Tips for starting a book club | members only access

A book club can be so many things — an academic exercise, a cozy haven for friends to catch up between book chatter, a way to meet people or an opportunity to encounter wonderful new reads.

A club might be a mix of the above, and groups often evolve through the years as relationships tighten or members and interests change. Many book club members say what gets read is only part

of the draw. “A book club is more than just about reading books,” says Ellen Sevier, 53, a marketing director in Brentwood, Tennessee, who started a monthly book club six years ago with

work colleagues so they could spend more time together off the clock. “Before, we were just coworkers who liked each other,” Sevier says. “Now, we're friends who are ingrained in each

other’s lives and who love each other.” If you’re itching to join a book club, you can look for an established group in your community — check your library or independent bookstore, which

may host discussion groups. Or why not start your own? Here’s some practical advice to get the ball rolling: AARP (Getty Images, 7) CONSIDER A THEME Some book clubs focus on a genre, such as

memoirs, biographies or romance novels. Others narrow their focus even more: Curt Nehring Bliss, 56, an English professor in Middlesex, New York, 56, recently founded a quarterly club (Book

Hang) focused on books tied to the shift of seasons. Their first selection was Peter Geye’s 2016 novel, _Wintering_. “So it’s sort of a ritual, not just a book club discussion,” Nehring

Bliss says. “It’s a discussion with the goal of preparing us thematically for the next phase of the year.” Eileen Spillane, 55, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, founded the Befriending Death Book

Club, which focuses on works that cover practical ways of preparing for illness, mortality and grief. It began after she decided to host a discussion group based on a course she was teaching

on the subject, then it turned into a book club. The group bonded quickly over “this hard-to-talk-about topic,” she says, and “wanted to stay connected.” “Every book club reflects the

personalities of its readers and where they are in life,” says Jennie Pu, 49, director of the Hoboken Public Library in New Jersey. “When my kids were really young, I was in a book club, and

we mostly read child development books.” Pu wants to start a cookbook club; she says another library in the area hosts one where each member prepares a dish using a recipe from a cookbook

and brings it to the meeting to share. You’re not just eating in this kind of club, she notes. “You're talking about your dishes and the merits of the cookbook. Were the recipes easy to

follow?” OTHER UNIQUE BOOK CLUB THEMES/STYLES * CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-BOOK: Everyone reads a book of their choice under an agreed-upon theme, then the group comes together to compare notes. *

QUIET OR SILENT CLUBS: There’s no assigned book, just people assembling for an hour of reading to themselves. * IDENTITY-FOCUSED: Read books that explore gender, race, sexuality, religion,

class or nationality. * AWARD-WINNERS: Focus on titles that have won major literary awards. Scan lists from the National Book Awards, the Booker Prizes and the National Book Critics Circle

Awards, for instance. * FAVORITE AUTHORS: Go through all the novels of a popular writer, whether it’s Stephen King, Jane Austen or Colleen Hoover. When you get through their entire backlist,

pick another author. * AUTHOR VISITS: Choose books by authors who agree to visit virtually or in person to talk and answer questions about their writing. Spillane says some authors have

accepted her club’s invites to make virtual guest appearances, including Sallie Tisdale, who wrote _Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and

Dying_.