Fun Book Club Ideas: 3 Easy Ways to Make Your Book Club More Fun
You’ve already chosen the right book and figured out how to have a good book club discussion—now what? Sometimes the best way to keep a book club feeling fresh is to add something a little extra. Here are three easy book club ideas that can make your meetings more fun without creating a lot of extra work.
1. Food
One of the easiest book club meeting ideas is also one of the simplest: food. You can’t get away from it—everyone loves refreshments. These do NOT have to be fancy. For the culinarily challenged, I recommend choosing from the following: brownies from a box, apple slices/caramel dip, lemonade, chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, a veggie tray, or a bowl of candy. Basically, people feel more comfortable having something to do when they’re not talking. If the refreshment connects to the book, that’s a bonus!
2. Have a white elephant book party
Looking for creative book club ideas for the holidays? Try a white elephant party with a twist. In December, my book club has a white elephant exchange, giving books that we enjoy. But we don't just pass around presents—each gift gets assigned a prompt for a book club category, and the prompt gets passed around, stolen, etc. with the gift. Whatever prompt you have at the end of the night, that’s what you’ll use to choose your book club pick for next year.
3. Change it up.
Another way to make book club more fun is to occasionally step away from books altogether. Occasionally, it can be fun to choose a movie, podcast, or other piece of media to discuss instead of a book. The same tips for choosing a book apply here—you should have experienced the media yourself, it should have high discussion potential, and it should be accessible.
Looking for book club prompts?
These prompts can help you come up with book club ideas when you're stuck—or make a fun white elephant exchange even more interesting.
Book written in an unusual format
Book turned into a movie
Book featuring a survival element
Beach read
Book involving snow/winter
Book that made you cry
Book that got even better on a reread
Underrated read—one you love that most people haven’t heard of
Book that challenged one of your beliefs/worldviews/mindsets
Book whose audiobook version you loved
Book with a culture/background that’s not your own
Book whose end you didn’t see coming
Book featuring an apocalyptic event (one that might happen, is currently happening, or has already happened)
Book where family relationship/dynamic is central to the plot
Book whose main character you strongly identified with
Book that is the first in a series you love
Young adult book (main character is age 13-18)
Book that defined how you think about a topic
Book with a magical realism, paranormal, or fantasy element
Book that explores a moral/ethical dilemma or question
Book whose ending you have mixed feelings about
Book you loved as a teen and still love today (it aged well)
Book that people might laugh at you for loving
Super bingeable book
Book with a senior citizen as the main character
Book you recommend to everyone
Book you were skeptical about at first
Book written in verse
Book that gets you in the mood for fall
Book that changed your mind about something
Book you read on a recommendation
Book that taught you a new skill or mindset
Book that lived up to the hype
Book written for an age group that is not your own
Book set during a holiday
Book featuring a historical figure (historical fiction, memoir, etc.)
Book with heavy yet inspiring subject matter
Book you have argued with people over
Book featuring a mystery or puzzle to solve
Book with a rich, atmospheric setting
Your book club doesn’t need elaborate activities or elaborate food to feel special. Sometimes a bowl of candy, a silly holiday tradition, or an unexpected movie discussion is enough to give everyone something new to look forward to. The goal isn’t to make book club more complicated—it’s to keep it fun so you keep having enjoyable discussions.
Comments