Book Club in a Bag Program Brought to you by participating libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System

Discussion Leader Tips

• Prepare ahead of time, read the book, biographical information about the author and book reviews. Prepare questions ahead of time or use the questions included with your Book Club in a Bag.
  
  
• Have a comfortable seating arrangement.
  
  
• Begin by introducing yourself and, if people are not all familiar with each other, have them go around and introduce themselves.
  
  
• Think of yourself as a facilitator. Try to begin with a provocative question and step back. Avoid closed-ended questions like " Did you like the book?"
  
  
• Your job as a leader is to maintain the focus and keep the discussion moving.
  
  
• Be a good listener and observer. Listen for quiet members and try to draw them into the discussion. Watch for someone anxious to get into the conversation and help them to find a gap in the conversation.
  
  
• Respect everyone's opinion. Not everyone will like the book. When there are differing views encourage discussion about the reasons for liking or disliking a book. Let it be known that the group is non-judgmental and everyone's opinion is valued. Often the best discussions happen when there is less agreement.
  
  
• Don't use the discussion questions as if it were an exam. Rather use them as conversation starters.
  
  
• Choose a favorite passage or two from the book. Reading aloud can bring a new perspective to the passage.
  
  
• Don't worry too much about short silent periods, but be prepared with your own notes to get the discussion started again.
  
  
• Be sure to end on time, summarize points made during the session and thank everyone for their participation.

Books (all are available from the Mid-Hudson Library System Catalog):

• Good Books Lately: the One-Stop Resource for Book Groups and Other Greedy Readers by Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens
• The Reader's Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites by Victoria Golden McMains
• What to Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers by Mickey Pearlman
• A Year of Reading: a Month-by-Month Guide to Classics and Crowd-Pleasers for You and Your Book Group by H. Elisabeth Ellington
• The Reading Group Book: the Complete Guide to Starting and Sustaining a Reading Group by David Laskin
• The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know About How to Start Your Book Club by Rachel W. Jacobsohn
• The New York Public Library Guide to Reading Groups by Rollene Saal
• The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Shireen Dodson

Web Sites:

• Biographies & Literary Criticism in HomeACCESS (available through your local library's web site)
• Book Group How-Tos from the Seattle Public Library
• Reading Group Guides
• Book-Clubs-Resource
• LitLovers
• Reading Group Choices
  

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