5 Delicious Reads Secrets . . .

Hey you...

Yes, you. 

Lean in close! Today we're dishing book club secrets! You may or may not be a Delicious Reads member. Maybe you have your own book club or want to start one. Perhaps you stumbled on our site and were drawn in by the sheer magnitude of awesomeness that occurs each month. Maybe you're a

foodie and some of our Delicious Dishes caught your eye. Or you could be a DIYer who's crushing on some of our fun projects. Whatever your reason for being here . . . 

you're in the right place. 

Delicious Reads has something for everyone. 

SECRET 1: Even Book Clubs Have Stereotypes.

If you participate in any book club, click on the link below to see which one of these you are... Don't worry, we won't make you admit anything!

 11 Types of People You Meet at Book Club 

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SECRET 2: Sometimes We Do a Little... Sometimes We Do a Lot! 

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At Delicious Reads there's a whole spectrum of involvement. Barely finished the book? Still have 30 pages left? It's okay! Or maybe you signed up to be the blogger for the month and you're also going to make a yummy dish. Maybe you whipped up an incredible power point presentation because its your turn to moderate. Great! We embrace all levels of participation. One thing that makes our group work so effectively is the contribution of our amazing members. Some months are busier than others and it just seems like everyone gives when they can and it all works out every month!

SECRET 3: We're gonna tell you 
what we really think. 

Before we dig in to the discussion of the book selection for the month, everyone weighs in for our group star rating. We give our personal rating from 1-5 stars. You are eligible for the vote if you've read over half of the book. Then we do a group average, which is what you see posted each month with our Book Review Post.

Here's our star rating cheat-sheet!

Secret 4: Sometimes We Disagree!

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Sometimes we have different opinions on books. Sometimes we have to duke it out. No, I'm totally kidding. Just seeing if you were still paying close attention. I really love it when people see things differently than I do. It gives me a chance to broaden my horizons and try to see things from another perspective. It's interesting because sometimes I go into book club with my opinions, but by the end of the night I come away appreciating the book in ways I hadn't thought about previously. This is something I love about discussing books. I don't think I'd enjoy it nearly as much if we all liked the same things. 

Secret 5: DELICIOUS SECRETS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BOOK CLUB

1) Have a set schedule. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month. This allows everyone to get in a  habit of knowing when it's coming up to schedule plans around it.

2) Involve your members! Our amazing creator, Kelly, has said time and time again that things went way more smoothly when she encouraged members to participate in the planning and overseeing of our meetings. People love to be involved! Give them a chance and you'll be surprised what people will bring to the table.

3) FOOD! Feed your peeps! Everyone loves to chat over yummy appetizers, drinks, dishes and desserts. Even if you don't do a whole meal, include snacky foods and drinks. 

4) Make sure there's time for chit-chat! You'll never get through a book discussion if your members haven't had time to talk!

5) Someone needs to be in charge! For us, that's KELLY! Someone needs to have the final say in any large group to make things run smoothly.

6) Let your members have a say in the book line-up! We do a retreat every fall to choose our books for the upcoming year. We make a huge master-list on Goodreads and anyone can contribute. Then we get together to hash it out. We try to make sure we're including a variety of genres and we also think about what holidays etc. are in the selected months. 

Everyone wants to feel like their voice is heard!

Well guys, those are all the secrets for today! Now remember, DON'T TELL! Just kidding. Tell all your friends. Because if there's one thing we love at Delicious Reads . . . it's a good secret!

Your Writerly Ranter,

Brooke