group.
A little off topic conversation is fine, but you also want to respect the fact that people have read the book and expect to talk about it. Book discussion resources rochester hills public library. When you want to create some serious posts, try to keep the subject of your group. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Looking for an easy way to share information and develop employees at work. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to your meeting. The questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups reading of kent harufs plainsong. Ask your family and close friends to look at your website, and ask them to navigate through it before it goes live. Having discussion questions before your book club meets will help facilitate a good discussion of your book. Thanks to emma watson, book clubs are super cool again. We try to keep our membership costs affordable for. Discussion activities for conducting a fullsession discussion group.
At the same time, however, many readers find holdens outlook and experiences relatable. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. How to start a book club that doesnt suck book riot. Book club ideas that will totally impress your friends. At classy, several of our departments participate in quarterly book clubs in order to.
Each kit contains multiple copies of a title selected specifically for book discussions by our librarians. Starting, themes, food and more thrifty little mom. Select a discussion theme for your group from the list below. Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. These book club ideas will make you the best host ever. This book is the result of the three years shes spent in and out of india, surveying a. Think of a book discussion as a work group whose mission. Listen to the feedback and work on making your online book group site an enticing stop for book lovers. Stay in the loop with reading group choices, get notified about the release of our print editions, and receive handy materials from our publishing partners. Not long after, i started a job that had me scheduled sundays, and i had to bid the group adieubut it left me thinking about what other kinds of. Take notes or mark passages that strike youpassages you find significant, funny, or insightful. Discussion questions for mama day the dc swarthmore book.
As you read each novel, jot down page numbers and passages that moved you and where you found answers to the oprah. Group discussion posted on 15 march, 2017 30 march, 2017 author k. The two biggest factors in your book club will be who is. Book clubs are popular not only because people like to read, but also because they are great social outlets.
The possibilities presented here are for kid through grownup book clubs including those focused on nonfiction, romances, history book clubs and so on. It provides an opportunity for employees to step up and practice leadership roles such as leading a group discussion. The following activities can also be shortened and used for only a portion of the discussion group session. Behind the beautiful forevers may be katherine boos first book, but its certainly not her first foray into covering disadvantaged communities and societal rifts between rich and poor shes won a pulitzer and a macarthur grant for her journalistic work. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. If you havent named your group yet, or if youre just starting your group, we hope you find some name inspiration below. Litcourse 3 has a good discussion of close reading. Instead choose a unique theme for your bookworm gang. If you are looking for what if questions, icebreaker questions for small groups, group questions, funny conversation topics, and more.
Which is where some of these general questions can be extremely helpful. Literary experts skillfully open each book discussion with a fresh analysis of the text, cultivating intrigue and curiosity. Check out these monthly book club theme ideas to narrow your choices. If your group is about cats, dont just start creating posts about dogs. Were a nationwide nonprofit organisation with a 46year track record. By revealing information about the authors life, giving historical context, and shedding light on recurring themes throughout the book, they impart a deeper understanding of the readings and lay the groundwork for an. Book club questions that work for any book with free. Compassion click here for our themes framed as spiritual practices check out our set of sacred word themes that pair with these core themes. This can be as simple as going around the group taking it in turns to introduce yourself and saying what you like to read and what youre looking forward to about the book club if youre new or what you like about the club if youre an. If youre struggling to make inspired choices, definitely dont stick with those ya books or motivational best sellers that everyone is reading. Check out these monthly book club theme ideas to narrow your. It will definitely not work, or it will work in an opposite way. It helps them think about the text and have an internal dialogue about it.
You can also create a group on meet up or put up fliers at local coffee shops and libraries. We hope they will provide you with new angles from which to approach and discuss this powerful tale of seven lonely lives set on the stark but beautiful high plains of colorado. Gloria naylors 1988 novel, a celebration of the cultural and the historical, a supernatural tale of love and belief in the mystic powers of human beings, was my introduction to the gullahgeechee and the origin of my continued interest in the people and traditions of the lowcountry. Stevenson, the founder of equal justice initiative, is committed to challenging racial and economic injustice and to protecting the human rights of the most vulnerable people in. For the jongas, america is a place of hope and promise, a place where you can become somebody, but the machine and policies are anything but welcoming and clear and the road to citizenship is jagged. There are adult groups, studentled groups, motherdaughter groups, fatherson groups, and parentchild groups, to name just a few. If you have any suggestions for possible themes we can do for the book club, leave your suggestions. In fact, its been the target of numerous book banning efforts some of which were successful. Form an employee book club see success stories in which a group of employees. Heres an alternative designed to give you a bit more freedom. The following are recommended gods career guide discussion themes.
Monthly book club theme ideas book club questions, book club. You can limit your choices to books that have won any type of literary award or select specific distinctions such as. Book club ladies night party ideas photo 4 of 7 catch my party book crafts. This is a literary analysis technique called close reading. Themed book group ideas, book club meeting ideas, unique books. Opening up the group to people in your community will bring in new faces. Each month the group chooses a new book that deals with themes of race, gender, and justice, and opens up a friendly, literary dialogue on goodreads. Theyre generic enough that you can bring your own groups feelings, background and even biases to the book youre reading, which can then make for a more.