How to Host the Ultimate Book Club Party
Whether your book club meets weekly or monthly (or somewhere in between!), we have the best tips and tricks for when it's your turn to host.
You've gathered your closest friends and chosen your favorite books—and now it's your turn to host the next book club meeting. A book club is a great way to get friends together, and with our easy tips, hosting it doesn't have to be stressful.
Of course, the most important part is choosing the right book for your crew. Then, you'll need to name a time and place to meet. (Just be sure you give everyone enough time to finish the book!) When it's your turn to host, make our easy appetizer and drink recipes and prepare a few talking points for the group before your guests arrive.
Whether you chat about the book over appetizers, drinks, or brunch, we're sharing our best hosting tips for making your book club a success—along with a few of our favorite book suggestions!
How to Host a Book Club
Set a Timeline
Before you can start the book club, you'll need to decide how often you want to meet. Some book clubs meet weekly and have multiple meetings per book. (Just make sure the reading schedule is realistic for everyone!) If you go that route, set a schedule for how many chapters each person should read before each gathering. Or, you can schedule a monthly meet-up to discuss the book after everyone has finished reading. This option is best for busy schedules because everyone can read the book at their own pace.
Choose the Host (and a Theme!)
Once you've set a schedule, determine who will host each meeting. When it's your turn to host, determine what kind of gathering you want to have. Host a book club brunch for your crew (this one is fun, but may be a bit more prep work in the kitchen) with a few of our best brunch recipes, or host a casual evening affair with a few finger food appetizers and a signature cocktail.
Another easy hosting hack is to declare it a potluck! Provide the main dish and the drinks (if you're hosting a crowd, pitcher cocktails are easier to whip up than individual drinks) and ask each person to bring a side or appetizer.
Of course, you can take your book club gathering up a notch by assigning a theme. Consider something that fits your book. If you're reading a historical fiction set in Paris, serve champagne and French-inspired appetizers. Flipping through a beach read? Tropical drinks and finger foods it is!
Choose the Book
Of course, the most important step to any book club party is to choose the book. When you're deciding what to read, make sure it's something everyone can enjoy. If you're having trouble deciding, try choosing a genre first (think romance, autobiographies, thrillers, or mystery). Then, ask everyone to send a book suggestion within the genre and have the host pick from that list.
If you want a mix of genres, follow along with a monthly reading list like Reese's Book Club or Oprah's Book Club. Or, choose from our favorite picks!
Best Romance for Book Club
By the Book, by Jasmine Guillory
This modern take on Beauty and the Beast is one you won't he able to put down. Isabelle is one of the few Black employees at a publishing house, and desperately wants to jump-start her career so she can finally move out of her parents' house. When she visits a jaded high-profile author in his private mansion, she just wants to talk about finishing his manuscript—but quickly finds out they may have more in common than just the book.
Best Historical Fiction for Book Club
All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the intertwining stories of a blind French girl and a young German boy who are trying to survive World War II in occupied France. This one will give you a history lesson and restore your faith in humanity, all at the same time.
Best Female Empowerment Book for Book Club
Whisper Network, by Chandler Baker
When a group of female coworkers learn their male boss is set to take over as CEO of their company, they take dramatic action. They've all heard the rumors about his inappropriate behavior toward women, but it's not until they band together that the truth comes out. This one is part thriller, part suspense, and part girl-power.
Best Mystery for Book Club
Apples Never Fall, by Liane Moriarty
The Delaneys are a high-profile family with four seemingly perfect grown children. But now their mother is missing, and their father is the prime suspect. Two of the siblings think he did it, but the other two don't believe it. Throw in a surprise visit from a supposed stranger, and this mystery will have you guessing until the very end.
Best Thriller for Book Club
Verity, by Colleen Hoover
Lowen is a struggling writer about to run out of rent money when she accepts an offer to finish the best-selling series by famous author Verity Crawford. Verity's husband says she's had an accident and can't finish the books herself, but as Lowen sorts through Verity's notes and outlines she finds an unfinished biography Verity never meant for anyone to find—and it holds bone-chilling details about the family's past.
