Howdy Bookworms!
A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by the fabulous Annabel Smith and she asked what my most popular post of all time was. In terms of longevity and search terms, the most popular post I ever published was the contest I held in order to name The Fellowship of the Worms. Apparently, people really want help in coming up with unusual names for their book clubs. I live to serve, and naming things is among my favorite activities. Here are some of my tips on choosing a fun and funky name for your book club!
1. Who Are You? I know, it sounds kind of obvious, but one of the easiest ways to choose a book club name is to consider how it is that the book club came together. I’m involved in a book club with my neighbors which I’ve lovingly dubbed “My Neighbors are Better than Your Neighbors.” Did your group originate in the workplace? How’s about “Everybody’s Working for the Reading?” Are you a group of parents who met while sneaking in a few pages of reading during a little league game? School chums? The way your crew came together can be a great resource for name mining!
2. What Do You Do? It’s rare that a book club talks about the book, the whole book, and nothing but the book. What else do you like to do? I book club I once belonged to (that has, sadly, disbanded) liked to drink wine and chat socially after book talk died down. I called it (rather cheekily) “Wine and Whining.” One of my favorite suggestions from the contest I ran came from Jen at The Relentless Reader. She suggested “BEER CHEESE BOOKS.” She’s from Wisconsin, if you couldn’t tell. But seriously! If y’all drink beer, eat cheese, and talk about books, GO WITH IT!
3. Alliteration is your friend. Have I ever told you about my fake band? It’s called The Alliterations and you can only fake join if your initials are the same for your first and last name. I play the fake drums. I’m spectacular, obviously. Is it weird to fangirl over a cheap literary device? “Raucous Readers.” “Badass Bookworms.” “Literary Ladies who Lunch.” The possibilities are endless.
My fake drum set. Obviously.
4. Make it Punny! How many times have you seen that picture of the bar called “Tequila Mockingbird?” And how many times have you chuckled at its cleverness? Get down with your punny self! “The Book Stops Here,” “Readers of the Lost Ark..” For real, somebody stop me!
5. Bookspiration. Dude, our book club here ended up being named “The Fellowship of the Worms,” but that wasn’t the only fabulous suggestion. Most of them revolved around worms, but I understand that not EVERYONE wants to be associated with slimy invertebrates. What about “Gone with the Book” or “Through the Book-ing Glass”? Take a famous book title and make it your own.
A fun and funky name for your book club awaits! Use this list as a brainstorming guide and you’ll have something amazing in no time! Any Bookworms out there in a cleverly named book club?
Jennine G.
A couple years ago I turned my school’s writing club, of which I am the advisor, into a book club because I felt there was more interest in reading than writing. So I had to come up with a name. I had a few choices but the one that stuck was “Reading Warriors.” Our school mascot is Warriors and it’s a school club that reads, so it is most fitting.
Words For Worms
That’s really fun, I like that you incorporated your school mascot!
Shannon @ River City Reading
We are Books, Beer and Baked Goods because…that’s what we do. Plus alliteration!
Words For Worms
I love beer and baked goods! Once I learn to teleport, I’m joining your club too, okay?
Quirky Chrissy
Love it. You clever little minx, you.
Words For Worms
Thank you, dahling. (You helped with the idea. I’m sure you remembered that. But thank you)
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
THIS! Our book club is the Girls Night Out book club, which is a good descriptor, but I am so jealous of Fellowship of the Worms.
Words For Worms
I think Girls Night Out has a lot going for it. PLUS, it implies that fruity cocktails are involved, and that’s something I can get behind!
Megan M.
I can be in your band!!! My only musical “talent” is singing, though.
Words For Worms
We need a lead singer! You’re in!
Charleen
Aww, my initials aren’t the same, although it is an aural alliteration (my last name starts with Sh-). Maybe I could be like stage manager or something?
Words For Worms
You are now our fake manager. You’ll be in charge of getting us brandy glasses filled with brown M&Ms, and wrangling groupies.
Kc
My first name is a play on my initials. I am KC and my initials are KC we need a click for that lol
Ashley
Our is called “Drinking Club with a Book Problem.” : )
Words For Worms
Ha! Love it!
Darlene @ Lost in Literature
My book club is the Breakdancing Bookworms.
It was named by the one teenager in our group that has pretty much kicked us to the curb.
The name is gonna stick though cause we’re “facebook group official.”
And bonus…alliteration.:)
Words For Worms
LMAO, I am trying very hard to imagine you spinning on your head on a piece of cardboard… It’s entertaining :).
April @ The Steadfast Reader
I know I’m late to the party — but did you get a slightly new layout? If so — LOVE IT. If not — clearly I already loved it. 😉
Words For Worms
I did! I just got a new theme and spent a long time playing with the customization options, but I’m pretty stoked about the result. Thanks for noticing! 🙂 (And I just did this like the day before your comment, so it was super timely.)
Kelly
You should get paid to do this. I am dying at some of your suggestions! I need a book club first, then I’ll get back to you about the naming. 🙂 I always seem to have such a hard time finding like-minded readers (in person, of course…the blog world is chock full!).
Words For Worms
Thanks, doll! I’m pretty lucky to have found a book club, though I’m not sure we’re all necessarily on the same bookish wavelength, but it’s always a good time. And I agree. I should run a “Naming Stuff” service. Planning on any more kids? I volunteer my services to name them. Muahahahaha!
Jenny @ Reading the End
Named book clubs are so fun. My old work book club never even considered a name — we just called it BOOK CLUB when we were talking amongst ourselves. Given how much we all perseverated about the selection of books, we’d probably never have been able to agree on a book club name anyway.
Annabel Smith
Awesome post! I heard of a book club called ‘Read Between the Wines’ which was both punny and related to what they do, checking two boxes, whoo! My book club is called ‘The Narrow Road’ bookclub, because the first book we read was ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ (awful book, I don’t recommend it) but also because our first meeting was SO hard to organise that it felt like there was a narrow road to getting the book club off the ground.
Words For Worms
Read Between the Wines is brilliant!
Melissa M
I work in an account receivables department and we decided to start a book club within ourselves since we all have similar interests. We came up with the name “Account Readables”
Words For Worms
That is adorable!
Tarah
My book club still doesn’t have a name. For our first anniversary (last month) the poster said “Tarah’s Awesome Sauce Fuzzy Buttons Wine Drinking Gourmet Cooking Running Riding Always Laughing Friends and Former Colleagues Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Winged Victory Book Club’s First Year”
A friend’s book club was named by one of the husbands. It is simply BCMA……….(Book Club My A$$).
Words For Worms
Love them!
Genevieve
Need a book club name. It’s for me, my three sisters and two friends. And go…
ZenJenni
We are The Rogue Readers book club, because we wanted to keep it quiet from others who may have been offended not to have been invited. 🙂
Pep Uhaa
I am starting a book club for children age 4 to 10 and I have not been able to come up with any name. They all seem taken. I need help with a name cool but short name.
Priya
We are a book club consisting of friends from fourth and fifth graders who meet once a month on weekend, discuss a book, chew on a variety of delicious goodies (prime attraction) and have a little downtime of 30 minutes to play as well. The group is diverse in culture and are growing into a loving family. The girls absolutely love to read.
I am looking for a sassy name for these kids, whole love to read, meet and eat …Something short
thank you
Kimberli Buckley
Hi! I am starting a new book club and will choose a book every month that relates to a popular tv show. It will probably be mostly for adults but teens can join too. I’m having a hard time coming up with a name. I would love to include the word binge or binge-ing what do you think would be a good name?