Book clubs are a great way to meet new people and read books that you’d never try on your own. That’s why so many JCCs host or sponsor reading groups or book clubs. Some groups appoint a different leader for each book, while other groups are much more informal, with each member speaking at will. Some book clubs focus on particular genres, such as historical novels, nonfiction, or women writers. Many book clubs tackle literary classics—the kind of works that are intimidating to read on your own.  All successful book clubs encourage members to think more deeply about what they’ve read and to make connections to their own lives.
 
Here are some tips that will keep your book group scintillating and stimulating.

• Choose titles that stretch your mind and merit discussion. Mainstream “escape” fiction does not lead to in-depth discussions.
• Read banned books or those that special interest groups are crusading to have banned. (Your public librarian can give you a list.)  Read books written for “the other side,” people with whom you don’t usually agree. At least, you’ll read something that gets you excited!
• Ask each person in the group to formulate three questions and/or three specific passages to discuss.
• Do not ask, “So, did you like the book?” Do ask, “What was your reading experience?”  
• Turn statements into provocative questions that stimulate discussion. Avoid any questions that have yes or no answers.
• Differentiate intellectual from emotional responses. Does the author make you think or make you feel?
• Discuss language, narrative voice, character development, plot development, author’s vision/intent, mood and setting. Start with the assumption that the effect is deliberate, in other words, that the author knows what she is doing. Then ask why.
• Read passages aloud to hear the voices and the language; this can be illuminating.   
• Do remember that there is no right or wrong in literary interpretation.

For more advice, check out http://www.greatbooks.org/programs/gb/needadvice.html.

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