How To Host Your Own Book Club
Here at Service95 Book Club, we love chatting about books with authors, readers and fellow bookworms such as Lucy Ellis, founder of Lucy’s Book Club.
Seven months ago, tired of overly academic book clubs, Lucy decided to create her own – the kind she’d like to join herself, with accessibility at its core. “I was scrolling TikTok and Instagram, looking, but everything was either virtual or very high-brow. It all felt a bit like English Lit. Personally, I love the fun side of a club that doesn’t take things too seriously.”
Enter Lucy’s Book Club, a London-based book community with over 100 members, meeting monthly to champion good vibes and accessible reads.
If you’re keen to start getting your book-loving friends together, Lucy has shared her must-haves for hosting. A great place to start is by following Dua’s Monthly Reads – complete with our Discussion Guides you can use to help focus your conversation – and below, find Lucy’s tips on creating the perfect evening…
Lucy’s Top Tips For Hosting Your Own Book Club Evening
A group chat… “Interact with everyone to encourage conversations. Create a space where people can really open up, be themselves, and make new friends.”
A positive attitude… “I tend to give people between four and five weeks’ notice to give enough time for everyone to read the book but I encourage people who haven’t even read the book or finished the book to come if they are interested. I think that’s important, and maybe make a joke like, ‘Oh, I’ve still got 10 pages left. But book club’s tomorrow’, and that’s fine. There is no pressure. It’s not an exam.”
A great book… “Try to pick a book that isn’t going to feel intimidating. None of the books we read are particularly niche, and make sure you read a lot of books with a range of different authors, making sure everyone feels like it’s a space for them.”
Click Here To Discover Service95 Book Club’s Monthly Read
A rough guide… “I write questions about the book and try to create discussions, so you’re not sitting there analysing why the author said this and this. For example, I tried to make the questions relatable when we read Dolly Alderton’s Good Material, which was all about a breakup. I asked, ‘So, what did this remind you of when you were in this situation?’ Rather than really analysing the text.”
Click Here for Service95 Book Club’s Latest Discussion Guide
A venue… “I think choosing the right aesthetic and vibe is important. A pub is fun, but I don’t want just any pub. It’s got to fit the vibe of the book club. I think switching it up each time is quite nice as well because it means you can visit different places. And if different people are hosting as well, that could be fun.”
A vibe… “I always [invite people] that I know are really warm and kind. And then they’re a friendly face walking through the door. So as soon as people turn up, they feel welcome.”
One last thing…
Self-belief… “Try not to let worries get the better of you because hosting people is quite nerve-wracking. Try not to overthink it and just have confidence in yourself that people will be interested in what you’re doing and that people are, mostly, looking for connection and community. And if that means you have a shared love of books and nothing else, you already have one thing in common.”
Jamie Styles is Digital Editorial Assistant
