Most book clubs don't die from a lack of books. They die from too much ambition: novels that are too long, meetings that are too extended, too much prestige in "having finished reading." Here's our guide to starting a book club that actually lasts – written by us at Vivlios, who built an entire company on the conviction that reading is better when shared.
Why a book club at all?
Reading is solitary in the best way – but the conversation afterward is half the experience. A book club gives you three things that are difficult to acquire on your own: a deadline that actually gets you to read, perspectives you never would have found in the text yourself, and a recurring evening with people you like. Research aside: you'll notice it after the first meeting.
Step 1: Invite fewer people than you think
Four to eight people are enough. If there are more, only the bravest will speak; if there are fewer, it becomes vulnerable when someone can't make it. Invite broadly – the quietest colleague might turn out to be the sharpest reader – but be clear about what it is: a regular meeting circle, not a one-off event.
Step 2: Decide the rhythm before you decide the book
A meeting once a month is standard for a reason: most people can manage it. Choose a fixed day – "first Thursday" beats "we'll find a date" every time. Also, decide the length of the meeting in advance. Ninety minutes is enough: half an hour of small talk, an hour for the book.
Step 3: Let the book choice rotate
The simplest fair system: one person chooses the book for each meeting, the turn goes around, no veto rights. This forces everyone to read things they never would have chosen themselves – which is half the point of a circle. Feel free to set a soft page limit (under 400 pages is kind to everyone) and mix it up: a detective novel, a classic, something translated, something no one has heard of.
Tip for detective novel lovers in Stockholm: Deckarbokhandeln in Gamla Stan – where our jewelry is also available – is a treasure trove for circles wanting to delve deep into crime literature.
Step 4: Keep the conversation simple
You don't need study guides. Three questions are almost always enough:
- What stayed with you?
- Was there anything you didn't buy into – a scene, a choice, an ending?
- Who should (not) read this book?
And one rule that saves the atmosphere: it's allowed to come without having finished reading. The one who has read the whole thing just can't reveal the ending – especially not in books with open endings, where half the fun is arguing about what actually happened.
Step 5: Don't underestimate the fika
The secret infrastructure of a book club is the refreshments. The host arranges something simple – it should feel like an evening to look forward to, not a seminar. Circles that meet over a soup or a cinnamon bun survive circles that meet over nothing.
Digital or around a table?
Both work. A digital circle makes it possible to read with a friend who has moved and an aunt in another city, and the threshold for showing up is lower. But if you can meet physically: do it. Conversations are longer, laughter is louder, and it's harder to sneak away after forty minutes.
A way to mark that you belong together
Some circles name themselves. Some take minutes. And some choose to wear something in common: identical pieces of jewelry, for example a bracelet shaped like an open book or one with three dots – an open ending. We like the idea for a special reason: according to our concept Wear While You Read, the jewelry gets its meaning from the books read with it on. The same bracelet on eight wrists will, after a year, carry eight different stories – and one shared. More ideas can be found among our gifts for book lovers.
The long perspective
We believe – and this is the entire foundation of Vivlios – that people who read more create more of real value, and that a society that reads is a better society. A book club is the smallest possible version of that idea: a few people, a book, a table. Start one. Then please tell us what you're reading – we're always collecting reading tips.