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In a fast-paced world of constant, overwhelming digital noise, many people are looking for more analog hobbies to pursue. Additionally, people are striving to form genuine, real-life social connections. A book club is the perfect antidote to these two situations. The power of community and the act of reading make for a fulfilling activity.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to start a book club in 2026.

The Modern Case for Reading Together

Reading has many proven mental health benefits. It boosts your cognitive function and can be a restorative wind-down activity at the end of the day. Additionally, you can build creativity as you are more engaged in the media compared to films and TV shows. Stories are also great ways to build empathy and a wider perspective of the world.

When done in a group setting, members can share their own life experiences relating to the book club books. The strong community aspect is important amid the overstimulation and performative nature of digital life. It acts as a significant anchor between home life and work life.

Step 1: Establish Your Book Club’s Why

Before starting a book club and recruiting members, the most important step is to establish a mission statement for your book club. This will act as your North Star for the rest of the journey. Do you want the book club to explore diverse authors? Is the goal to read as many fantasy novels as there are? Maybe you just want a casual third space where you can meet up with friends and share a cozy, feel-good story — that’s a great objective too.

Step 2: Curate Your Community

The ideal size for a book club is five to eight members. This number is large enough to ensure diversity in perspectives and interests, yet manageable for logistics. Everyone has a chance to speak and foster authentic relationships. Any more than eight and the book club might feel watered down.

When inviting members, make sure that they are committed to reading and respecting opinions. Starting a book club with friends is only the beginning. You can incorporate a friend-of-a-friend model to introduce variety in voices while maintaining a foundation of trust.

Step 3: Figure Out Logistics and Format

It’s important to figure out how book club members will meet. An in-person model can foster intimate connections. However, finding a schedule that aligns with everyone can be extremely difficult. When you prefer this route, it’s best to set a specific day each month, such as the third Sunday or the first Saturday.

An online book club is also a good option, but it offers fewer opportunities for organic bonding. A good solution would be a hybrid model where people meet every quarter for a dinner-style or party gathering.

Step 4: Establish the Selection Process

There are many ways you can find good book club books. Use social media to curate your book club books. In fact, BookTok recommends highly-engaging reads based on the current season, trends, genre and many more. You can also find sourcing lists, such as The Booker Prize, The Women’s Prize and National Book Awards. Independent presses are also great sources of fiction work. Additionally, translated fiction can be a great way to diversify your reading list.

When selecting books, you can start the process toward the end of the current month’s session. You can also incorporate a voting system on a certain day to build anticipation and so each member can contribute meaningfully.

Step 5: Foster Great Conversation

The meeting facilitator should have five open-ended questions in order to guide the conversation. Here are a few ideas you can try:

• Did you see the protagonist as a hero or an anti-hero?
• What do you think were its best strengths and weaknesses?
• What part resonated the most with you?
• If you could change one decision the main character made, what would it be?
• If you could ask the author one question, what would it be and why?
• Do you have a moment in the book that you wished was shorter or longer?
• Which secondary character do you wish had their own book?

Make sure to use the first session to establish the book club’s norms. Reiterate that it’s natural to have different opinions, but there should be no personal attacks or insults.

Step 6: Build Momentum

Starting a book club with friends is not the final hurdle. After all, a book club is an ongoing effort, so don’t expect it to be perfect right off the bat. The most important things are that it fosters long-term engagement and evolves alongside member preferences. Every six months, you can hold a state of the club meeting where members can identify what’s working and what isn’t. Talk about format, schedule and ground rules that need updating.

To maintain a strong bond with members, you can do side quests, such as going on book-related field trips, watching film adaptations or trying out book recipes. This strengthens your community.

Step 7: Use Technology as a Tool

Make sure to leverage technology to improve your book club. Use a free Slack or Discord channel to message updates to the club and enable discussion threads. You can create channels for scheduling meetings, for holding year-end nominations, book club book spoiler conversations and general chatter. This way, you can easily find conversations when backreading. Members can also use Goodreads and StoryGraphs to log in their reading progress and book reviews.

The Story You’ll Write Together

Starting a book club with friends in 2026 can be a quiet act of self-care against passive consumption and digital loneliness. Additionally, it is an investment in your intellectual life, discovering new perspectives and ideas from the novels. You can finally finish the pile of books you have been collecting but have been passing over for years. The community aspect is also a strong benefit. Everyone can contribute meaningful conversations and insights, forging lifelong friendships.