How To Start You Own Book Club

Photo: Chris Emeott

Gone are the days of unpleasant book clubs. Ensure your evening is a hit with these three tips.

Send the Invite: Although a text message will get the job done, level up your book club by creating unique invitations sent by mail (gasp!) or shared digitally. Think outside the box: An invitation replicating a library card is a cute way to introduce your book club.

Set the Table: Curate your tablescape by shopping at vintage or second hand stores, and include key elements, such as timely décor and color palettes reminiscent of your novel of choice. Items to scout include table runners, taper candles and holders, flowers, plus plates and drinkware—and don’t forget to hand-create fitting place cards.

Choose an Activity: Who says that book clubs need only to be tired discussion questions? Although great, entice your members by including an interactive element to the evening, such as each guest bringing a cocktail/mocktail inspired by the book, creating DIY bookmarks, hosting a book swap or painting candles.

The Summer of Love

Here are my top 24 book picks for the summer of 2024:

1. The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
2. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
3. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
4. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5. Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
6. The Four Winds by Kirstin Hannah
7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Happy Place by Emily Henry
9. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
10. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
11. The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
12. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
13. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
14. Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
15. The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
16. Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
17. The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
18. The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
19. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
20. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
21. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
22. You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose
23. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
24. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Support Our Local Library

Instead of purchasing each read, consider securing your book club picks from the R.H. Stafford Library, 8595 Central Park Place; 651.731.1320; washcolib.org.

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