Pictured here: I was honored to chat with a few members of a Book Club that calls themselves the “Book Babes” at the Richland Community Library during National Library Week 2018!
I started my own Book Club about 7 years ago when I moved to a new town and was desperate to meet people. Since my first novel was published in 2014, I’ve visited (live and via FaceTime) nearly 100 Book Clubs across the country and I know these three things for sure:
First, Book Clubs are where all the good stuff gets discussed. Second, no two Book Clubs are alike. Third, we all want a peek at what everyone else is doing.
Here at Book Club Hacks, I share Secrets and Shortcuts I’ve stolen (with permission, of course!) from my favorite Book Clubs (and those I’ve met through my Tall Poppy Sisters, as well).
This week I’m spilling a secret for those who can’t decide what to read next – steal from another book club!
I have been asked at many Book Clubs – “So what’s your Book Club reading now? We need ideas!”
And while my own Book Club no longer meets regularly, I do subscribe to the notion that recommendations from other Book Clubs make some of the best Book Club selections. (Years ago, a very active Book Club once recommended to me a little book I hadn’t yet heard of or read – maybe you’ve heard of it: Me Before You.)
So. How to find out what other Book Clubs are reading or better yet, have already read and LOVED?
1. Check your local library. Many libraries host local Book Clubs, and the library director will have a list of past selections. She or he may even try to order extra copies of popular Book Club selections to accommodate your Book Club.
2. Social Media. Check in with your neighbors online to ask what they have read, specifically in the context of a vibrant Book Club discussion. (BLOOM is always the perfect place to hear about Book Clubs all over the country.)
3. Follow some popular Book Clubs on Goodreads. One of my favorites is the RW (Unofficial) Book Club group that boasts “book discussion based on the Reese Witherspoon Book Club on Instagram. We discuss books written by Tall Poppies writers and many others! We are also on Instagram! @rwbookclubgoodreads @rwbookclubgoodreads.” This month, they are reading Not That I Can Tell, the Flight Attendant, Next Year in Havana, and The Truth About Thea by yours truly. (Hey. 2,000+ plus members can’t be wrong, right?! Wink.)
Happy Reading!
xo
Amy
