How to be the Hostess with the Mostest

Setting the theme for your book club invites members to suspend reality and fall into the magic of the book. 

Reading your book in advance allows you to have enough time to create or buy whatever decorations or party favors for your book club. Don't be afraid to get creative and do something unique and memorable! Setting a good theme is the best way to really celebrate the book.

Tell your members if you are wanting them to bring a certain type of style of food, or encourage them to dress up if that is in your vision of the book club!

As the host, it is your responsibility to lead the discussion and facilitate focused conversation around the book. Having notes prepared ahead of time can help the conversation stay on track if you see it is getting derailed.

It can also be helpful to have a list of characters printed out to help refresh your members' memories, especially if it is a book with a lot of characters!

It is helpful if you can prepare as much of your decorations well in advance so you are not scrambling last second to get things done. Make things easy on yourself and take your time! You want to see your vision of the book club come to fruition. 

Making a pitcher takes such a relief off of you as the host. It allows you to make the perfect mixture ahead of time, and then when it comes to refills, all you have to do is pass it around and you won't miss out on any of the great discussion!

Decorating your space and especially the dining table, where you will be spending the majority of your time, will help your members dive into great discussion by igniting their memories of the book! Even if the book was not one of your favorites, it is still worth getting together and discussing it, so taking the time to decorate will always be appreciated by your fellow members!

It's always such a treat to have a little book-related party favor to take home. It makes you feel special and loved and every time you look at it at home,  you will be transported back to a book club with your friends. Even if it is something small, your members are sure to appreciate it!

Music helps to set the ambiance in the room. Doing themed music, whether it be from the time period or region, it will help transport your members into the atmosphere of the book. 

Did your book not feel musically inspired? Just some nice instrumental background music will help the flow of conversation feel smoother.