A good book club is the jewel of every literary girly’s heart. Book clubs aren’t just spaces where people gather for potluck brunches or gossip teas, they’re a space where you can geek out about your favorite book and no one will judge you. A good book club will push you out of your comfort zone, helping you to venture out into new genres that you may have been intimidated by. While there are some book clubs where no one actually reads and people just get together for chit-chat, real book clubs exist and serve as fountains for life long friendships. The best type of book club is one where people are eager to read and disappointed when they don’t. Reading and analyzing books in a group setting creates for good conversation and deepens our understanding of our books and ourselves. 

Finding a good book club isn’t always easy– especially if you’re a young professional woman and Muslim. There are a lot of groups with retirees and some that are aimed at meeting at wine bars or even bars. Finding a book club where your values are aligned is hard. But if you’re brave (like me) you can create your own book club. With a little bit of ambition and courage, you can be on your way to reading Jane Austen with your new book besties. 

Here’s how to create your own book club:

1. Find Book People

You need people to have a club. Obviously. You should start with people closest to you: they can be your cousins, sisters or friends. Look for people that are committed to not just reading, but to showing up every month. New moms or people with busy travel schedules might not be the right fit. You need dependable people that can carve out the time to commit. 

I started with a small group of my friends in 2020, just a few months before the pandemic. We went online and resumed meeting in-person when restrictions were lifted. Our small group of four blossomed into fifteen people two years later. Then, in 2023 I decided we needed a refresh. Our small group still had an active WhatsApp group, but no one was committing to read on a consistent basis. 

So I made a flyer, picked a book about Palestine and posted the flyer on Facebook and WhatsApp groups. I even posted a few flyers at the mosque. The flyer had a Google form where people gave me their names, contact info and what they liked to read. Now, in 2026 the book club WhatsApp group contains forty women and there are always at least 10 to 12 that show up for book club meetings. 

All that to say, you need to get creative and find out how to spread the message about your group!

2. Pick Good Books

There’s an art to selecting books. I have heard some book clubs have a leader who curates the book list for the year. For example, the public library will select the books for the year based on what’s popular. For my book club, we select a different genre each month and then everyone gets to nominate a book, and we vote. Some months we do a “free for all” and let people nominate whatever genre they want. I like to limit the choices based on page limit (under 400) to ensure that everyone can finish the book in one month.

3. Make it Cozy

I think setting is a really important element for a good book club. I’ve seen book clubs held in library meeting rooms, cafes, bookstores, and people’s living rooms. I think having a rotating meeting spot in people’s homes makes for the coziest of locations. The other advantage to hosting at home is being able to do a potluck. There’s something about enjoying homemade food that elevates the book club discussion. It’s like the food is energizing our bodies, and the discussion is energizing our minds. The combination of the two is perfect.

4. Set a Schedule 

Like most other things in life, consistency is key. I created a strict schedule in which the book club meets rain or shine the last Sunday of every month at 2pm. Yes, we do move the club meeting for Ramadan or Eid. But other than that, it remains on that specific schedule and anyone who is able to attend, knows when book club meets.

I hope this inspires you to create your own book club. Having book friends is special. If you put in the work and find those like minded people, you won’t be disappointed!