Great Book Clubs

As many, many others have noted, reading may be a solitary act but reading is also, inescapably, a social activity. To take just one example, when I sit down to read a book in my living room reading chair, alone, chances are I heard about that book from some other person. And if the book turns out to be any good, I’m likely going to tell others about it in turn. If we resonate with a book’s themes or identify with its characters – or even if we consider the whole thing a load of excrement – we’re going to want to tell people how we feel.

That’s at least part of the reason why we tend to seek out other likeminded readers. Or, even better: readers with common interests but differing viewpoints. But what makes for a good book club? The book cataloguing site Goodreads crowdsourced that question and found three common traits that characterize the best book clubs:

1. Clearly establish ground rules ahead of time
2. Create a safe space for honest opinions
3. Get creative with ideas like monthly themes, food pairings, and book swaps

How about you? Any ingredients you'd add for an awesome book club recipe? I'd love to hear them.