Decide what you want to get out of the experience

Why start a book club? Want to bond with women you don't get to see often? Dying to revisit classic literature and do some of that scholarly thinking you haven't done since college? Can't wait to explore a particular genre that you and your book-loving friends obsess over (vampires!)? A book club is an opportunity for friends of differing opinions to discuss their reactions to a book and maybe learn something, explains Valerie Peterson, a former book publishing marketing director who writes about book publishing for About.com. “There are enough ‘chores’ in this world -- your book club should be something to look forward to.” Once you decide what you want out of your book club, you can move on to the next step.