Go-Getter: Book club

With summer approaching along with the free time and hot weather it brings with it, it’s the perfect time to join or even create your own book club. Read on to learn more about a few local clubs or gather up some friends, snacks, a good book and start your own.

Getting started

You can start by researching online for a local book club. Ransom Jabara, a reference librarian at the Lawrence Public library, said that when starting a book club, it is important to have structure. She suggests designating a discussion leader who researches the author and book. Prepared discussion questions are also helpful to keep the meeting rolling.

“When the discussion is going well, a book club is a great way to meet people,” Jabara said. “Reading the book creates a shared experience, and that experience provides fodder for thoughtful conversation.”

How much does it cost

The price of a book and maybe a few snacks.

Where to go

• If you are looking to start your own book club, the Lawrence Public Library, 700 New Hampshire St., has a service called “Book Club in a Bag.” You can check out 10 to 12 copies of a book and a discussion sheet.

The Public Library also hosts a few book club meetings.

• The Last Wednesday Book Club: The group meets at 7 p.m. every last Wednesday of the month. The group has about 12 core members who are mostly professional and retired women along with a few men. The reading tastes are diverse but tend to include literary fiction such as Toni Morrison and Jonathan Franzen, books of local interest, such as Laura Moriarty and “Gone Girl,” and narrative nonfiction, such as “Devil in the White City” and “Destiny of the Republic.”

• Great Books Discussion Group: This group meets the first Saturday of every month from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The group tries to focus on readings from great cultural and intellectual significance, including Plato, Chekhov, Kant, Marx, Shakespeare, Rousseau and more. To learn more, visit greatbooks.org.

• The Welcome Club of Lawrence has four monthly book clubs. For more information on how to join, call Dory Rogers, the president of the Women’s Group within the club, at 785-865-3830.

• The Lawrence Women’s Social Meetup Group has a book club that meets at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. The meetings are held in members’ homes. This club focuses on popular and classical literature such as “The Great Gatsby” and “The Hunger Games.” To join and learn more about the group, go to meetup.com/The-Lawrence-Women-s-Social-Meetup-Group.

The Lawrence Public Library will be kicking off its summer reading program Summer in the City, which is basically a citywide book club, on May 28.