summer reading

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How to start a summer book club

Welcome summer! The warm weather season is officially underway. For many people, summertime is an opportunity to slow down and enjoy life. If personal obligations like school, family, or work keep you too busy to participate with a book club during the rest of the year, consider setting up a summer book club. Not sure where to start? Here are some tips and suggestions.

Identify potential book club members. This can include friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. Consider the tone and theme of the club to help determine the best fit of members. Do you want a casual girls’ night out or something for a range of ages?

Determine when your book club will meet. This will depend on members’ availability. Are most people available during the day or in the evening? How about weekends? Where will the group meet? Decide on frequency and how long meetings will be. Don’t be intimidated by logistical details. Book clubs don’t have to be hours and hours long. How about an hour meet-up at the local coffee shop? The goal is to merge your love of reading and time with special folks.

Decide what book(s) members will read. Your book club can be any format you choose. Instead of everyone reading the same book, maybe members share recommendations and brief critiques of books they are reading independently. If you prefer a more traditional approach, where everyone reads the same book and shares a discussion, check a best-seller list or accept suggestions from members. Put the list of titles to a vote and go from there. Here is an article with the year’s most anticipated book club reads.

Recruit volunteers. Invite members of the group to help organize the book club:

  • Someone to send out meeting reminders
  • Discussion moderators
  • Refreshments (if appropriate)
  • Research, such as author bio, book club discussion notes/questions

Decide on ground rules/meeting format. Will the conversation be casual or is each person expected to contribute to the dialogue? How will the moderator/group handle interruptions, keep the conversation on topic and make sure every person has a chance to be heard? Develop a list of questions to facilitate the discussion.

Read, relax and enjoy!

Do you have tips for setting up a book club or book recommendations? Post your comments here!

Beach Read Authors

imagesI’m going to the beach and I want you to join me! I’ve joined a unique group called Beach Read Authors. You can read my introduction HERE.

Beach Read Authors is a group of women authors who write stories you love to read on that beach vacation or wherever you go to escape and relax. It’s not your average author collaborative, in that we focus on quality, diverse genres, and varying heat levels. Here are the other authors in the group:

Kim Hornsby (founder & overall genius, as well as Romantic Suspense author)
Christine M. Fairchild (co-founder & site designer, as well as Romantic Suspense author)
Alexa Grace (best-selling Romantic Suspense author with sizzling heroes)
Rebecca J. Clark (hot new Contemporary Romance author)
Lisa Costantino (award-winning debut Women’s Fiction author)
Lori Leger (Cajun Suspense author extraordinare)
Alicia Dean (Gossip Girl & Vampire Diaries fan fiction author for Amazon’s Kindle Worlds Platforms)
Pat White (Comedy screenwriter & author of Contemporary Romance with a sports twist)
Diana Layne (Award-winning author of historical romance and suspense)

I hope you’ll stop by!

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