Read My Guest Post at My Friend Amy's Blog -- Comment Here and You'll Be Entered to Win the Book Club Girl Book Club Hostess Survival Kit!

Read my guest post on how my book group chooses books at My Friend Amy's blog in honor of BBAW. Then, comment on the post here by telling me how your group chooses books and you'll be entered to win the Book Club Girl Book Club Hostess Survival Kit -- everything you need to host book group except the chairs! One lucky winner will receive:

* A basket of cheese, crackers, cookies and wine for up to 12 people
* 5 great book group books to vote on for your group's next pick. And I will then send 12 copies of whichever book is chosen for your entire group to read.
* 12 Book Club Girl mousepads to give out as party favors that night
* 12 Book Club Girl bookmarks to mark everyone's favorite passages
* 12 Book Club Girl coasters to protect your coffee table from all those wine glasses!

Comments

[Julie P.]

My book club would love me if I won this one!

We have been doing the same thing for over six years now. Basically, each month a different woman hosts the meeting. Hosting involves selecting the book, moderating the discussion, and providing food and beverages to the group. This way, we feel that everyone has a chance to select something they really want to read. In addition, it allows us to read books that we might not otherwise pick up!

[RebekahC]

Loved your blog at Amy's site. I always find it interesting to talk to other book clubbers to see how they go about doing things. I started a book club a few years ago, and we're always looking for ways to make things even better. So far everyone seems to really like the way we pick our monthly selections. What we do is each member makes one recommendation a month, be it a new release or an older one- as long as it appears to be solid enough to base a discussion on. Then once all the titles are in we simply do a random draw. All the names are tossed in the hat, and whatever selection gets picked is what we read and discuss the following month. Luckily we've only ever once had a horrible book come up, and the really annoying thing was that the person who suggested it never even showed up for the discussion. Yah, that went over real well. NOT! lol The one thing we were originally not too sure about was whether or not this system would allow everyone to get their selection picked from time to time. Fortunately though it's never seemed to have been a problem. We've all had one of our suggestions chosen on several occassions over the years. And on the off chance a suggestion was made but not chosen, a member is welcome to resubmit the suggestion in following months until the title eventually wins out.

Anywho... There's my long answer for you. LOL I'd love to enter your giveaway draw. What a sweet prize!!!

RebekahC
littleminx@cox.net

[Icedream]

My book club is hosted by my local library. It's a fantastic and diverse group and we have read some great books but the only unfortunate thing is that we have to choose books that are available through the library commission and there is never any new titles to choose from. So what we do to pick a book is go through the library commission's list and everyone nominates a book and then we vote on the nominations.

[Icedream]

My book club is hosted by my local library. It's a fantastic and diverse group and we have read some great books but the only unfortunate thing is that we have to choose books that are available through the library commission and there is never any new titles to choose from. So what we do to pick a book is go through the library commission's list and everyone nominates a book and then we vote on the nominations.

[Holly]

Your blog is new to me, thanks to BBAW. What a great site! My book club has an email distribution list. We pick books three or four time a year. That way we know a few months ahead what our book will be in case our members want to reserve it at the library. Our leader asks everyone to submit choices to her via email. She creates a list between 10-12 books long. We each pick our top 3 and let her know. She compiles the votes and the top three vote-getters overall are our next three months worth of books. It's a very democratic way to pick the books and that way we all hate the books, no one feels bad. :-) We also meet at a Panera Bread each month, which takes the pressure off hosting.

[Heather J.]

We just changed the way we choose books. It WAS a rotating monarchy - when it was your turn, you picked it and everyone had to read it. But we got too big for that (it was taking over a year to get a turn!) so we have a new plan. 3 times a year we'll all bring a book to the meeting and vote on our top 4 choices. Those will be the next 4 books we read.

[Michele]

Our book club has always picked multiple books at a time. We used to pick 3-4 at a time but it got to be too often. This past year we picked all the books for the year at one time. We send out lists of books and their links/reviews/thoughts and review ahead of the meeting. Then we pick during the meeting, trying to intermingle different types of books, genres, etc. Lately it's been just 2-3 of us suggesting books and that makes it harder. It probably should be more democratic or something. Will have to think on that.

[Michelle B]

How my book club chooses it's books:

We have 12 members - perfect for the 12 months of the year. We each sign up to host a meeting a year. When it is your turn to host, you get to choose the book. I really like the way your group chooses its books. I'll have to bring up tomorrow at our meeting to see if everyone would like to change.

Thanks for the GREAT contests this week!

[Jen - Devourer of Books]

We are completely spastic about picking books. We generally try to read things that someone in the group has read so we know it is good. This drives me slightly crazy, because I am definitely the most voracious reader of the group, which means I rarely get to read anything new for book club. I'm hoping that if I win, they'll be willing to pick something i haven't read!

[Yasmin]

Great idea! Each month the moderator asks for book nominations. Every member (all 30 of us; but only about 15 are really active)can give the name of one book they would like to read. Moderator takes all the books--usually about 5 (because so many of us like and nominate the same book)--and enters them into a poll. Book with the most votes becomes the book of the month. We've been doing it this way for over 8 years and it seems to work for us.

[Ruth]

My group is very similar to Yasmin's. We each nominate one book, hold a preliminary vote with all of them, then narrow it down to three for a second vote. The book that has the most votes in the second vote is the next month's book.

[Seaside Blogger]

Our book club, who is ever is the hostess for that month. The hostess's are lined up a year ago. She is the one who decides. This is why we are in a book club to read all kinds of books we would have never not necessarily read. This month, we are reading Keeping The House which we won treats from the author, and a speaker phone call by her as well.

[Heidi]

Our group has only been together for a year and a half, and we've tried different methods. Lately, like Michelle B, we've just trusted each other enough to let each person have 'her book' and we all read it. If it's your month you also lead discussion. So far, so good. We just finished our first round of doing it that way and it's been instructive. I hated the book I chose for my month and loved books I thought I'd hate. You just never know!

[Nise']

This year we are reading classics/award winners. Choices are made (3-4) and then voted on. Up next is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

nisethusfar(at)yahooDOTcom

[Anne]

We get together for a dinner to discuss the previous book. Then we each argue our case for the next book. The one who makes the best case sort of wins by acclamation!

[RaynedancerGirl]

Me and some ladies that I work with are working on forming a Book Club. While we have already settled on the first couple of books (to help get things going), we had not come up with a definitive plan on how to choose books. We had discussed that whoever hosted the next 'meet' would get to choose the book, but I like what you are doing better. Do you mind if I take your solution to the table?

[Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)]

I like the way that your book club chooses its selections. The last book club we had each month the host would choose the book they wanted to read, but once it was my turn to choose, everyone gave up on the book and the club. I'm currently without a book club, but would like to start one with a similar selection process to your club. I'm not sure this qualifies me for your contest though. :(

[Tracee]

We actually pick two books at a time. Each member comes to the meeting with 4 books in mind, and a bried description of each. Like your group we have two rounds of voting. It seems to have worked out well so far. What a great contest...I am keeping my fingers crossed!

[Rachel]

I belong to a book group that is part of a larger mom's group. We do not have a set system for choosing books. I think often the book group coordinator will get suggestions, then present the suggestions to the group to see if anyone has any strong opinions for or against a particular book. There's not really any voting. If there haven't been any suggestions, the coordinator might try to pick something on their own. I love your description of how your book group chooses a book and will bring that up when our group meets on Thursday. We meet at a public place, so we would have to designate a person to suggest books at each meeting.

[Lori Barnes]

We are a pretty new group there's only 5 of us but what we do is each of us will suggest a book and if no one gives any neg. feed back on any suggestion we put them in a box and draw out our title for the next book. We each bring something to eat and do a door prize drawing of a book for someone to win. Who ever's turn it is to have it at they're house they do the door prize we are going to start having others join but have been us steady five that are committed. We learn about different books off your site and other blogger sites to help us come up with our choices to put in the box. We have alot of fun too!