Book clubs are that cozy space where you get to dish on books you love (or hate) and all the reasons why – hopefully with no lasting hard feelings with the rest of your reading group. Beyond the fun of those debates lies a lot of other challenges for would-be book club organizers. Here are some common challenges and the NoveList resources to solve them:
I need tried-and-true book club options – yesterday.
Easy peasy! Search NoveList for “Book Club best bets” for hundreds of options. Refine your results by genre, subject, fiction/nonfiction, publication date, etc., to find just what you like.
How about an expertly vetted, ready-made list of great book club picks on certain topics/themes?
We’ve got you (“list” is in our name, after all). There’s a whole group of lists like that. Just search: ND Recommended Reads AND “Book club best bets"
Learn more here.
Your book group thinks they only love literary fiction (for example), yet they’re simultaneously bored to heck with it.
The NoveList article series “But My Book Club Doesn’t Read X” (for example romances, graphic novels, Westerns... you get the idea) has practical tips and title suggestions to tempt book clubs into nibbling something new. Find the whole series in NoveList with this search: ND Readers' Advisory AND "But my book club doesn't read..."
How do I start organizing a book club?
Use this search to learn about best practices: ND Readers' Advisory AND "book club best practices"
How do I promote my book club?
LibraryAware subscribers can search book club and narrow down by format. We've got flyers, widgets for your library's website and social media, and eblast templates to keep your community in the know about upcoming meetings and titles.
Kimberly Burton is a Senior RA Librarian at NoveList. She is currently reading The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard while continuing to crush on Edgar Allan Poe.
