For those who’d gladly take staying in with a good book over a wild night out, reading’s recent resurgence in popularity comes as no surprise. But thanks to the rise of BookTok and Bookstagram content, romance novels finally getting the recognition they deserve and of course, plenty of celebrity book clubs, reading has never been hotter.
Ready to get in on the fun, but not sure how to start a book club? Hold on to your reading glasses, because we tapped cookbook author, TV host and romcom novelist Ali Rosen to share her recipe for a successful book club — including some actual recipes you can try.
The Alternate Endings and Recipe for Second Chances author (whose third book, Unlikely Story, will be released in spring 2025) combines her culinary knowledge with all the best ingredients of a juicy romance novel to whip up stories that you’ll want to savor. In addition to being an expert hostess and “voracious romance reader,” Ali says she “grew up in a book club family,” adding, “my mom’s been in the same book club for 40 years.”
Share the work.
There are two main ways to go about hosting a book club, Ali points out. “It’s either everyone divide and conquer, or it’s everyone pick a month and then be responsible for that month.” For example, in her mom’s book club, whoever’s turn it is, it is their turn. No one else has to bring anything. It depends on what works best for your group, but Ali recommends deciding at the start how you want it to run.
You can create a Doodle or a shared spreadsheet with options that people can pick up, like wine or napkins. “Make sure that you’re delineating. Don’t just say, ‘Everyone bring something.’ Then you end up with 15 bottles of wine and no food,” Ali warns. “You can put salad, main dish, side dish, vegetables … so that everyone can sign up for something.”
She also recognizes the importance of “knowing that different people have different capacities and giving people space to bring to the table what they can. Some people work late and barely have time to make it to the book club, read the book, let alone host something. So, let them be the wine person.”
Serve snacks you can make ahead of time.
When it comes to food, Ali’s number one recommendation is to find dishes that can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature, like pasta salads. She also notes that cheese boards and “girl dinner” boards are popular for a reason. “People sometimes just want to munch,” she adds. “I love to do flavored popcorns; make popcorn and then sprinkle different seasonings on it. And then it looks like you did something, and really all you did was buy some za’atar and sprinkle it on.”
Dress up store-bought food.
Another easy way to have fancy-looking appetizers in a pinch is to buy dips at the grocery store and add things into them. “Buy pre-made hummus and then put pine nuts and spices in it, or buy a pre-made tzatziki and just chop up some fresh mint and basil and throw that in,” Ali suggests.
“Buy pre-made puff pastry and then make a tomato tart, make an asparagus tart with some cheese on it. Those things are so easy and they look complex without actually being complex and time-consuming.”
Grab single-serve cocktails (or mocktails).
“There are so many great brands now doing premade,” Ali says. “Have some wine, have some beer, have that and call it a day. Keep it easy on yourself, would be my biggest piece of advice.”
She’s currently loving Ramona’s canned Italian spritzes. “I’m obsessed. The quality is so high, you don’t feel like you’re getting a canned [cocktail].” And for a non-alcoholic option, which she notes is always good to offer, Ali recommends the St. Agrestis Phony Negroni.
Remember, it’s supposed to be fun!
“The thing that’s really nice about book clubs coming back is I think after having so much time apart and so much time in virtual spaces, people are desperate for being together. And so the lower the barrier you can make to having that become a reality, the more likely it actually is to happen,” Ali says. “Find ways to make it fun, but it should just be fun by having your people together.”
She may have literally written the book on potlucks, but she stresses that “it’s important to not get bogged down in the details of the food, because that isn’t the thing that people are going to remember. They’re going to remember if they had a great time, and honestly, they’re going to remember if the host was having a good time. If you have the best food, but you’re in the kitchen stressed out the whole time, no one is going to enjoy themselves.”
Consider non-traditional book parties.
“Reading is supposed to be fun. It’s finding the way to have book clubs without it feeling like an obligation,” Ali says. If you and your close friends don’t tend to read the same kinds of books, you can still find creative ways to host a get-together.
“It can just be a party where everyone sits around and reads or talks about what they’ve been reading.” Or, try a book swap party. “Everybody bring a book or two that they’ve loved that you’re done with and swap it around,” Ali suggests. “Traditional book clubs, that format has worked forever for a reason. But if it’s turned people off because they don’t want to be told what to read, there’s a lot of other ways you could do it.”
Tie it all together with a theme.
“It’s great to have food thematically around where a book takes place,” Ali says. “What’s so amazing right now is if you want to find books that do have a food theme, there are so many books with chefs, bakers, people in the food space. My books have recipes in the back, so I make it real easy for people.”
In addition to this pro tip, she notes that “if you have a group of friends that wants to explore,” you can also look for books “with a sense of place.” Another fun idea is to come up with punny names for things, like some people do for the Oscars. “You can make a theme out of anything, but I think it’s fun to theme around a book.”
For example, “I really enjoyed Lindsay Hammeroff’s book debut, Till There Was You, and it starts with her making this guy blueberry pancakes. So it can be a pancake party,” Ali explains. “Find the one element of the book that’s attached to food and tease it out and enjoy it.”
Ahead, you’ll find some of Ali’s recent favorites that fit the bill, including a historical romance set in Paris and a modern-day love story between an American and an Irishman. Two of the novels she raved over aren’t out yet, so you can kick off your book club with the authors’ other titles and save the new releases for future meetings.
Ali’s Book Club Picks
Alternate Endings
Now 24% Off
Recipe for Second Chances
Savor It: A Novel
Now 25% Off
Not Another Love Song
Now 20% Off
Seven Days in June
Now 10% Off
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris: A Novel (Las Leonas, 1)
Now 35% Off
Last Call at the Local
Now 10% Off
Jamie (she/her) is the news and SEO editor at Good Housekeeping. She oversees GH’s digital news strategy, assigning and editing celebrity and entertainment news content. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she was the digital editor at Woman’s Day. She has over 6 years of professional experience writing and editing lifestyle content for the Rachael Ray Show, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Insider, Elite Daily and more. She holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and lives in Brooklyn with her cats, Lumos and Linus.
