Book Club Services

Register Your Book Club

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Benefits of registering your book club with us

  • We reserve multiple copies of your chosen title so that ideally everyone in your book club gets a copy.
  • You and your book club members can pick up and check them out at your convenience from Lake Forest Library.
  • Each book comes with a bookmark with space on the back for members to keep track of your book club's upcoming dates and titles.
  • Please keep in mind that anyone can borrow titles on your book club shelf. The Library does not check whether the person checking out a title is a member of your book club.
  • If a member of your book club would like to read ahead, they can ask us to place a hold on next month's title for them.

Register your book club today

There are three ways to register. To register your book club and set up a schedule:

Books We Recommend

Jump to: Register your Book ClubBook Club Tips

Want more recommendations?

Lake Forest Librarians would be happy to recommend titles that might work for your group.

Complete our Recommendations Request form and let us know in the box at the bottom that your request is for your book group.

 

Book Club Tips

Jump to: Register your Book ClubBooks We Recommend

Starting a Group

Decide how many people you want in your book club and stick to that number. It is hard to have a meaningful discussion with 40 people. 8–15 people is a great number to start.

Decide when you will meet and for how long. If meeting monthly is too much, meet every six weeks or every other month.

Decide where you'll have your meetings. Rotating members' houses? Panera? If you hold meetings at members' houses, do they provide food and beverages?

Decide on a theme and tone for the club. Will you read mostly mysteries, literary fiction, inspirational, nonfiction? You don't need to strictly stick to these kinds of books, but it helps give your group structure and will give your group more focus when trying to decide on a title.

Hosting Discussions

The host for that month may select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. Each member (or team of 2 or 3) takes a card, asks the group the question, and leads that discussion.

If you're hosting or leading, do some research on the book, the author, reviews, etc.

Allow time for socializing in the beginning. It is going to happen either way, so just build it into the schedule. Set a time limit of 30–45 minutes though, so that you can get to the actual discussion.

Don't feel you have to talk about each question! If the group doesn't have a lot to say about a topic or doesn't seem interested in the question, move on to a question that gets them talking.

If you're hosting or leading, consider making food or playing music that pairs with themes in the book.

Choosing a Title

Have each member submit an anonymous list of books they liked with a short summary. Drop it into a bowl or bag and at the end of each meeting pull out a title for the next meeting.

Substitute a movie for a book for a change of pace.

If reading a book is too time consuming, try podcasts or long magazine articles for discussion.

When deciding on a book, make sure it offers topics for discussion. Books that will stimulate a good discussion may contain:

  • Complex plots or characters

  • Complicated conflicts

  • Inspiring storylines

  • Hanging endings

  • Controversial subject matter

  • Periods of history

  • Social commentary

Don't choose books that are really long. You want to make sure people have enough time to read the book. Set a page number limit for your group and stick to it. 350–400 pages is a good amount.

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