There’s arguably never been a better time to join a book club. According to reading subscription service Everand’s 2026 State of Reading Report, people read more often last year than they did the year prior and in multiple formats, as e-books and audiobooks abound — and they’re primarily discovering new recs through personal connections. And considering the importance of third places, a book club is the perfect way to dive into a new read and build community at the same time.
“[Book clubs] open up this idea that we can now all sit together and talk about this book and enjoy this moment together, while also then allowing ourselves to go forth into the world feeling like we’ve learned something,” New York City book club founder Zoë Mahler told NBC News.
And perhaps the best part? These events have evolved far beyond the traditional version of simply sitting in a circle in someone’s living room (although those still exist, too!). So if you’re craving a certain type of literary gathering and not finding it in your area, why not create it yourself?
How to Start a Book Club
Choose Your Own Adventure
Since book clubs can be launched in all kinds of creative formats, take some time to consider the experience you’d like to curate. Do you want it to be in-person or online? At someone’s house, or in a public location like a park or brewery? Should the conversation be entirely centered on a single book each meeting, or is bonding over a shared love of reading what’s most important?
To get the juices flowing, here are some different types of book clubs you might want to try:
- Silent: Bring your own book, read quietly together, then socialize (or not)
- Book swap: Bring a book to give away, browse others’ contributions, and mingle with readers
- Hobby-related: Combine discussions with events incorporating other shared interests, such as art, running, baking, or gardening
- Virtual: Host literary discussions through Zoom or a similar platform, and invite speakers or authors to present
Specify a Genre or Theme
Depending on the vibe of your club, you may want to narrow its focus by selecting books that fall within a specific genre or topic. If you’re just looking to bring people together to socialize over a mutual passion for reading, you can bounce around a little here — but if you’d like to center the books themselves and attract a like-minded group, feel free to niche down a bit.
You could pick a broad genre like general romance or thriller, or go with something more specific like romantasy, LGBTQ+ romance, wellness-cult thriller, or cowboy romance (yes, those last two are a thing!). Alternatively, you may want to only read recent New York Times bestsellers, award-winning works, cookbooks, novels with a specific setting (like Japan), or nonfiction titles that cover a specific topic (such as mental health). And as your club gets going, you could implement a voting system to choose each month’s read.
Work Out Logistics
As fun as it is to have finally decided you’re going to only discuss ’80s vampire novels, now comes the perhaps less exciting but entirely necessary part: Establishing a functional club. Here are a few questions you’ll want to answer:
- How often will the club meet?
- Who will host? Will it be you every time, or will you rotate hosting duties?
- How large do you want it to be?
- Where will everyone meet, and what do you need to do to make that happen (reserve a table at a wine bar, book a room at a library, etc.)?
- How will you communicate with members (through social media, email, text, or something else)?
- What other things do you need to prepare for the event (for example, snacks at your house or a route for a post-discussion run)?
In terms of inviting members, there are several avenues you can take. If you have a few interested friends, you can ask each of them to also bring a few friends and go from there — or, you can use a website like Bookclubs to build in-person groups in your area. Social media tools, like Facebook groups or TikTok posts, are another great way to get the word out. And if you’re starting an online club, platforms such as Bookclubs and Goodreads offer ways to do this via virtual message boards, as well as meeting apps like Zoom.
Create a Cadence
No matter what type of book club you’re launching, you’ll want to have some sort of structure in place, particularly for the first meeting or if your members don’t know each other. If you’re following a more traditional literary discussion format, here’s a general list of questions to get you started, as well as ideas for generating fun conversation. But if you’d prefer more book-specific prompts, check out BookBrowse or Reading Group Guides, which offer free guides for thousands of titles.
But remember, there’s no need to stick to a specific cadence — in fact, some relaxed clubs don’t even require attendees to actually read the book. Still, it’s a good idea to nail down the guidelines and flow of your event, and share it ahead of time so everyone knows what to expect.
Ready to Read?
Naturally, what you choose to read depends on the genre or theme of your club, but we’ve rounded up a list of books to help you get started, some of which are top-clicked titles previously included in editions of Nice News.
Fiction
- Python’s Kiss by Louise Erdrich
- Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg
- On the Calculation of Volume Series by Solvej Balle
- The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
- Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Nonfiction
- The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game by C. Thi Nguyen
- Why We Drink Too Much: The Impact of Alcohol on Our Bodies and Culture by Dr. Charles Knowles
- Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing From the Heart of Japan by Hiroko Yoda
- Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First Century Life by Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita
- Having People Over: A Modern Guide to Planning, Throwing, and Attending Every Type of Party by Chelsea Fagan
- The Opposite of Settling: How to Get Everything You Want Out of Love and Life Without Losing Your Spark by Case Kenny
- The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
- A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst
RELATED: Nice News’ Reading List: 11 of Our Favorite Books Released in April
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