Blog

Yesterday we shared some of the activities, trips and other things reading groups are doing differently during the summer months. Here are some more of their plans...


INVITE OTHERS
"The Finley Farms Elementary Book Club is comprised of a group of faculty and staff from our elementary school. For the summer we choose a young adult novel to read and in July have a mother/daughter book club meeting. Sometimes our daughters will also bring a friend and fellow student along. We love the interaction and various viewpoints that are presented during this book club meeting. And also 'passing the torch' with teaching our children different aspects of what is involved in a book club. It is always, by far, our best attended meeting of the year." ---Robin Hall


FIND NEW MEMBERS
"In an effort to attract new members, our group sponsors a summer reading contest. We pick a theme and have sign up sheets. All books must be checked out at our library, and the desk personnel help our patrons keep track. In September, we invite all the participants to attend a reception where we give prizes for the most books read, etc. We serve refreshments and invite all to join our book group." ---Marie Smith


CHANGE THE FOCUS
"Our book club, after much trial and error, has evolved a plan where we pick a longer book than usual, assign it in June, and then pick a date in September to discuss it. Even last year, when we decided to try meeting over the summer, was unsuccessful. People found that as much as they wanted to, they couldn’t keep the dates of the meeting, and we often ended up with only 2 or 3 members." ---Susan Reidy, Newport, RI

"Our book group does something different for June, July and August. We start an hour earlier and have a potluck supper before our discussion. We either have it at a member's patio or deck and sometimes at a local park. One of those months we usually do a cookbook so everyone brings a cookbook and a dish from that cookbook. We have lively discussions, believe it or not, and many books bring back fond memories. We have been together a long time and have become friends as well as book club members. When I recently had major surgery my 'book mates' brought me meals, books, book reviews and lots of encouragement. How much more can you ask?" ---Heather James