I love getting together with friends having some cocktails, food, and dishing on a good book. It’s a great time to get away from problems at work, and you can leave your husband and kids at home.  It’s the best hour and a half vacation in the middle of my week! But, sometimes that book club starts to feel like a chore.  Here are a few tips to keep it fun!

1) Don’t captain the Book Club Ship!  Wouldn’t it be more fun if you just showed up, ordered a drink and had fun with your friends? Yes it would! Looking over your shoulder for your boss and tearing your hair out in panic while google searching book club questions is no way to spend your last half hour at work! 

2) Can we pick a fun book to read please?  I get it. We all have different tastes in books. I got my fill of Pride and Prejudice while in college and other people think thats what a book club should be about. Be adventurous! Pick out a juicy book- think sex. Lots of it! There’s nothing more fun than giggling about the sex scenes with your friends. You might even get some great tips!  Lol.

3) Keep your group small. Unless you are meeting at someones home, it’s hard to hear people across a big table. Remember, you will be talking about things that might be overheard by Grandma and Grandpa sitting at the next table. Although truly, Grandpa would probably love to hear our unsavory discussion about the hero in our book! Grandma may want to thank us later!

4) Finish the book! Ok, I’ll admit, I have been totally guilty of this one. I know some friends who read on their phone at work just to get it finished! Remember though, if the book is a mystery and half the group hasn’t read it, the ending will be spoiled. If we hate it, you will hear we hated it! Who would want to finish a book if no one liked the characters, the writing sucked, etc? It happens! Not all books are great, but do your part and finish the book so you can give your honest opinion.

5) Take part in the discussion! That’s why we have alcohol. It loosens lips, so hopefully even our quiet friends will take part. Don’t drink? Sugar is the next best thing! Order lots of dessert. Sugar high’s and alcohol buzzes are remarkably similar. Both cause hyperactivity and chatter.

I am totally trying to be funny and make a joke out of how serious some book clubs take themselves. For those of you who like those, I apologize! I like the next great book just as much as the next person, however, truthfully 95% of the time I’d pick Kristen Ashley over Jodi Piccoult. If I could just find that Kristen Ashley book club!  Lol.

Until next Sunday!

Deb