Book Club Activities Beyond Just Discussing the Book

Book Club Activities Beyond Just Discussing the Book

The most enduring book clubs share one trait: they don't rely on discussion alone. A 2024 survey by the Book Industry Study Group found that clubs incorporating at least one non-discussion activity per quarter had a 68% member retention rate after two years, compared to 41% for discussion-only groups. The reason is straightforward—variety prevents monotony, and monotony is what kills book clubs.

This doesn't mean abandoning the conversation about the book. Discussion remains the backbone of any reading group. But layering in creative, social, and interactive activities transforms a monthly obligation into an event people genuinely look forward to. Below are dozens of tested ideas organized by category, along with practical advice for weaving them into your club's rhythm.

Why Variety Matters for Book Club Engagement

Most book clubs follow a predictable pattern: read, meet, discuss, repeat. For the first six months, this feels fresh. By month nine, attendance starts slipping. By month fourteen, the club is down to three diehards and a rotating cast of people who "meant to finish the book."

Research on small group dynamics from the Journal of Social Psychology shows that groups with ritualized variety—predictable in schedule but varied in format—maintain engagement 2.3 times longer than groups with static formats. The key word is "ritualized." You're not throwing random activities at the wall. You're building a rotation that members anticipate.

A practical framework: dedicate three meetings per quarter to traditional discussion and one meeting to an activity-focused gathering. This preserves the core reading experience while giving members a recurring novelty to look forward to.

Creative Activities

Themed Dinners Matching the Book's Setting

Cook or order food that reflects the book's setting, culture, or era. Reading a novel set in 1920s Paris? Serve French onion soup, coq au vin, and macarons. A book set in Mumbai? Order from an Indian restaurant or have members each bring a dish. A post-apocalyptic novel? Go spartan—canned goods and bottled water, served with a sense of humor.

Themed dinners work because they engage senses beyond just the intellectual. Members who struggled to finish the book still have something to contribute—a recipe, a dish, a story about the cuisine. According to a 2023 Eventbrite study on social gatherings, events centered around food have 34% higher attendance than those without.

Book-Inspired Crafts

For books with strong visual or tactile themes, a craft session can be surprisingly engaging. After reading a novel about quilting, members might try a simple quilting square. A book about botanical illustration could inspire a watercolor session. Even something as simple as designing an alternative book cover with markers and cardstock generates conversation and laughter.

Keep the bar low. The goal isn't artistic mastery—it's shared creative experience. Provide all materials and choose crafts that take 20–30 minutes so there's still time for discussion.

Creative Writing Exercises

Spend 15 minutes writing an alternative ending, a scene from a minor character's perspective, or a letter from one character to another. Then read them aloud. This exercise deepens engagement with the text in a way that pure discussion can't—it forces members to inhabit the author's world rather than just analyze it.

A variation: write a one-paragraph review in the style of the author you just read. Attempting to mimic an author's voice reveals how much of their style members have absorbed.

Playlist Creation

Have each member contribute 2–3 songs that capture the book's mood, themes, or specific scenes. Compile them into a shared playlist on Spotify or Apple Music. Play it during the meeting as background, or dedicate 10 minutes to listening and discussing why each person chose their songs.

This works particularly well for emotionally resonant novels, memoirs, and historical fiction. Music triggers associations that words alone sometimes can't.

Social Activities

Character Costume Parties

Once or twice a year, invite members to come dressed as a character from the most recent read—or any book the club has covered. Award lighthearted prizes: "Most Accurate," "Most Creative Interpretation," "Best Use of Household Items." This is especially fun for fantasy, historical fiction, and mystery novels.

The commitment level can be as low as wearing a specific color or accessory. Not everyone will go all-out, and that's fine. The members who do create energy for the entire group.

Book Swaps

At the end of a meeting, have each member bring a book they've loved (not the club pick) wrapped in plain paper with a three-word clue written on the outside. Members choose a wrapped book and take it home. This is an excellent way to expand reading horizons and creates an ongoing thread of conversation: "How did you like the book swap pick?"

Field Trips Related to Book Topics

If you've read a book set in a museum, visit one. If the book involves hiking, plan a group hike. Historical fiction set in your city? Take a walking tour of the relevant neighborhood. A book about wine? Visit a vineyard.

Field trips require more planning but generate the strongest memories. A 2022 study in the journal Group Dynamics found that shared novel experiences—activities done together for the first time—create stronger social bonds than repeated familiar activities. Even one field trip per year can meaningfully strengthen your club's cohesion.

Group Journaling

Provide each member with a simple journal at the start of the year. During meetings, spend 5–10 minutes with a journaling prompt related to the book: "Write about a time you faced a choice similar to the protagonist's," or "Describe a place from your life that resembles the book's setting." Members can share their entries or keep them private. Over time, these journals become personal reading memoirs.

Educational Activities

Author Q&A Sessions

Many authors—especially debut and midlist writers—are willing to join book clubs via video call. Reach out through their website, social media, or publisher. Prepare thoughtful questions that go beyond "Where did you get the idea?" Ask about craft decisions, deleted scenes, and the research process.

If a live Q&A isn't possible, many authors have recorded interviews, podcast appearances, or written essays about their books. Assign one member to compile the best clips and share them during the meeting.

Podcast and Documentary Companions

Pair the book with a related podcast episode or documentary. After reading a true crime book, watch the documentary adaptation together. After a novel about climate change, listen to a relevant episode of a science podcast. This provides additional context and often sparks discussions that the book alone wouldn't have generated.

Debate Nights

Choose a contentious theme or character decision from the book and stage a formal debate. Divide the group into two sides, give each five minutes to prepare arguments, and have a moderator run three rounds. This format ensures quieter members speak up (they have a team counting on them) and prevents the usual pattern of two or three people dominating discussion.

Topics that work well: "Was the protagonist justified in [key decision]?" or "Is this book ultimately optimistic or pessimistic?" or "Would this story be different if set in the present day?"

Competitive Activities

Book-Themed Trivia

Write 15–20 trivia questions about the book: plot details, character names, setting specifics, and the author's biography. Play in teams of two or three. Award small prizes—bookmarks, bookstore gift cards, or the privilege of choosing next month's book.

Trivia rewards close reading and gives members who finished the book an advantage, which subtly incentivizes completion. Apps like Kahoot make it easy to run live trivia with scoring and timers.

Literary Scavenger Hunts

Create a list of items or quotes to find within the book or around the meeting location. For a virtual club, this can be adapted as a "find the passage" race—read a quote and see who can locate it in their copy first. For in-person clubs meeting at someone's home, hide printed quotes around the space and have members find and read them aloud.

Reading Challenges

Set quarterly or annual challenges: read a book from every continent, read a book published each decade of the 20th century, read a book in a genre you've never tried. Track progress on a shared board or spreadsheet, or use a platform like Readfeed where members can log their challenge progress alongside their regular club reads.

Challenges work best when they're communal rather than competitive. The goal is shared exploration, not pressure.

Movie and Adaptation Nights

Book-to-Movie Comparison

When your club reads a book with a film or TV adaptation, schedule a watch party. Discuss what the adaptation changed, what it got right, and why certain scenes were cut or altered. This format appeals to visual learners and members who prefer watching to reading—it's an inclusive way to keep everyone engaged.

Watch the adaptation after discussing the book, not instead of reading it. The comparison only works when members have experienced both versions.

Tips for Rotating Activities and Keeping Discussion Central

Build a Predictable Rotation

Three months of discussion, one month of activity. Or alternate: discuss, discuss, activity, discuss. The specific pattern matters less than its predictability. Members should know when to expect a "regular" meeting and when to expect something different.

Always Connect Activities Back to the Book

Even during activity-focused meetings, spend at least 20–30 minutes on book discussion. The activity should enhance the conversation, not replace it. A themed dinner is more meaningful when members discuss how the food connects to the characters' experiences. A trivia game is more fun when debated answers spark deeper analysis.

Let Members Suggest and Lead Activities

Rotate who plans the activity, just as you might rotate book picks. This distributes the workload and surfaces ideas you wouldn't have thought of. One member might be a talented baker who can lead a baking session inspired by a cozy mystery. Another might know a local author willing to speak.

Platforms like Readfeed make coordination easier—post activity ideas in your club feed, run a poll to choose between options, and assign responsibilities to specific members. The logistical friction that discourages creative activities shrinks when you have a shared organizational space.

Match Activities to Member Energy

Pay attention to your group's personality. Introverted clubs might prefer journaling, playlist creation, and quiet craft sessions. Extroverted clubs might thrive with debates, costume parties, and trivia. Most clubs are a mix—which is why rotating through different activity types ensures everyone gets a meeting that plays to their strengths.

Start Small

If your club has never done anything beyond discussion, don't leap to a full costume party. Start with something low-effort: a themed snack, a five-minute writing prompt, or a short trivia round at the end of a regular meeting. Gauge the response. If members light up, escalate gradually. If the reaction is lukewarm, try a different category next time.

A Year of Activities: Sample Calendar

Here's a sample rotation for a club that meets monthly:

• January: Regular discussion
• February: Book-themed trivia night
• March: Regular discussion
• April: Themed dinner based on the book's setting
• May: Regular discussion
• June: Book-to-movie watch party
• July: Regular discussion
• August: Author Q&A (virtual) or podcast companion
• September: Regular discussion
• October: Character costume party + discussion
• November: Regular discussion
• December: Year-end book swap + awards night (best book, most surprising book, book that sparked the best discussion)

This calendar gives members a special event every other month while keeping discussion at the core of every meeting. Adjust based on your group's preferences and the books you're reading—not every book lends itself to every activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you do at a book club besides discuss the book?

Popular alternatives include themed dinners matching the book's setting, book-themed trivia games, book-to-movie comparison nights, creative writing exercises, author Q&A sessions, literary scavenger hunts, character costume parties, book swaps, and field trips related to the book's subject matter. The most successful clubs rotate between 3–4 activity types throughout the year while maintaining book discussion as the core of every meeting.

How do you make book club fun?

The key is variety and shared ownership. Rotate who chooses books and plans activities. Incorporate food—meetings with meals or themed snacks see 34% higher attendance according to event research. Add a competitive element occasionally with trivia or reading challenges. Use platforms like Readfeed to keep engagement high between meetings with polls, progress updates, and casual discussion threads. Most importantly, create space for socializing, not just literary analysis.

What are creative book club meeting ideas?

Some of the most creative ideas include: hosting a debate night where members argue opposite sides of a moral dilemma from the book, creating collaborative playlists that capture the book's mood, running a "recast the movie" session where members pick actors for every character, organizing a potluck where each dish represents a character or theme, holding a mock trial for a morally ambiguous character, or planning a "read-alike" session where members each bring a book similar to the month's pick and pitch it in 60 seconds.