Why You Should Start an Office Book Club (And How to Do It!) 

We at Houseables have been talking about our Book Club for a little bit now, and because today is our last day with our current pick, we thought we should talk about how wonderful the Book Club is and how you can help your office start one of it’s very own! 

Benefits of an Office Book Club  

1. Dedicating time with co-workers or your team members that is separate from work is a really fantastic way of building trust and transparent relationships together. You will see how your co-workers think and talk outside of what they do best at the company, and that’s a good thing! 
2. Books are teaching devices, and whether everyone loved the book, hated it, or it was a toss up, everyone can end the book with lessons they think they may have learned that they can apply to their lives both in work and in their daily lives. 
3. Discovering more about co-workers not only builds trust, but it builds relationships! A manager may have a very different idea of how characters should handle a situation than they did, and those ideas line up with your own. That’s something new to talk about. 
4. Being in a book club meas reading tons of books! This can lead to you and your team members gain even larger vocabularies, which correlates directly with being better communicators and better listeners! 
5. A reflection exercise rests in the end of every book. Not literally, but figuratively! This reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and what to improve within the book club can provide a safe place for the team to talk about their feelings and ideas, without feeling like they have to be quiet in terms of talking about the office and other team meetings. 

How to Start the Book Club

• Find Your Group 

• Ask around the office who would be interested in joining the club, this is probably your easiest step. At Houseables, we have a Slack Chat that is separate from others to purely discuss Book Club

• Set Your Guidelines 

• Now is the time to step aside with your group and talk about what day works best and what time. Try to stick to it when you can, but we found that being flexible with the day is all good too! Make sure to be on your calendar when you do this so that no weekly meetings get forgotten. 
• This is also a good time to talk about what group members would like to get out of this club, whether it’s a social activity, a better understanding of peer members, or purely wanting to read more- make sure you all understand what the end goal is for eachother. 

• Pick Your Book 

• There are so many out there, but here are a few we’ve found that we would recommend 
• American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins 
• Follow Me by Kathleen Barber 
• The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
• In Five Years by Rebecca Serle 
• Followers by Megan Angelo
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

• Brainstorm Discussion Questions 

• Every week you’ll meet up to discuss the latest chapters, but don’t just let it be about what happened in the book! Make sure each member is able to ask introspective and insightful questions that others will have answers and thoughts too. 

Remember that in these times, it’s okay to host online and do a Zoom Club! You do not have to meet in person if it makes you or anyone else uncomfortable! This club is mostly about connection and fun, so please remember that when discussing meeting times and places.