Big plans to start or join a book club this year?! ME TOO! I’ve been saying that I’m going to start a book club (and a podcast.. But that’s a separate topic for another day), for over a year now. I’m still considering adding a monthly book club to ABWL.. so stay tuned. If you need book club ideas, keep reading!

If you’re wanting to become more involved and make some more reading friends this year, starting a book club is a great idea. 

Not sure how to make yours fun and stand out, though? Here are five book club ideas for how you can approach your own book club in 2022!

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Book Club Ideas: Do Something New in 2022

Embrace a Good Theme

Your entire club doesn’t have to revolve around a theme, but set each meeting or get-together to fit the theme of whatever book you just read. 

Did your club just finish People We Meet on Vacation? Serve your favorite beach cocktails, have everyone dress in a fun beachy outfit, OR have them come ready in wedding-guest attire (since in the book, Poppy and Alex are traveling to attend Alex’s brother’s wedding). 

Not getting together in person but meeting over Zoom? This still works. Everyone can make their own vacay-inspired snack or drink and bring it to the virtual get-together and still show up in costume.

Explore Other Genres (Don’t Get Stuck in a Reading Rut)

Each month, select a book from a different genre, so your club members don’t get burned out on reading the same types of stories month after month.

Switch between thrillers, romance, comedy, personal development, biographies, and more. Also switch up the authors and allow diversity in your club. Gaining insight into other perspectives is a great way to grow as a person, and it will help keep things interesting in your club.

Figure out a system for letting different members of the group pick books that will go on your club reading list throughout the year.

Change Locations

Switch up where you go! You can tie this into the theme of your meeting. In We Were Never Here, Emily’s boyfriend works in a coffee shop. Find a location that fits the location or some small part of the book you just finished and make a day/night of it.

If you’re hosting zoom meetings, switch up who is responsible for being that meeting’s host, and the host gets to pick the theme. You can even have members throw up small decorations (inexpensive ones!) that fit the overall setting and just make it fun. 

Do a Non-Book Related Activity or Outing

Find activities that you can do outside of book club. Is there a new movie in the theaters that is based on a book (or even not based on a book!) that the crew would like to get together and see?

Go out for dinner, try a new wine bar, or find ways to interact outside of the book club. This doesn’t have to be super time intensive, even just planning one non-book related outing each quarter would be a fun way to shake things up. 

Host Challenges with Giveaways

Best dressed, fastest reader, plot-twist guesser – all are things that can get your members entered into a fun drawing for a prize. Make your prizes fun, silly, or super cool so that more members will want to engage and take part. I’ll pretty much enter any contest if it means free books. 

Are you part of a book club? What advice would you give someone wanting to start their own?! Drop it in a comment below! (And also let us know what you’re currently reading!)