Start a Book Club قم بإنشاء نادي الكتاب: English

About This Guide

This guide will help you start or join a book club. You are also invited to join the Library's English Fiction Book Club, which meets on the last Wednesday of the month from 5 to 7 PM at the Library. See the Library's events page for more information.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for a complete list of book club titles available at the Library. We've listed some of our favorites on the right.

Starting a Book Club

Book clubs are a great way to meet new people, discover books you may not otherwise read and, of course, have fun! Here are some tips on how to get your new book club started.

WHO? Book clubs typically have 8 to 10 members. If you’re worried your club might get too big, consider setting a membership limit or creating criteria for new members.

WHAT? Choosing a theme for your club will help you choose books and attract interested members. For example, some clubs may read only nonfiction books, while others may read only mysteries, books by female authors or books from a particular region.

WHERE? Many book groups meet at one member’s home each month, with the host providing small snacks or refreshments. For new groups, it may be more comfortable for people to meet in a public place, such as the Library or a café.

WHEN? Establish a regular meeting time to help members remember and plan ahead. Decide how often you’ll meet, and if you’ll meet during the summer and over holidays.

HOW? The books you read are the heart of the club, so it’s important to make thoughtful selections and give members a chance to help choose. Some book clubs select titles far in advance, while others select from month-to-month. One approach is to give one person each month the opportunity to submit three book choices; the rest of the members then vote for one of the three titles.

Once your book club is up and running, keep the momentum going and keep people coming back by ensuring everyone has a good time and feels like they’re able to contribute.

PLAN Read the book, do some research on the topics and/or author, and come prepared with questions that will generate discussion. Consider establishing a rough meeting outline to allow for socializing, discussion and planning future meetings without getting off-track.

BE FLEXIBLE People come to book clubs for different reasons—some may enjoy socializing, while others may want to focus on discussing and analyzing the book. Most book clubs have a relaxed environment, but if the book becomes an afterthought, consider scheduling social time before you start your discussion.

ENCOURAGE Not everyone is comfortable speaking in front of a group. Encourage everyone to participate, and emphasize that there are no right or wrong opinions. Also, people will feel reluctant to come if they haven’t finished the book. Urge them to attend and discuss the parts of the book they did read.

DISCUSS Welcome attendees and allow new members to introduce themselves. Let the conversation proceed naturally, but keep in mind that as the leader, your role is to keep the discussion running smoothly.

CHECK IN If people aren’t enjoying the club, they’re most likely not going to complain—they’ll just stop coming. Talk to members one-on-one periodically to see if they have any suggestions.

Leading a Book Discussion

As the leader of your book club, you’ll often be leading the discussion and ensuring everyone has fun and is able to participate. Here are some common challenges and suggestions for how to handle them:

If one person is dominating the conversation … Redirect the conversation by thanking the person for their perspective and ask if anyone else would like to comment. You can also introduce a new topic yourself to encourage others to share their thoughts.

If members keep talking over each other … Bring an object to pass around the room—only the person holding the object gets to speak. If one person is holding the object too long, change the object to a timer and give each person a set amount of time.

If shy or quiet members don’t get to participate … If you can tell that someone wants to speak, invite them to comment. One way to guarantee everyone has a chance to speak is to allocate time at the end of every meeting for each person to share their final thoughts.

If the discussion becomes heated … Though there’s nothing wrong with members having different opinions, remind everyone that there is no right—or wrong—answer.

If the discussion becomes emotional … Controversial books can make for great club choices because they often spark lively discussions. However, topics that are too sensitive may cause your members to be embarrassed or uncomfortable. If you sense that some members are uncomfortable with the discussion, take a quick poll of the group to decide if you want to move on to another topic. You can also break members into smaller discussion groups according to how they would like to proceed.

If the conversation stalls … Sometimes the problem isn’t too much talk, but not enough. Not all books will capture the group’s interest, so if you’re all talked out, ask members if they want to discuss other book-related topics. This can be a fun way to get book recommendations—both for the club and for your own reading—and learn more about your fellow club members. Some fun ice-breakers include asking people their favorite fictional characters, a favorite film based on a book or books that have changed their lives.

If leading the group becomes overwhelming … If you’re looking at this list and thinking that running a book club is hard work, don’t worry! Once you get a consistent group of members, consider rotating leaders for each meeting so that you get a break and other members have a chance to guide the club.

Participating in a Book Club

So you’ve joined a book club—great! Books clubs are a fun way to meet new people, discover new books and share your thoughts in a supportive environment. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your book club experience.

BE PREPARED Read the book. Take notes as you go and use sticky notes to mark any passages you find interesting so that you can refer to them at the meeting. If you don’t finish the book, go to the meeting anyway. Discuss what you have read and listen while other members discuss the parts of the book you didn’t read. However, don’t expect other members to avoid sharing spoilers.

BE RESPECTFUL People have different reasons for joining a book club. Some come for serious explorations of literary themes, while others join to make new friends. By respecting these different desires, not only will get what you want out of the club, but everyone else will, too.

BE PATIENT Take turns speaking and be a good listener. Each member should have an opportunity to share his or her thoughts. If you tend to be long-winded, be cautious not to dominate the discussion and be sure to stay on topic. Be open to other opinions—don’t feel like you have to win everyone over to your side. Often the best discussions are books loved by half of the group and hated by the other half!

BE OPEN Part of the fun of joining a book club is to read books you wouldn’t normally choose yourself. You may discover a new author or genre that you love. If you didn’t like a book, that’s fine too, and you’re welcome to discuss why. However, always keep in mind that there is no right or wrong in reading for pleasure. Avoid "book-shaming"—making people feel bad about what they choose to read.

BE A GOOD MEMBER Come on time, participate, and be sure to understand the group guidelines before inviting new members to join. If you have a suggestion for how to improve the club, let the organizer know. Most of all, have fun!

Qatar National Library Book Club Collection

The Library has multiple copies of the following titles. Email bookclubs@qnl.qa to reserve copies of books for your upcoming book club discussion.

Author	Title
Abdolah, Kader	The King
Achebe, Chinua	Things Fall Apart
Ahern, Cecelia	PS, I Love You: A Novel
Akhtar, Ayad	American Dervish: A Novel
Alvarez, Julia	In the Time of the Butterflies
Andrews, Mary Kay	Deep Dish
Andrews, Mary Kay	Save The Date
Andrews, Mary Kay	Summer Rental: A Novel
Arnim, Elizabeth von	The Enchanted April
Atkinson, Kate	A God In Ruins: A Novel
Atkinson, Kate	Life After Life: A Novel
Atwood, Margaret	The Handmaid's Tale
Atwood, Margaret	The Blind Assassin
Atwood, Margaret	Oryx and Crake: A Novel
Austen, Jane	Emma
Austen, Jane	Northanger Abbey
Austen, Jane	Persuasion
Austen, Jane	Sense and Sensibility
Austen, Jane	Pride and Prejudice
Baker, Jo	Longbourn
Barbery, Muriel	The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Barry, Brunonia	The Lace Reader
Bassiouney, Reem	The Pistachio Seller
Bender, Aimee	The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel
Benioff, David	City of Thieves: A Novel
Benjamin, Melanie	The Aviator's Wife: A Novel
Bhutto, Fatima	The Shadow of the Crescent Moon
Bilal, Parker	The Burning Gates: A Makana Mystery
Blake, Sarah	The Postmistress
Blasim, Hassan	The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq
Bohjalian, Christopher A.	Midwives
Boyle, T. Coraghessan	The Tortilla Curtain
Bradbury, Ray	Fahrenheit 451
Bradley, C. Alan	The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia De Luce Mystery
Braithwaite, E. R.	To Sir, With Love
Brennert, Alan	Moloka'I
Bronte, Charlotte	Jane Eyre
Bronte, Emily	Wuthering Heights
Brooks, Geraldine	Caleb's Crossing
Brooks, Geraldine	March: A Novel
Brooks, Geraldine	Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
Brooks, Max	World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Brown, Dan	The Da Vinci Code: A Novel
Brown, Dan	The Lost Symbol: A Novel
Buck, Pearl S.	The Good Earth
Buckley, Carla	The Deepest Secret: A Novel
Card, Orson Scott	Ender's Game
Cather, Willa	My Antonia
Chabon, Michael	The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier And Clay: A Novel
Chevalier, Tracy	Girl With a Pearl Earring
Christie, Agatha	And Then There Were None
Cisneros, Sandra	The House on Mango Street
Cleave, Chris	Little Bee
Cline, Ernest	Ready Player One
Coelho, Paulo	The Alchemist
Collins, Wilkie	The Woman in White
Coplin, Amanda	The Orchardist: A Novel
Dai, Sijie	Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Daoud, Hassan	The Penguin's Song
Davis, Brooke	Lost & Found
De los Santos, Marisa	The Precious One
De los Santos, Marisa	Love Walked In: A Novel
Diaz, Junot	The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Diaz, Junot	This is How You Lose Her
Dickens, Charles	Great Expectations
Dickens, Charles	Hard Times
Dickens, Charles	A Tale of Two Cities
Donoghue, Emma	Room: A Novel
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor	Crime and Punishment
Du Maurier, Daphne	Rebecca
Dumas, Alexandre	The Count of Monte Cristo
Dunn, Mark	Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
Durrow, Heidi W.	The Girl Who Fell From the Sky: A Novel
Edwards, Kim	The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Erdrich, Louise	The Plague of Doves
Esquivel, Laura	Like Water For Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments
Eugenides, Jeffrey	The Marriage Plot
Fatah, Sherko	The Dark Ship
Fergus, Jim	One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
Ferriss, Lucy	A Sister To Honor: A Novel
Forde, Jasper	The Eyre Affair: A Novel
Fielding, Helen	Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel
Filer, Nathan	The Shock Of The Fall
Fitzgerald, F. Scott	The Great Gatsby
Flynn, Gillian	Dark Places
Flynn, Gillian	Gone Girl: A Novel
Flynn, Gillian	Sharp Objects: A Novel
Follett, Ken	Pillars Of The Earth
Ford, Jamie.	Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel
Forster, E. M.	A Passage to India
Fowler, Karen Joy	The Jane Austen Book Club
Franklin, Tom	Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
Franzen, Jonathan	Freedom
French, Tana	In the Woods
Gabaldon, Diana	Outlander
Gaiman, Neil	Neverwhere
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel	Love in the Time Of Cholera
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel	One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gargash, Maha	The Sand Fish: A Novel from Dubai
Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn	Cranford
Genova, Lisa	Still Alice: A Novel
Gilbert, Elizabeth	The Signature of All Things
Godwin, Gail	The Finishing School
Golden, Arthur	Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel
Golding, William	Lord of the Flies
Goldman, Francisco	Say Her Name
Goolrick, Robert	A Reliable Wife: A Novel
Gowda, Shilpi Somaya	Secret Daughter
Grahame-Smith, Seth	Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance -- Now With Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem
Greene, Amy	Long Man: A Novel
Grossman, Lev	The Magicians: A Novel
Gruen, Sara	Water for Elephants: A Novel
Haddon, Mark	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hannah, Kristin	Firefly Lane
Hannah, Kristin	Winter Garden
Harbach, Chad	The Art of Fielding: A Novel
Hardy, Thomas	Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Heller, Joseph	Catch-22
Hemingway, Ernest	The Old Man and the Sea
Hemingway, Ernest	The Sun Also Rises
Herbert, Frank	Dune
Hill, Lawrence	Someone Knows My Name
Horan, Nancy	Loving Frank: A Novel
Hosseini, Khaled	A Thousand Splendid Suns
Hosseini, Khaled	And the Mountains Echoed
Hosseini, Khaled	The Kite Runner
Howe, Katherine	The Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane: A Novel
Hugo, Victor	Les Miserables
Hurston, Zora Neale	Their Eyes Were Watching God
Ishiguro, Kazuo	Never Let Me Go
James, Henry	The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry	Washington Square
Johnson, Adam	The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel
Johnson, Julia	The Leopard Boy
Jones, Edward P.	The Known World
Joyce, Rachel	The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel
Kent, Kathleen	The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel
Keyes, Daniel	Flowers for Algernon
Khadra, Yasmina	African Equation
Khal, Abdo	Throwing Sparks
Kidd, Sue Monk	The Secret Life of Bees
Kiefer, Christian	The Animals: A Novel
King, Stephen	11/22/63: A Novel
Kingsolver, Barbara	The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel
Kingsolver, Barbara	The Bean Trees: A Novel
Kingsolver, Barbara	Flight Behavior: A Novel
Kingsolver, Barbara	The Lacuna: A Novel
Kingsolver, Barbara	Prodigal Summer: A Novel
Kline, Christina Baker	Orphan Train: A Novel
Koch, Herman	The Dinner: A Novel
Kostova, Elizabeth	The Historian: A Novel
Krauss, Nicole	The History of Love
Kwok, Jean	Girl in Translation
Lahiri, Jhumpa	The Namesake
Lahiri, Jhumpa	Unaccustomed Earth
Landay, William	Defending Jacob: A Novel
Larsson, Stieg	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Lee, Harper	To Kill a Mockingbird
Leya, Ella	The Orphan Sky
Livesey, Margot	The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel
Lupton, Rosamund	Sister: A Novel
Maguire, Gregory	Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West: A Novel
Martel, Yann	Life of Pi: A Novel
Mathis, Ayana	The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
McCall Smith, Alexander	The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
McCann, Colum	Let the Great World Spin: A Novel
McCarthy, Cormac	The Road
McCreight, Kimberly	Reconstructing Amelia: A Novel
McCullers, Carson	The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
McEwan, Ian	Atonement: A Novel
McLain, Paula	The Paris Wife: A Novel
Melville, Herman	Moby-Dick, or, The Whale
Mieville, China	The City & the City
Mistry, Rohinton	A Fine Balance: A Novel
Mitchell, David	Cloud Atlas: A Novel
Mitchell, David	The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet: A Novel
Mitchell, Margaret	Gone With the Wind
Morgenstern, Erin	The Night Circus: A Novel
Moriarty, Liane	The Husband's Secret
Moriarty, Liane	What Alice Forgot
Morton, Kate	The Forgotten Garden: A Novel
Morton, Kate	The Secret Keeper: A Novel
Morton, Kate	The House at Riverton: A Novel
Moyes, Jojo	Me Before You
Nicholls, David	One Day
Niffenegger, Audrey	The Time Traveler's Wife
Obreht, Tea	The Tiger's Wife: A Novel
O'Brien, Tim	The Things They Carried: A Work of Fiction
O'Farrell, Maggie	The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Orwell, George	Nineteen Eighty-Four
Orwell, George	Animal Farm
Otsuka, Julie	The Buddha in the Attic
Packer, Ann	The Dive From Clausen's Pier
Patchett, Ann	Run
Patchett, Ann	State Of Wonder: A Novel
Paton, Alan	Cry, the Beloved Country
Payton, Brian	The Wind is Not a River
Picoult, Jodi	Nineteen Minutes: A Novel
Picoult, Jodi	My Sister's Keeper: A Novel
Picoult, Jodi	House Rules: A Novel
Plath, Sylvia	The Bell Jar
Powers, Richard	Orfeo: A Novel
Quick, Matthew	The Silver Linings Playbook: A Novel
Quinn, Daniel	Ishmael
Rachman, Tom	The Imperfectionists: A Novel
Rahimi, Atiq	A Curse on Dostoevsky
Rash, Ron	Serena: A Novel
Robinson, Kim Stanley	The Years of Rice And Salt
Roy, Arundhati	The God of Small Things
Russell, Karen	Swamplandia!
Russo, Richard	Empire Falls
Salinger, J. D.	The Catcher in the Rye
Saramago, Jose	Blindness
Scottoline, Lisa	Look Again
Sebold, Alice	The Lovely Bones: A Novel
See, Lisa	Shanghai Girls: A Novel
See, Lisa	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
Sendker, Jan-Philipp	The Art of Hearing Heartbeats: A Novel
Seth, Vikram	A Suitable Boy: A Novel
Setterfield, Diane	The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Shapiro, Barbara A.	The Art Forger: A Novel
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft	Frankenstein
Shors, John	Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel Of The Taj Mahal
Shreve, Anita	Stella Bain: A Novel
Shteyngart, Gary	Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel
Simon, Rachel	The Story of Beautiful Girl
Simsion, Graeme C.	The Rosie Project
Sittenfeld, Curtis	American Wife: A Novel
Sloan, Robin	Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Smith, Dodie	I Capture the Castle
Smith, Betty	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Smith, April	A Star for Mrs. Blake
Stedman, M. L.	The Light Between Oceans: A Novel
Stegner, Wallace Earle	Crossing to Safety
Steinbeck, John	East of Eden
Steinbeck, John	The Grapes of Wrath
Steinbeck, John	Of Mice and Men
Steinbeck, John	The Pearl
Stockett, Kathryn	The Help
Stoker, Bram	Dracula
Swift, Jonathan	Gulliver's Travels
Tan, Amy	The Joy Luck Club
Thompson, Carol	Mockingbird Song
Tolstoy, Leo	Anna Karenina
Trigiani, Adriana	The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel
Twain, Mark	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Unknown	Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange
Unknown	The Arabian Nights: Tales From a Thousand and One Nights
Vanderbes, Jennifer	The Secret of Raven Point: A Novel
Verghese, A.	Cutting For Stone: A Novel
Vonnegut, Kurt	Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt	Slaughterhouse-Five
Walker, Karen Thompson	The Age of Miracles: A Novel
Walter, Jess	Beautiful Ruins: A Novel
Watson, Winifred	Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Wells, Rebecca	Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel
Wharton, Edith	The Age of Innocence
Wilde, Oscar	The Picture of Dorian Gray
Wolitzer, Meg	The Interestings
Wroblewski, David	The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
Yates, Richard	Revolutionary Road
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz	The Shadow of the Wind