Sheila Bean

A book club needn ’ t be fancy . You read a book , and your friend reads the same book . You go for a walk and talk about the book . There . That ’ s a book club meeting . Then you both read another book and plan another walk .

You could slide into an existing club . Ask around or look online for groups on platforms such as Meetup or Facebook . Here are a few examples from a quick Google search : Red Deer Book Club , Peachland Book Club , and Gentlemen Who Didn ’ t Read the Book ( Calgary ).

It ’ s also easy to start your own book club . Ask five friends who enjoy reading and meet at your house , a park , a coffee shop , a pub , or a library . If you want to include people you don ’ t necessarily know , ask three friends , and then ask each of them

to invite one more person to your first meeting . Your public library might also help you get started . Book clubs can be quite formal , with a set schedule and members taking turns hosting the discussion — and maybe researching the book , author , or topic to augment the conversation . On the other hand , clubs can be informal , with a casual discussion and a loose schedule .

Some clubs choose the next book at the preceding meeting . I read slowly and I borrow books from the library , so I like to know about the next several books in advance . In a former club , we would meet in June to plan all of the next year ’ s books . Each member would pitch a few recommendations , and we ’ d whittle it down to , say , eight titles .

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