Want to Start a Book Club?

I saw this post last week over at SheReads. With permission I'm reposting it here because I thought it was filled with fabulous advice on how to start a bookclub. I love reading, but something special happens when I'm able to discuss a book I enjoyed or that challenged me with others. SheReads is a great site that focuses on one book a month -- usually with great giveaways and hundreds of comments. A real dialouge between authors and readers. So be sure to check it out.

Without further ado, here's the article posted over there by Ariel.

All About Book Clubs...

A number of you have written in over the last few weeks requesting specific information on how to join She Reads or create your own book club. Your wish is my command! Here are a handful of ways (all of them free) that you can get involved:

Set up a time to speak with this month’s featured author.

Starting this month we are providing the opportunity for your book club to speak with our featured author via speaker phone. This month’s selection is The Mailbox by Marybeth Whalen. Several of you have already written in to say your book club will be reading it this summer. One way to experience the book on a deeper level is to have Marybeth call in a the beginning of your meeting to discuss her novel. You’ll get the chance to ask questions, learn about the inspiration behind the novel, and connect with her personally. If your book club would like to speak with Marybeth this summer, click here.

“A rural mailbox stands alone on an isolated North Carolina beach, and within its unobtrusive confines lay the hopes and dreams, the heartaches and joys of countless strangers. Tending the lone mailbox on this deserted beach is an anonymous reader called the Kindred Spirit… drawing hearts toward healing and hope.”

Start a new She Reads book club.

Here are a few tips on starting a new book club:

1. Invite friends and family to join your She Reads book club. Ask women from your church, neighborhood, small group, workplace, etc. Don’t be afraid to invite a diverse group of people—the diversity can add to the depth of the discussion. However, keep it small enough for intimate discussion and relationships to be formed. An ideal number is 5 – 10 women. Your group can meet in a home, at a church, in the work place, or at a park. Be versatile and be creative.

2. Choose one of the She Reads selections each month. (We recommend going through one novel per month, but each group has a different pace. Proceed at the level you are comfortable with) Encourage all members to purchase and read the the book before your first meeting.

3. Register your book club on the She Reads site by having each member sign up for our monthly newsletter.

4. Choose a meeting time that doesn’t change—for example the first Tuesday evening or the third Friday evening of the month, etc. Try to come up with a time that suits everyone.

5. Before your first meeting, read the novel, look over the provided discussion questions, and choose recipes to serve, ice breakers to play, and other activities provided at the She Reads site. Be prepared to contribute to your book club.

6. At the first meeting see if your members want to rotate hosting duties, and have members sign up to take turns leading the discussion. Go around the room and ask each person to share why they joined the book club. Also lay out some ground rules. For instance: If you can’t attend, let someone know. Don’t interrupt when someone else is sharing. Respect the opinions of others, etc.

7. Enjoy the time spent with a great book and dear friends!

Don’t have a local book club? Participate online!

Accessibility to a group of like-minded readers can be tough. That’s why we’ve partnered with Time Warners’ Christian Momlogic Book Club to provide an online forum to discuss our featured novels. We’ve kicked off the partnership this month with The Mailbox. Click here to join. The discussion is already underway with 76 member so jump in at any time!

My bookclub

A few months ago, a couple friends and I started getting together every few weeks to read books. It started with titles like Blue Like Jazz, The Shack, and Why We're Not Emergent by Two Guys Who should Be. The first was a book I'd wanted to read, but hadn't made the time for. The second was a book I'd read but needed somebody to talk about it with. The third seemed a natural extension of hte first two. This month we tried Pilgrim's Progress. I loved it as a young adult, but we all decided it was a bit harder as an adult.

So next month, we're reading The Hiding Place. Have you ever read it? I loved it as a young adult. I can't wait to read it again and introduce my friends to this true story. Check it out below. I can't remember if this is from The Hiding Place or another of her books, but I remember a story she told about her father. She'd asked him about grace and how we'd know we'd have it when we needed it. He said it was like when he took her to the train station. When did he give her the ticket? When she needed it to board. And that's like God's grace. He extends it right when we need that. So true!

And if you like, let's read it together and talk about it at the end of February. Maybe you can participate in the bookclub via the blog. Let me know what you think!

The Hiding Place By Corrie Ten Boom / Random House, Inc When the Nazis invaded Holland, Corrie ten Boom's quiet life turned into a nightmare. Because she made her home a "hiding place" for Jews, she and her family were sent to a concentration camp. Refusing to despair, Corrie discovered how Jesus can turn loss to glory! This unforgettable story will move you to tears and to joy.

Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) By Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck / Moody Publishers Pastor DeYoung and sports columnist Kluck thoroughly probe the emerging church from a theological and on-the-street perspective. Resourcing interviews, articles, books, blogs, and experiences, they carefully examine the movement's views on Scripture; the wrath of God; the place of Jesus; spiritual journey vs. pilgrimage; and more. A systematic, thought-provoking, and accessible "dialogue." 224 Pages. Softcover from Moody. Kevin Deyoung is the senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, across the street from Michigan State University. Ted Kluck is the author of three books and has written for ESPN the Magazine, Sports Spectrum Magazine, ESPN.com, and several small literay journals.

The Shack By William Paul Young / Windblown Media "Mack" Philips took his three children on a family camping trip while his wife visited her sister. Just as they were about to leave the campsite, the two older kids decided to take a last canoe ride before heading home. As their canoe overturned, and Mack went to help them, his back was turned and the unspeakable happened. Mack's youngest daughter,Missy, was abducted by a known child predator. After a massive search, evidence of Missy showed up at an abandoned cabin. Although they never found her body, everyone knew the worst had happened. For the next four years "a great sadness" fell over Mack and his family, until a note from God showed up in his mailbox. What happens next will move you to a greater understanding of God's unfailing love for us all.

Blue Like Jazz: Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality By Donald Miller / Thomas Nelson Can you love a God who doesn't make sense? Like Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies, Miller's memoir-like collection of essays wrestles with the paradoxes of the Christian faith, describing his journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely gracious Savior. A mind-changing perspective for those who believe that organized religion doesn't meet their spiritual needs.