Activity/Gift Book Club Ideas

I belong to a book club of about ten ladies. We take turns selecting a book to read and discuss. When it's your turn, you're also responsible for hosting which is supposed to include an activity or a small gift inspired by the story.

In the past, book activities have included taking a trip to look at the author's childhood home which was nearby. Another was writing poetry, since the main character wrote a poem to his mother. One popular choice was to give every member a small bouquet of flowers since the supporting character worked as a florist.

My turn to host is around the bend, but unfortunately, I'm not creative. Do you have any suggestions?

 

Ellie, I like that your book club does related activities. I'm part of one too, but we just chat the whole time.

Can you share the book title? It's a little tricky to make suggestions when you don't know what the book is about.

 

What book are you going to be reading? It'll make it easier to come up with ideas if we know what book it will be. I have to say that is a great idea for a book club. I am a member of a very small book club and I am going to tell them about this. We just sit around talking about the book and drinking wine!

 

Work in progress...I wasn't able to post anything before as it was not allowed. Update coming.

Goodness me, I guess you can't read my mind, can you. Please forgive the lapse. For the most part our group is anything goes, but I'd like to try fiction if possible. The hostess narrows her list down to three books, then the group votes for one of the three. Majority wins.

Eva Pasco An Enlightening Quiche
The O.Henry Prize Stories 2017 (out in Sept...shorts might be a good idea since it would be something new)
Ken Follett Eye of the Needle (this book isn't as heavy as his other works)
Katarina Bivald The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend: A Novel (light
reading)
Jon Ronson So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Rachel Abbot Kill Me Again.

I realize it's rude that I didn't link the books to make them easy to find. Couldn't post with links.

 

An Enlightening Quiche
Eye of the Needle
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend: A Novel
So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Kill Me Again


Consider them linked

Eye of the Needle is also a fantastic film as well. You could do a film night and then do a compare and contrast.
The Enlightening Quiche suggest you bake mini ones for everyone to eat and read at the same time.

Not sure about the others, but its a great idea.

 

Thank you, Kindler, for linking those up for me! Very kind of you! Thanks also for the activity ideas. I especially like the idea about watching the film and comparing it to Ken Follett's book. I'm a fan of Donald Sutherland and I bet no one in our group has seen our movie before.

 

"Kill me again" sounds kinda difficult, less you want to do the evening like a murder mystery thing.

 

Porridge, what about making the author our focus for the activity? The genre isn't my thing, but Rachel Abbot is an independent author who has done well for herself. A murder mystery sounds fun, but too complicated to pull off. I could also create a gift of some sort, but not sure what. A couple of months ago, our group book featured a blind man. We did a mini obstacle course while blindfolded to get into the characters head. Of course, it isn't the same as actually being blind, but it did further the discussion.

Do you all have any book suggestions? I'm open to ideas.

 

I like Kindler's idea of reading and watching Eye of the Needle and then comparing the film and the book. I haven't read the book or seen the film but now I want to so I can compare them myself! Maybe I will have to do this with my book group.

 

I like that your book club does activities like this, it's great. I agree with everyone else and think that it's be great to read and then watch the movie of Eye of the Needle and have a discussion about the two.

 

Ok Ellie Jane, I just had to come back to this thread to see when your book club was meeting. I want to know how it goes! What idea did you go with and how did everyone like it?

 

Thanks for asking, Julia. I won't share these books until the end of September - I asked you all way in advance for advice so I wouldn't fall flat on my face. I know which three books I'll suggest, but not which one they'll pick. The activity is a surprise and won't be revealed until the day of the meeting.
The books are:
Eva Pasco An Enlightening Quiche and the activity will be making a quiche, of course.
Ken Follett Eye of the Needle and the activity will be to compare and contrast with the movie.
The O.Henry Prize Stories 2017 which isn't out yet. The activity will be twisting the stories into one sentence which is an idea I borrowed from Jessica's thread.

I think Eve Pasco's book would be the easiest, but that Ken Follett's book would the most worthwhile. We shall see which they pick. I appreciate all the suggestions you all gave me!

 

I wouldn't know which one to choose if I was in your book club!I think my favorite idea is reading and watching Eye of the Needle. Making a quiche would be my second choice I think. Food, books and wine happen to be my three favorite things!

 

Well good luck with which ever of the books they choose.

 

Your book club sounds amazing! I love the idea of themed activities to keep things fresh and interesting. I might just have to copy that if I ever get a book club going. I'm curious, which book did you end up doing and what was your activity?

 

Natalie, we read Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle and then we got together and watched the 1981 movie that was adapted from the book. The comparing and contrasting of the two took several meetings. I was surprised, but terribly relieved, that my comrades got that into it. One thing I like about my book club is that anything goes. We aren't just pulling books from the recent best seller list. It keeps things more well-rounded and interesting. I like getting exposed to such a wide variety.

I'm immensely thankful for the suggestions I received on this forum. My mum can write beautiful poetry, but my siblings and I haven't a creative bone in our bodies.

 

That sounds amazing! I haven't read that book but it's on my list. Book-to-movie translations are always fun to discuss. I do that frequently. 'Anything goes' is a great policy to have. I'm glad it was a hit!

 

You all have peaked my interest about this book. I have never read it or watched the movie. Now I must. How closely does the movie follow the book? Usually there's so much more to the book.

 

Whaddya know, one of my suggestions worked .

Glad to hear it worked out.