What is a book club?

If you are fascinated by books and love reading, joining a book club could be one of the most enjoyable ways of indulging in your hobby. Through a book club, you will meet like-minded individuals and have a chance to participate in regular discussions about books you have read, as well as be introduced to new books and other reading opportunities. Types of Book Clubs Traditional These are reading groups made up of several individuals who meet in person at regular intervals - usually each month - to discuss a specific book. Such gatherings tend to be more personal and intimate since members have the chance to meet often, face-to-face and they usually have a strong social dimension. Popular places for reading groups to meet include private homes, libraries, bookstores, cafes or even in restaurants over meals. In addition, they tend to be smaller so as a member, you have more control over the choice of reading matter. Usually, the title for each month is voted from a list of suggested ...  more

A book club is a commercial (usually mail order) enterprise through which selected books are sold directly to the public at a price significantly below the recommended retail price, usually in return for a commitment to buy a particular number of books over an agreed period of time.  more

A book club can be defined in two general ways. It can mean that an individual has entered into a contract with a company to buy a certain number of books per year, or it can be defined as a discussion group in which a varied number of people agree on several titles they will read, and then hold discussions relating to those titles. Both definitions of a book club have variations. A pay as you go book club is usually one of two types: specific genre books like sci-fi or history, or a listing of bestsellers like book of the month clubs. If one belongs to a paying book club, he or she has probably, at the onset of the contract, purchased several books for a very low price. Many of these book clubs offer an initial purchase of five books for under a US dollar, plus shipping and handling. When this first purchase has been made, the new member must then purchase several more books at regular or slightly higher prices during a set period of time, usually one or two years. If the member ...  more