5 Tips For Hosting a Successful Book Club Meeting
Hosting a Successful Book Club Meeting…Keeping Y’all Social.
Book Club hosting is one of my favorite social events, because it highlights one of my favorite pastimes…reading for pleasure! So in honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share my love of reading along with some book club hosting tips.
In our long running book club, we meet once a month for food, libation and scintillating conversation at a different member’s house. We’re a chatty bunch, and we actually also talk about the book, with round robin discussion questions. Below is our last read that sparked lots of interesting debate and conversation.
The Book: Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.
This was my latest book choice, and I recommend it for a fascinating jaunt in the land of non-fiction. It’s a true crime tale that reads like a clever novel. It lives up to the idiom, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Berendt is a master at setting us up for surprise.
Southern Hospitality
Set in Savannah, GA, the author immerses us in the varied cultures of the city, lacing his tale with colorful, eccentric and real characters. Wanting to evoke some of this Southern flavor for our book club meeting, I made food and designed details to enhance the evening.
And so the event itself. Here are 5 tips for hosting a successful, dynamic book club meeting or any other gathering.
Tip 1: Welcoming Hospitality
- Create and save pre-written directions to your house (including your address and phone number) on your computer
- Email book club members reminding them of the book selection, meeting date and time, attaching your home directions
Tip 2: Think Theme
- Choose foods from the book or location
- {I made Chicken Bog}
- {I made Lucile Wright’s Tomato Sandwiches}
- Libation Link {I offered a fine Madeira wine and other wines}
- Display a unique item associated with a character {I set out Psycho Dice}
- Tableware decor reflective of style {I used my wedding china for elegance}
Tip 3: Prepare Ahead – Think Party Stages
- Arrival:
- Closet ready with empty coat hangers for guest coats
- Slippers displayed for shoe removal
- Create a list guide for reminder steps just before the party such as
- Refrigerated drinks on table
- Coffee maker ready for brewing
- Exterior house lights on
- Candles lit
- Buffet:
- Make food the day before
- Table area pre-set with wine/beverages & wine/water glasses
- Table area silverware/napkins/dishes or disposable plates/servers
- Wine glass charms on glasses {Bonaventure Cemetery Charms}
- Dry snacks pre-set within easy reach
Tip 4: List of “Go To” Food/Beverage Ideas
- List food and drink that work for all occasions:
- Finger foods/appetizers/simple favorite recipes to draw from
- Beverages: a white and red wine choice, water with lemon slices
- Easy Spinach Pie, my favorite recipe for parties I attend or host
- Crowd pleasers: Crackers & cheese, Veggies & dip, Pretzels & chips
Tip 5: Food Place Cards
Growing up, when my mother hosted a party; she served baked potatoes for dessert. No, it wasn’t some family tradition or custom from our roots. She’d forget (every time) to put the potatoes in the oven until we were halfway through our meal.
To avoid forgetting the various foods for my buffet, I create and keep Food Cards. By pre-setting these cards on my buffet table, I never forget a food; guests know what is served, and anyone can help place the food on the table.
Simply buy place cards, and label with food name. I print a list on computer, cut out each name and use a glue stick to adhere to a place card. These labels peel off easily if I want to switch them out.
After reading the book, rent the movie version starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusak.
Love my tips and don’t have a knack for these details? I can create custom master lists and food cards as well as help you get more organized for daily ease and entertaining readiness. Contact me for a FREE 20-minute Discovery Call to learn how I make your next party event and easy success.
Thanks Jul’s – great tips. I actually think I’ll be adding that book title to our book club. We meet monthly and always looking for great suggestions for fiction & non-fiction. I also really love the idea of providing food in the theme of the book! I’m taking that idea to our next meeting :).
Great to hear, and I hope you all enjoy the book. I am going to write a blog post offering more book titles for reading enjoyment as several people have asked me for book club suggestions, so look out for that.
These are great tips Jul’s. It’s fiun how you really got into the theme and ambience of the book for the reading club.
I especially like your tip about having food cards. I spent too much time in the past playing vegetarian ‘russian roulette’ at buffet tables to not appreciate the difference that having those food cards can make to someone.
Hey Ferris, you bring up a good point, when I have guests who have food allergies, I often have special gluten free and the like included in my faire. They so appreciate instantly knowing there is food they can eat.
These are great tips Jul’s. I must admit I’ve never attended a book club meeting yet, which is strange considering that I love to read. But your tips can be applied to any situation where you are the host or even a small networking event.
i love your ideas for getting into the spirit and theme of the chosen book (and incidentally i just heard about this book for the first time today, on “jeopardy,” right before reading your post!) that is cute about your mom’s baked potato dessert.
Love when “coincidences” happen like this…thanks so much if you read the book let me know what you think.
I do love these tips! It makes me feel more confident about hosting when I have a checklist like this and don’t feel like I forgetting something important!
Thanks so much Erin, glad you liked my tips. I agree, I like the confidence a checklist gives me and the aid of the food cards for reminders and ease of presetting what goes where on my table.
Jul’s this was such a helpful post! I love hosting events and I love reading, so this was a perfect post for me, but I’m often all over the kitchen as the arrival time approaches. Your tips are PERFECT! I also really LOVE your closing offer…you are exactly what I need!! Great post as always!!
Thanks so very much April! Love to help automate and streamline and happy to help in anyway I can! Let’s talk!