Book Club Tips From Elle Magazine

How to Start a Book Club That Doesn't Turn Into 'Lord of the Flies'

8 commandments from Hollywood's go-to guru.

By Julie Goler

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For ELLE's thirtieth anniversary, we're serving up weekly life hacks from 12 expert coaches. Our second expert of the year is Julie Goler, a book club expert who curates monthly, 75-minute salons on titles carefully selected to promote both an emotional journey and intellectual conversation. (Some of her groups—which include celebrities, Hollywood execs, and stay-at-home moms alike—have been meeting for over a decade!) All this month on ELLE.com, Goler will give you the expert tools necessary to start a can't-miss meeting of your own.

Reading groups are a terrific way to continue the learning process, but your club should not be considered class, but rather an instrument for discussion. At your first get together, try and discuss a meaty-but-short story like Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" or Philip Roth's "Defender of the Faith" so that you have time to come up with a list of policies to which all members agree to adhere. This is important because, as you add members to your club along the way, everyone will be on the same page (logistically speaking). Below, my eight commandments for starting a successful book group

1. All group members shall agree to actually read the chosen book:

Sounds bizarre, I know, but just trust me on this one.

2. All books must have an intellectual or thought-provoking element to them:

There's nothing wrong with page-turners like 50 Shades of Grey, but I promise that Madame Bovary and Olive Kitteridge make for better company than Anastasia Steele.

3. That said, all selections should be enjoyable. At least one member—usually the facilitator of the meeting—shall have already read and approved of the chosen novel.

4. Meetings shall take place on a designated night each month:

Unless everyone in the entire group agrees, it is best not to change the night. Meetings should take place whether all members can attend or not. My meetings begin at 7:30 p.,., discussions commence promptly at 7:45 p.m., and the evening concludes at 9:00 p.m. Of course you can alter this to suit your needs, but it is critical to have a precise time that discussion begins or you will find yourself waiting for latecomers every meeting.

5. Only one group member should be responsible for leading the discussion: 

This person may come up with focus points for discussion, do research on the author, the time period, and/or larger issues discussed in the book. He or she will generally know just a little more about the book than the others. He or she will also do his or her best to make sure that all group members are involved in the discussion so that chat doesn't get monopolized by one person. (Some groups go "leaderless," but those are often the ones that hire me to come in and do triage.)

6. Groups shall rotate homes so that different members may host:

And note: some members won't want to. (Maybe they feel their homes are too small or there are too many dogs or kids.) No problem! Create an environment in which members are encouraged to co-host. Hosts can share the expenses, cooking, and the clean up (not to mention accolades for their creative meals).

7. Food and wine shall always be served:

During the very first meeting, the group should agree whether they would like to have dinner or "munchies" meetings moving forward. If you settle on a dinner meeting, it's a good idea to schedule the eating component either before or after the discussion. Most of my groups like to meet for theme dinners before discussion. If we're reading a book from the Heartland, like Nickolas Butler's Shotgun Lovesongs, it's a perfect excuse to serve macaroni and cheese with spiked lemonade. If we're reading Madame Bovary, the hostess might serve a spinach quiche with a French cheese board and Champagne. All of my groups serve alcohol, usually wine, but some get quite fancy with martinis or margaritas if the specialty drinks suit the book we're reading. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles for example, positively cries out for very dry martinis.

8. Allow time at the end of the meetings for information that is good for the group as a whole:

After we've shut down the book chat, I usually call out, "Is there anything that we all have to know about?" I like to recognize that book groups are places where like-minded people can talk about the things they love beyond the novel. So, at the end of a meeting, I offer my own suggestions for the best theater production in town, the must-see movie, or the not-to-be-missed TV show. My groups say that they love this part almost as much as our book group chats.

Oprah's Book Club and Mine

As I have been happily ensconced in two book clubs in my life, I can attest to the many pleasures of membership. Twenty two years in my current group has enabled me to know and share life's gifts with some of the wisest and wittiest women anywhere. For many years, we had no name until one evening, at the home of a beloved caterer, we hit upon it at last: Greatest Food Ever Book Club. Our numbers have had to ebb and flow with time, sometimes due to circumstances beyond our control. Yet with all the changes, one constant remains true; we will never be in complete agreement about any given novel. It is the differences of opinion that have provided some of the more irksome and also illuminating evenings. Whether we are at a member's house, or we gather around a table in a restaurant, the conversation is lively, the minds are engaged, and the disagreements fly freely.

What makes people, all reading the same material, vary in their likes and dislikes? As a former English major, we were trained to discuss theme, content and style. Our personal preferences had no place in academia, so I often chafe at those who say they dislike a book, because they do not admire the character. It is the darker strains, the sinners and the sorry who often drive the action of the story, so whether we tend to 'like' them or not, they will be with us forever.

While I have my local group, I often venture into other, larger venues, as it is so pleasurable for me to share in the reading experience with others. To this end, I jumped into the ressurrection of Oprah's hugely successful book club. Her first selection, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed is a fascinating read. Depicting a journey through grief that becomes a literal hike along the Pacific Coast Trail, the author captures the experience with breathtaking clarity. As a veteran of long canoe trips myself, and a person who carried a ninety pound pack, I can vouch for the realism involved in every detail. While on those trips through the wilderness of northern Ontario, I often longed to be able to describe the experience. Lacking both the skill and the time to get enough words on paper, my trip journals tend to be patchy and brief. How much can be said about a walk in the woods? In Strayed's case, plenty, it turns out, and my hat goes off to her for managing a feat that has eluded me. I have not, however traveled alone, but even if I were to attempt such a thing, I still feel I would come up short, compared to Wild.

Oprah Winfrey single handedly changed publishing history with her book club. Most of us choose books through word of mouth. Newspapers, magazines, and interviews come next, but no matter what the marketing budget, nothing tops hearing someone describe their experience. Having a book selected by Oprah can be likened to being tapped on the shoulder with a golden wand. Her greatest success lies in getting people who didn't read, or who had stopped reading years ago, back into the joy of curling up with a good book.

Here at this web site, we love to share old favorites and books we are reading, as well as tips about writing and learning the craft. We hope you will visit us often to keep abreast of the cornucopia of books from which to choose. Have fun and let us know what you think.



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