With so many books on the market today, book clubs shouldn’t have a hard time selecting books to read for the year, right? Actually, just the opposite can happen. Too many options often makes choosing book club selections downright difficult. So how can book discussion groups make the process easier?
One way is to base book club picks on a yearly book theme. With a theme, book discussion groups can still cover a broad spectrum of authors and topics – within a more manageable book pool. Plus, book themes are a fun and creative way to come up with a reading list. Here are some ideas and tips for choosing a yearly book theme:
Select a Genre for Book Club Picks
Book clubs might enjoy spending the year reading books from a particular genre. Any genre will have plenty of good book club choices, but here are some of the most popular genres for reading and discussing books:
- Biography and memoir
- Historical fiction
- Westerns
- Mysteries
- Fantasy
- Science fiction
- Classics
- Young adult/children’s books
- Spiritual books
- Thrillers
Create a Category for Book Club Choices
Another idea for a book theme is books that belong to a unique category, like the ones listed below:
- Books from every continent
- Books from different wars
- Books made into movies
- Books written by celebrities
- Self-published books
- Best sellers from past decades
- Books centered around holidays
- Local or regional books
Practically any category will do, however when choosing a book category for a book theme, make sure the category is broad enough to include a significant number of books as well as books that will appeal to the individual tastes of book club members
Consider Book Club Recommendations
Once a book theme is chosen, book club members may want to consider book club recommendations before making their final selections. Recommendations are often the best way to find books that are both interesting and lend themselves to good discussion.
Where can a book club look for recommendations? There are lists of top book club picks available online and in newspapers and print journals. Many public libraries host book clubs and are great places to find favorite book club reads as well. Finally, book reviews and word-of-mouth are two of the best sources for book club recommendations.
Book Theme and Book Club Selections Don’t Need to be Set in Stone
For whatever reasons, book club picks don’t always turn out to be right. A chosen book may be too boring or tedious, for example. Or, maybe a new book recommendation has suddenly emerged – one that sounds like a better choice than another on the list.
Book club selections don’t need to be set in stone. While it’s okay to read a bad book now and then, it’s also important to be flexible and consider changing the yearly book list if something’s not working for the group. That applies to the book theme, too. A half year of biographies or classics might be enough.
Although choosing book club selections can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. Book themes are a good way for discussion groups to narrow down the choices. Themes also make for an interesting year of reading. And coming up with a book theme can be half the fun.
Looking for a good recipe for the next book club meeting? Check out How to Make and Serve Angel Food Cake.
Susie Yakowicz - Susie Yakowicz is a Minnesota freelance writer whose work has appeared in dozens of publications for children and adults.
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