The New York Public Library guide to reading groups . Slezak, Ellen, ed. Once you have imagined your ideal group, you have a better foundation for starting the recruiting process.
Some book clubs prefer a group of friends who know each other well.
One pitfall of meeting with friends or coworkers is that the discussions may easily be sidetracked from talking about books into talking about work or personal lives. Also, if you are all very much alike in terms of age and background, you will not get a diversity of opinion in your discussions. Or, ask an acquaintance you see in passing who always seems to be carrying an interesting book. A person who will be committed to the group, who will read the books for each meeting, who is curious and thoughtful, who will be tolerant of others opinions, who will be a good listener but also a contributing participant. A sense of humor is always handy.