How to Host an Inspired Summer Book Club

This post is all about hosting a summer book club.

Are you planning to host a summer book club? So, so exciting!

As a book club host and member myself, I can attest to the excitement that ensues while preparing for book club. It always feels special to look forward to spending time with friends, new and established, over thoughtful conversation about a book we all made space for in our busy schedules.

And sharing inspiring discussion set against the beautiful hues of summer… there’s not much better!

Let’s start it off with the heart of the summer book club… the book!

Summer Book Club Reads

Let’s lean into the summer book club with a summery book pick. It certainly feels like we’d be missing the mark if we didn’t.

Here are several book options which serve full-summer-vibes:

    

[*Please take note that most of the books noted above have white protagonists and are generally homogenous (though not entirely) regarding diversity, ableism, cultural themes, etc. If you are looking for a book pick that offers more depth in this regard, consider Next Year in Havana, or an entirely different pick.]

I have read all the books listed above and can vouch that they all can serve well as summer book club reads (click on each image for a full description via Amazon). One of the best parts? You may love them, you may hate them, you may land somewhere in between — what an intriguing discussion this will be!

How to Choose the Summer Book Club Book

There are a multitude of ways a summer book club can decide how to choose their book. Sometimes the current host picks the book for the next club as a “thank you” for hosting. Often this is done with consideration of picks the host has already rounded up from members, but the host has the final say.

Other book clubs choose a specific genre to guide them, or follow an already established book club via social media.

It can be really helpful to choose the next book (or next several) at the end of the current book discussion. This way everyone present gets a say. If your group hasn’t met in person, it can make the most sense to do a quick via Google Forms survey with a few book options.

The quickest option? Just send a group text with two book options and see which gets the most votes.

How to Choose Your Group

Already have your group? Nice work! Jump to the next section so I don’t waste your precious time.

If you don’t have your group – no problem! Here are a few ways to go about this:

• Gather a friend or two who also enjoys reading, or needs some motivation to start. To build the group, ask each friend to invite someone. Consider setting some general rules around how to invite a friend, neighbor, coworker, so everyone is on the same page and the group doesn’t become too large. This is a fun way to meet new people!
• Ask specific people in your life who you would like to get to know better. A book discussion is such a great place to build friendships given the book as the shared topic, and over time, you get to learn more about each person’s perspectives, interests, and life experiences.
• Put up a post on your social media of choice inquiring if anyone would like to join a book club, or send out an email to colleagues. Don’t psyche yourself out here — just do it!

The participants in your book club will likely shift a bit over time depending on their own life responsibilities and happenings. And, others will show interest in your great gathering once the word gets out! Keep this in mind when planning.

Consider Your Space

Do you want to host the summer book club group outside given the beautiful, warm breeze this time of year? Um, yes, please!

If this is the case, consider your lighting options during the evening. Beautiful, soft globe string lights complimented by candlelight can be great options to promote discussion and ambience.

These string lights have various options for length. They are very similar to the ones we have in our yard, which look beautiful year round — we light them up every night!

We have ours attached to poles, but you may not need them depending on your patio / yard setup. If you do need poles, be sure to check the height you need, as well as how you will install them (into the ground, screwed into a wooden post, etc.).

Also, be mindful of those summer bugs hanging around. A few pest control options (like these beautifully scented fly away sticks from Terrain) are great options. I’ve invested in these and they do their job well. While they do have a scent, they don’t have the chemical smell that a lot of citronella or pest control products have.

Seating, is, of course, a major factor. Make sure there’s enough seating for everyone and that it’s comfortable enough to accommodate all body types. You’ll likely be sitting and chatting for a while, so this is a must.

If you have a large group don’t feel pressure to have all the perfect seating options — just enough to make it work. It’s more important that you are creating a space for connection, discussion, and merriment than perfection.

A few throw pillows always ups the comfort level, as well as light blankets in case it gets chillier as the evening progresses. I bought both pillows and blankets with simple patterns from Target that we can use in every season.

Sunbrella Striped Pillows: Target

 

Classic Striped Pillows: Pottery Barn

Summer Book Club Menu Ideas

This one is so fun! Whether your book club is pot luck style or you are entirely in charge of the food as the host, choose a theme which represents the book. You can do this by taking into account the overarching themes, the location in which it takes place, and/or the characters. You could also leave it up to the participants to interpret a food connection to the book. This makes for great conversation and can be such a fun surprise!

For instance, I recently attended a book club and our book was The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. Have you read it? We had wide variation re: opinions on the book. Anyway, one person brought beer from Pottstown, PA (this is where the book takes place) and someone else made a cheeseboard with Pennsylvania pretzels and “Chona’s Cheddar”, “Bernice’s Blue”, etc., which are both characters from the book. Such fun ideas!

Here are some summer book club menu ideas to get you started:

Next Year in Havana:

This novel is about a Cuban-American woman who lives in Miami, but returns to Cuba to learn about her family history. You can’t go wrong with simple bite-sized Cuban sandwiches and classic mojitos for this one:

 

One Italian Summer

This novel is about a woman who travels to Italy, the Amalfi Coast, and connects with her mother’s spirit as she explores the area and herself. This beautiful lemon basil burrata has all the flavors of summer, and highlights what the Amalfi Coast is famous for — it’s beautiful bounty of lemons!

The Aperol Spritz is a classic Italian apéritif, which has really gained traction in the states. This would be an easy drink to serve. You could make a pitcher, or, have a simple recipe with all the ingredients listed for your book club members to pour their own.

 

A few summer book club appetizers and refreshing drinks for the win!

The Book Club Agenda

Let’s move onto the meat of the meeting — the discussion itself!

As the host, it can be very helpful to have a few questions on hand should there be a lull in the conversation. Don’t feel like you have to answer all the questions or use the agenda at all, but it can come in handy and help you to feel more at ease to have this at your finger tips. If you would like, you can send the list to everyone ahead of time, or have a printout prepared for each attendee.

Here is a great website to to help you build an agenda and understanding around the discussion for your summer reading book:

https://everyday-reading.com/book-club-questions/

I really like how how Janssen from Everyday Reading notes that the discussion questions are just a jumping off point and if you don’t finish them, or get to them, that’s a great thing. That likely means the discussion was rich enough without the questions.

Also, if you are reading a popular book, you can be certain there are many options online to obtain an agenda. Google is absolutely your friend here.

This post was all about helping you to host an inspired summer book club.

Happy reading and happy hosting!

Other beautifully summer-inspired posts you may enjoy:

Summer Entertaining Menu

11 Fun Things to Do In Kingston NY (& beyond)