Book clubs are a fantastic way to socialize while discussing one of my favorite topics – books! And there are a wide range of book club formats, ranging from serious literary discussions to casual free-for-alls, and everything in between.

This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, from qualifying purchases. (This in no way affects the honesty of my reviews!) All commissions will be donated to the ALS Association.

By one estimate, over five million people in the US are part of a book club, and that number has probably grown due to digital collaboration technology such as Zoom, and celebrity influencers that include Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon.

If you’re a long-time book club member, I’m sure you look forward to reading the next book pick and discussing it with your friends. But following the same format month-after-month can make even the best book club a little dull.

If this has happened to you – if your book club is in a rut – it’s time to add some energy to your meetings to keep everyone engaged.

6 ideas to rejuvenate a book club

Adding more energy can be as simple as skipping a book discussion at one of your meetings and replacing it with a book-related activity, or taking a more wide-sweeping approach to identifying book club questions and ensuring every member has the opportunity to express his or her opinion.

Every group has its own dynamics, so what works for one may not work for another. However, you’re bound to find a good solution in this list of fun book club ideas.

1. Host a book club book exchange

Book exchanges are a fantastic way to be introduced to favorite books from members’ personal libraries. And, like a public library, it’s a free way to find your next great read.

Book exchanges can take place in a variety of formats. Here are a couple of ideas.

• Random. Participants draw numbers and then choose their book(s) in sequential order. Whoever draws #1 is the first to choose.
• Competitive. Depending on group dynamics, it could be fun to do a “white elephant” style book exchange. This also begins with drawing numbers, however it’s better to be last than first. As the exchange progresses, each person can decide if they want to choose an unclaimed book or “steal” someone else’s selection when it’s their turn. Anyone who has their book stolen can either choose an unclaimed book or steal someone else’s book. As a white elephant veteran, I can tell you that this approach can get rather cutthroat.

Tips for a successful book club book exchange:

• Establish guidelines before the event about the number of books and genres.
• Find out what books everyone plans to bring to avoid duplicates.
• Decide in advance if this will be a permanent or temporary exchange (participants may not want to part with their books forever!). Use something like book plates to mark book ownership.
• At the beginning of the exchange, have each member say a little about the book and why they like it.
• Consider discussing the exchanged books at the next book club meeting.

2. Challenge month

The last point in the previous section brings us to the next idea for adding energy to a tired book club.

Book club members don’t always have to read the same book as each other every month. Mix it up a little by occasionally designating a theme (once a year?) and letting members choose what they individually want to read.

For example, if you choose to do this in February, maybe let participants choose their own romance genre novel. Or if it’s summer, choose books that take place at beaches.

There are limitless possibilities. Personally, I like to tie challenges to events or themes that take place throughout the year. For example, one of my past challenges for May was to read a biography of a mother in honor of Mother’s Day. For more ideas, check out some of my past annual reading challenges.

When everyone reads a different book, it’s important to provide structure to the discussion. Consider having everyone provide the following information about their books:

• Title and author
• Genre
• Why they chose it
• Quick plot summary
• Pluses and minuses
• Do they recommend it?

3. Book inspired potluck

Who doesn’t like book club snacks and drinks? And if you’re reading the right book, it only makes sense to have each member bring a dish or beverage that’s inspired by this month’s book.

Here are some of my favorite book/snack pairings:

• Where the Crawdads Sing – Southern comfort foods like fried chicken, collard greens, shrimp and grits, and pecan pie. Wash it down with some sweet tea.
• The Secret Life of Bees – Deviled eggs, homemade macaroni and cheese, and caramel cake.
• Crazy Rich Asians – Asian inspired appetizers such as dumplings, sushi rolls, and spring rolls. Maybe some plum wine would be in order?
• Little Fires Everywhere – Channel the suburban setting with snacks such as mini quiches, sliced tortilla rollups, and spinach and artichoke dip. And don’t forget a nice bottle of chardonnay!
• Remarkably Bright Creatures – This one requires seafood, like shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, and lobster mac and cheese.

If you want to use the book’s genre as the theme of your book club potluck, try these ideas:

• Romance – chocolate and champagne (of course!). To get fancy, try chocolate fondue with pound cake, angel food cake, and fresh fruit as the “dippers.”
• Mystery – Before you finger the suspect, eat some finger food. Ask everyone to bring something for a charcuterie board, and ensure someone makes magnifying glass shaped cookies with this adorable cookie cutter!
• Historical fiction – You can have a lot of fun doing themed snacks for a historical fiction novel. For example, if the book takes place in the 1970s, Jello molds, canned cheese, and casseroles could be on the menu. And make sure there’s plenty of Kool-Aid to go around.
• Fantasy – Create a sense of whimsy for a fantasy book by serving food such as stuffed mushrooms, meat pies, and an assortment of unusual fruits. Give your cocktails (whatever they may be) names like “Fairy Fizz” and “Dragon’s Blood.”

These ideas should get you started on brainstorming book themed potluck ideas for your next book club meeting. As always, consider dietary restrictions when planning your menu.

4. Book title “Pictionary”

I love board games, so this is one of my favorite fun book club ideas. And no board needed, just paper and something to draw with.

Pictionary is a popular game that involves guessing what a team member is drawing. The “artist” pulls a card from a stack and draws the clue listed on the card. It’s a team activity that’s perfect for a book club meeting, especially when the clues are book titles!

Here are the modified rules I just made up:

1. Divide into teams of two or three people.
2. Determine in what order the teams will play (roll the dice, draw numbers, etc.).
3. Decide how many clues each team will draw (I suggest 5-7).
4. The first team designates the artist for that round (everyone should have a chance to draw throughout the course of the game).
5. The artist picks the first card from the deck and draws the book title listed on the card (without showing the card to team members!). No letters or numbers allowed!
6. The team has one minute to guess the title of the book based on the drawing.
7. If they guess correctly within a minute, they receive one point for the round. If time runs out and they haven’t guessed correctly, they get zero points for that round.
8. The next team takes their turn, and the cycle repeats itself.
9. When every team has taken the number of turns identified in step 3, tally up the scores to determine the winner.
10. In case of a tie, the tied teams will have a “draw off.” Each team will draw and try to guess the same book title at the same time. This means the artists will have to pass the same card among themselves. The team that guesses correctly first is the winner!

There are a multitude of book titles that can be used for this game, including:

• The Maze Runner
• Moby Dick
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• The Kite Runner
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• War and Peace
• The Old Man and the Sea
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• A Tale of Two Cities
• A Game of Thrones

You’re already envisioning how you would draw those, aren’t you?

To save you time researching and making the cards, I’ve done it for you. Download and print the pdf below, cut the cards out, and you have an instant fun activity for a book club meeting.

(I’m not going to lie – I had a lot of fun making these cards!)

Book Title Draw Rules and Cards

5. Change up your usual questions

One of the reasons book clubs can go stale is because they fall into an unexciting book discussion routine. Or maybe the same people always dominate the conversation, and they always talk about the same kinds of things.

If this is the case, it might be time to revamp the structure of your book club discussions. You can start by refreshing your book club questions.

Every book will have unique aspects to discuss, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some standard topics to talk about. Here are some good standard book club questions that can generate lively conversations.

• Did the book’s opening grab your attention? How?
• Which one of the characters did you connect with the most, and why?
• In your opinion, what was the central theme or message of the book?
• What emotions did the book evoke for you? Were there moments that made you laugh, cry, or feel angry?
• Were there any unresolved questions or loose ends in the story that bothered you?
• Did you find the ending satisfying, or did it leave you wanting more?
• What did you learn from reading this book? Did it broaden your understanding of a certain topic or time period?
• Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

Be sure to send the questions out before the book club meeting so everyone can prepare their thoughts. And if some people tend to dominate the conversation, consider going around the room or table and asking each person for their opinion so that introverts (like me) have a chance to provide input.

6. Do a book-related charitable project – a children’s book drive

As readers, the members of your book club know the joy of immersing themselves in a great story. And it’s hard to believe that not everyone has that option.

According to one study, 54% of adults in the United States read below a 6th grade level. Those kinds of statistics make me crazy. This is much bigger than being able to enjoy a good novel; illiteracy prevents people from getting good jobs, reading basic instructions, keeping informed, and even staying out of prison.

Can you tell this is one of my hot buttons?

The cycle of illiteracy begins when kids are young, and disproportionately affects low-income families. In fact, according to one study, most low-income households don’t own any books for their children to read.

Sponsoring a children’s book drive with your book club is a great way to help address this crisis. You’re likely to find a local nonprofit that focuses on children’s literacy just by Googling it, and they will have information about book drives on their website or you can contact them to work out the details.

My daughter and I recently held a book drive that benefited the local chapter of Reach out and Read. They are a national organization that serves kids in all 50 states, so they might be a good option for your group. My daughter and I were able to provide this nonprofit with over 300 books, thanks to many generous people, including blog readers.

I’ll share some proven tips for a successful children’s book drive:

• Make it really easy for people to donate books. We set up a registry (not a wish list) on Amazon and populated it with books recommended by the nonprofit. We started with about fifteen titles and asked for ten copies each, which we adjusted over the course of the book drive. The nice thing about using a registry rather than a wish list is that you can customize the header graphic, which I think is more visually appealing. I made the graphic in Canva – piece of cake!
• Have the books sent to one of the book club member’s homes. We could have had Amazon send the books directly to Reach out and Read, but we chose not to. By having them shipped to our house, we could keep a good count, which we could then share with our donors. It also allowed us to take terrific photos, like the following, which we also shared with our donors.

• Share your book drive on Facebook. Facebook is pretty saturated with fundraisers, so they often get overlooked. However, this one really struck a nerve with my Facebook friends and was more successful than I could have imagined. People seemed to enjoy the nostalgia of shopping for their or their kids’ favorite childhood books. And because children’s books are inexpensive, they could donate several books for just $30 (make sure you mention that in your Facebook posts!). I also included the picture of my daughter with all the books in my post, which was extremely eye-catching and visually appealing. Be sure to ask for likes and shares, and keep donors updated with a couple of follow-on posts.

If this idea appeals to the members of your book club, appoint someone as “chairperson” who can research local nonprofits and perform tasks such as setting up and populating the registry. All members should be responsible for promoting the book drive to friends and family using talking points developed by the club. Take pictures of your “book haul” with book club members and use it to generate further excitement. And have fun with it and take satisfaction in spreading the joy of reading!

Book clubs are not just about reading; they are about building connections, fostering a love for literature, and creating memorable experiences. By incorporating these six fun book club ideas into your meetings, you can add more pep to your sessions. Whether you choose to add themed potlucks, explore different genres with a book swap, or engage in friendly competition with book-related games, these creative approaches can help revitalize your book club and make each meeting more enjoyable. So, go ahead and experiment with these ideas to breathe new life into your book club, bringing fresh perspectives and enhancing the overall experience for everyone involved.

Happy reading and bonding!

What would you add to this list? What’s your favorite fun book club idea?