Book Club

BOOK CLUB
A book club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they
have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. It is more often called
simply a book club, a term that is also used to describe a book sales club, which
can cause confusion. Other frequently used terms to describe a book discussion
club include reading group, book group, and book discussion group. Book
discussion clubs may meet in private homes, libraries, bookstores, online forums,
pubs, and in cafés or restaurants over meals or drinks.
A practice also associated with book discussion, common reading
program or common read, involves institutions encouraging their members to
discuss select books in group settings; common reading programs are largely
associated with educational institutions encouraging their students to hold book
discussion meetings.
SINGLE-TITLE CLUBS
A single-title club is one in which people discuss a particular title that every
person in the group has read at the same time, often with each member buying
a personal copy. Clearly, the club must somehow decide ahead of time what
that title will be. Some groups may decide to choose new release titles, whilst
others may choose older ones, or a mixture of the two. If it is a book discussion
club that meets at a library, then each member may borrow a copy of the book
from the library over a given timeframe in order for a later discussion.
There may be a few problems with these clubs. Some members may regard
them as opportunities to meet people for social contact and general
conversation, partially veering off onto a wide variety of non-literary topics, while
others wish to engage in serious literary analysis focused on the book in question
and related works, with little non-literary interaction. Additionally, some members
may suggest a book not because they are interested in it from a literary point-of-
view but because they think it will offer them an opportunity to make points of
personal interest to them or fit an external agenda. Also, different expectations
and education/skill levels may lead to conflicts and disappointments in clubs of
this kind.
MULTI-TITLE CLUBS
The characteristics of a multi-title club are such that each member may be
reading different titles from each other at any given time, and they may share a
reading list for a period of time. What distinguishes this from any group of
unrelated people reading different things from each other is that each title is
expected to be read by the next member in a serial fashion.
Open loans
Open loans suggest that the books in question are free to be loaned among the
population with the expectation of getting them back eventually. Instead of
one member deciding what everyone will read, with all the cost implications of
acquiring that title, these clubs usually involve circulating books they already
own. Each book is introduced with a short precis. This offers members the
advantage of previewing a work before committing to read. It has the effect of
narrowing the focus of the dialogue so that book and reader are more quickly
and more accurately matched up. The sequential nature of the process implies
that within a short time, three to five people may have read the same title,
which is the perfect amount for a worthy conversation.
Catch and release
Catch and release imply that actual ownership of the book transfers each
iteration with no expectation of the book returning to the original owner. The
mechanism of transfer may include a personal face to face hand off, sending
the items through the mail, or most remarkably, leaving the book in a public
place with the expectation that unknown future readers will find it there. All
three methods are utilized with BookCrossing. Participants use a website and a
system of unique identification numbers to track released items as they migrate
through a worldwide community. The interaction is largely web-centric, but it
does not exclude face-to-face gatherings, each of which can take on the traits
of other book discussion clubs.
LIBRARY BOOK CLUBS

Many public libraries lead book clubs as a library program on a regular basis. A
librarian usually leads a discussion after participants read the book. Copies of
the book are available to either be checked out or signed out for the group
meeting. If leading a book discussion group outside of the facility, often libraries
offer book discussion kits where several titles of a book are able to be loaned
out of the library to a single patron. Also, the lending period is typically longer
than for the average book. The kits also contains a suggested reading guide
with discussion questions. This is a convenience as everyone in the group is not
forced to buy a copy of the book.[1]
Librarians also aid in the procurement of items needed for private book club
meetings. They are able to withhold multiple copies of a publication and extend
loan periods. They are also able to facilitate club meetings digitally, through
discussion boards or video meetings. Many librarians note the positive influence
of Google+ hangouts and Skype to host meetings for long distance club
members and for times in which all members could not attend the club.
Librarians have helped non-traditional book clubs find footing within their
community.
ONLINE CLUBS
With the challenge that not all members of a club can regularly meet at an
appointed place and time, a new form of book clubs has emerged online.
Online clubs exist in the shape of Internet forums, Yahoo Groups, e-mail mailing
lists, dedicated websites, such as Goodreads.com,[3] apps such as Novellic and
even telephone conference calls. Also, in the category of social networks, these
online clubs are made up of members of a variety of reading interests and often
approach book discussion in different ways, e.g. academic discussion, pleasure-
reading discussion, personal connection, and reaction to books members read.
BOOK READING CLUBS

Given the busy lifestyles of today, another variation on the traditional 'book club'
is the book reading club. In such a club, the group agrees on a specific book,
and each week (or whatever frequency), one person in the group reads the
book out loudwhile the rest of the group listens. The group can either allow
interruptions for comments and questions from the members at any time, or
agree to allow such input at chapter or section endings. Such a club makes
reading a shared experience and frees the busy members from the "homework"
of having read the book before coming to the club. It also creates a lively
environment for commenting on the specifics of the books as it is read and can
lead to very enriching exchanges. A given book may continue for several
sittings, depending on the pace of reading, frequency of meetings, and the
extent of comments and discussion. Members can take turns reading to share
the reading responsibility. Another variation on the concept could be jointly
listening to an audio-book with pauses for comments. Once a book is
completed, members recommend their choices of the new books and vote on
which book to proceed with next.
ORGANIZATIONS
 BookBuffet is a website directed toward book groups and avid readers with
literary news, book reviews, author podcasts, technology tips, and vetted
resource links. Members register their group to use a set of tools where they
can maintain a joint calendar, communicate, and keep track of books their
group has read as well as rate books and share reviews. Book group
moderators (people who lead book groups) can keep track of all their
various client groups, communicate, and share information in chat forums.
There is also a "find a group" feature for people looking to join an existing
group. Founded by Paula Shackleton.
 New Zealand's only nationwide book group specialist is Book Discussion
Scheme.
 Association of Book Group Readers and Leaders (AGBRL), also known as the
Association of Professional Book Club Facilitators, is a cooperative
information clearinghouse for avid readers, both individuals and those in
book discussion clubs. Its founder and director is Rachel W. Jacobsohn,
author of The Reading Group Handbook.
 Reader's Circle is a book club where people attend with whatever they're
reading. The only structure is if participants decide to have an 'optional
book.' Otherwise, people just bring their own books, articles, magazines, and
conversation goes from there.
 Great Books Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization established
in 1947 that publishes collections of classic and modern literature for use in
book discussion clubs. It also offers workshops in conducting book discussions.
 Library of Congress Center for the Book is a program of the Library of
Congress' Library Services division that promotes community-wide book
discussion groups through its "One Book" project.
 BookSurfing is a social network based book discussion club that uses
Facebook as its platform to organize and set up meetings. A moderator sets
up a Facebook event and selects eight people who meet at one of the
participants house for a "Surf". Every participant reads the text he brings out
loud to the entire group. The participants may use any readable text but it
must not exceed 450 words. In every "Surf", at least one of the participants
must be new to BookSurfing. Among the participants there should always be
some people who don't know each other and every surf must have a
moderator. The texts and reasons for choosing them are then discussed.
Booksurfing was founded in Tel Aviv Israel in 2013 by Raz Spector and now
has groups in various countries[4]
 isthisabook.club is a decentralized and mysterious book club organization
that popped up in early 2018 across many cities in the US.[5] According to
its source code, it may have had earlier meetings, has been passed down
through Oral tradition, and uses the principle of stigmergy to mutate.
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR READERS
 GoodReads is a social media network for readers. Users can keep track of
what they're reading, shelve books, write reviews, rate titles comment on
friends' progress. The site also includes literary quizzes, book lists to find more
titles to enjoy, various book discussion groups, author interviews and more.
 Library Thing is a social media resource that helps users to catalog and keep
track of what they're reading. Rate, review, and discuss books with others.

Book Club

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BOOK CLUB

LIBRARY BOOK CLUBS

BOOK READING CLUBS

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR READERS

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