So I started a small book club at work and our first meeting is approaching (book was already chosen and will be read by then) and it occurred to me that I have no idea how to lead a book discussion, really. Anyone have suggestions/advice, or know of a good website for a start?
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/ has book discussion questions for many titles and other advice as well.
I am also in a workplace book group (going strong after almost 6 years!). The first question we ask is what everyone thought of the book and that usually gets some talk going. The discussion leader will also ask about characters or key plot lines - usually once a few people start talking the conversation flows on its own.
We use the questions. If something has already been discussed, we just comment on that and move on. One role of the leader is to not let get people go on and on about their personal experiences.
I agree about keeping everyone on task.,it is important for the moderator to keep everyone focused on discussing the book. I don’t mind when our discussions go off on a tangent that pertains to the book but you have to make sure you bring it back to the moderator questions. We always allow a few minutes before and after the discussion to chit chat. Wine and snacks make it fun too.
I believe without a good leader a book club can go off the rails. I’ve usually used the questions at the back of the book. If the book doesn’t have the questions come up with some.
What book are you reading?
I’m in two book clubs. In the one, the leader just starts by asking what we thought, and then the discussion flows from there. In the second, the leader begins by giving background information on the author, and then starts with a general question. When it was my turn to lead, I had some questions prepared in case the discussion lagged, but I didn’t need them. There is usually one member who wants to discuss the protagonist, another member who points out holes in the plot, and another who mentions inconsistencies. It’s fun having different reading personalities in a group. We often times discuss the ending and whether it was a surprise or not. Another thing I did when it was my turn was make a list of pros and cons about the book, because I think every book, no matter how good it is, has both. I then shared that at the end of the discussion.
I participated in one book group that used the canned discussion questions, and thought they hampered a free sharing of thoughts.
Thanks for suggestions! The book is “Dear Mr. You” by Mary Louise Parker.
Our club starts by having each member in turn discuss her reactions/opinions. Some participants come armed with notes and quotes, others just wing it. Then the leader of the meeting (the one who chose the book) does a little presentation about the author, the background, if relevant (usually requires a little research beforehand), etc., and she may pose some selected discussion questions from the online guides (though we find most of them are depressingly like being back in a high school lit class and a lot of them are just stupid). This format struck me as a little backwards when I first joined the group, but it seems to work. We normally socialize/have refreshments for a half hour, then spend up to 60-90 minutes on the book. Sometimes the discussion drifts a bit, but it’s an interesting group of women, so whatever they have to say is usually worth hearing, even if not directly on point.