Organising & Planning

These tips to stay organised and run your book club have helped our BTB book clubs thrive.

Frequency:

BTB suggests monthly meetings, and that you gather in person.

Day and Time:

Chose a time that your book club will meet regularly (for example the first Wednesday of the month 7.30-9/9.30pm). It is best to keep the same day/time each month for your meetings so it doesn’t become confusing or tedious to remember. We suggest the first week of the month so you can discuss the previous months book, for example meeting Wednesday 1st July to discuss the book read in the month of June.

Venue:

Chose a comfortable, quite and private venue if possible. Homes are a wonderful place to meet. Provide some tea/coffee and chairs. Your home does not need to be a display home – a lived in, well loved and tidy (no need for a pristinely clean!) home is perfect. Prior to the meeting ensure all members have the address and phone number of the host (either yourself or whoever is hosting the bookclub), time and date. Other venue options may include a coffee shop, a local community centre or your church building.

Children:

If the women in your group have children which require supervision you may like to try two options. Meeting in the evenings child free while the children are in dad’s or a babysitters care, or meeting during the day with the children. If you choose to include the children each woman in the group may like to take turns supervising them, or you may put on a movie or arrange activities for the duration of the meeting.

Prayer:

Pray for your meeting before everyone arrives and ask the Holy Spirit to join and guide your discussion. Pray for your book club sisters daily, and cultivate a habit of praying for one another in your group.

Regular Communication:

It is a good idea to create a social platform for your group. You can share regular praise reports and prayer requests, as well as have general chit chat with your group members. You can also use this space to discuss reflection questions or journaling notes taken as you read. Keeping in contact regularly will help friendships to flourish and keep accountability for reading the books. You may create your own private Facebook group or form a messenger or what’s app group. Keep this group for book club members only to ensure conversations remain private. Closely monitor the group to ensure an atmosphere of life-giving fellowship is being maintained. 

Book lists:

It is wise to choose and purchase your books a little bit in advance. Many bookclubs find ordering their books as a group from koorong during a sale works well for those who prefer hard copies (order at a minimum of two weeks before you need your books). Ebooks and audiobooks are also available.  

For example create a 3-6 month plan for your books;

• January – The Printed Letter Bookshop, Katherine Reay

• February – Beholding and Becoming, Ruth Chou Simons

• March – Soul Surfer, Bethany Hamilton

• April – Bread of Angels, Tessa Afshar

• May – Listen, Love, Repeat, Karen Ehman

• June – Of Literature & Lattes, Katherine Reay

We suggest switching between fiction, spiritual growth and biographies/memoirs. It can become a little overwhelming for some individuals to only study spiritual growth books, however deciding your book plan is a great activity to do with your book club sisters.

Books can be ordered from; https://www.koorong.com/