We have about 12 in our club. However, not all of them come every month. On average we have about 7-8 come each month.
We first met together as a group to "lay the ground rules" for our club. We decided to meet once a month, as that would give plenty of time for everyone to get hold of a copy of the book and read it. One of our main rules is that not everyone has to love, or even like, all of the books. If you are offended by something in a book, feel free to stop reading. We've saved a lot of headaches with that rule!
On our first meeting, we were all asked to bring a list of 5 books we wanted to put on a list. We merged the lists, and gave everyone 3 votes. The top vote getter was the book we started with. Then we voted again, for the month following. We try to stay 2 months ahead, as some books take longer to get than others. So, for instance, we met last night, and already knew that the book for May's meeting would be "The Graveyard Book", but voted on June's book (The King's Speech).
Goodies are optional in our meetings! We really don't want it to become a one upmanship thing. We would rather have someone open a bag of M&M's than feel like they couldn't participate because they couldn't bring in a dozen gourmet cupcakes, etc.
Oh, yes, our iron clad rule is that we meet on the first Thursday of each month. Knowing that it's the same day each month makes it easier for everyone to schedule it in. Sometimes things happen and not everyone can make it, but that's ok.
I became the "secretary" for the group, so I keep the list, print it out and take it for voting each month. I also email all the ladies after each meeting and let them know they were missed, or that we were glad to see them. I let them know where the next meeting will be and give them a reminder a to the title of the book. I also let them know what the next book will be so they can be looking forward to it. The Monday before our meetings, I send out an email reminder that book club is coming up. Easy, peasy!
I've said it before, but it bears repeating... my book club is a life saver! It's a place to gather with women of similar age, and interests without spouses or children. We decompress together, and really have had some great discussions. I don't know what I'd do without my club! It's also neat to see what kinds of books the different ladies put on the list. I've been exposed to books that I would never have chosen for myself.
If you have any other questions, let me know. As you can see, I'm always glad to share.