Let’s acknowledge for a second that gathering people around an actual, physical book (you know, the kind of book where you can inhale that sweet smell of the pages!) is a teeny weeny act of defiance. In a world obsessed with productivity, shitty microdramas and too tasty pixel-sized content, reading a book might be dismissed as redundant and inefficient. Which is precisely why it feels so satisfying to lollygag on the couch and read.
Some people are coming for the book topic. But many in my world are coming to see their friends at the salon AND learn about a new book. In my living room there is no going around the room and forced sharing. Mostly because as a guest that makes me panic. Instead, a book salon is about coming to the evening with a sense of curiosity, with your ears flapping open ready to learn something new and be surprised.
as told by me. You might tell a different story. You go put a stamp on your book salon and make it your vibe.
Cosy, candlelit, chatter chatter chatter over cocktails and food, booky part, music part, Q&A, chatter chatter DJ DJ, night night.
A fireside-chat style interview between you and the author or someone equally intriguing connected to the book in some way. eg. a philosopher from your local university talking about a sci-fi book.
A night of going down the rabbit hole of big ideas.
A go-around-the-room circle jerk
A book club
Homework
Boring
An opportunity for windbags to pontificate
90% of the time I lean into non-fiction because then there is no problem if your guests haven’t read the book. And most of them won’t have (I not a homework-setter) but they’ll be curious about the topic and will learn lots from the fireside chat with the author or expert.
Fiction is tricky unless everyone has read the book OR the book is set at a time that is very culturally relevant. For example, if the story is set in 2021 then a lot of the story may be woven into the years around Covid and that’s a topic that everyone knows something about.
My vote is always for non-fiction.
Soft, warm, moody. A few candles. No overhead lights. Set it up so your guests can get swept away from their day’s woe’s the moment they cross your threshold.
Easy examples:
Normal People: simple Irish dishes that are filling and wallet-friendly. Potatoes might star!
The Great Gatsby: champagne, oysters, deviled eggs and lovely desserts.
We @posthoc recently had a salon with Jean Lee who is a journalist who has spent a lot of time in North Korea. While she hasn’t completed her book yet, I still cooked a boatload of Korean dishes that we enjoyed while listening to her stories from the Hermit Kingdom.
You don’t have to actually be literal. Be creative!
What’s the period of the book? The geography? Was there a scene from the book that you particularly remembered the setting and the music? Lean into that.
I love it when people dress up (not as in a costume, as in an effort!) to come to a salon.
Inspired by.
Not cosplay.
When in doubt, keep it brief. The interview is one element of a multifaceted evening! Curate your questions as you would your guest list.
You may be the only one in the room who has read the book other than the author/interviewee. And that is fine; you’re tempting your guests to dip in further after the salon.
Interview questions must be choreographed in advance with some room for unpredictability. Ideally, I like to learn both about the topic at hand but also about the person to whom I’m asking the questions.
I start with general questions about the topic of the book. Then I dig in to some specific questions about various sections of the book that puzzled me or that I thought the audience would find entertaining. Throughout all of this, I leave a lot of breathing room for the conversation to sway in various directions. If there is a moment of personal revelation, I’ll dig into that briefly And I keep an eye on the time. Does the interviewee answer questions within a few sentences? Or do they talk for 5 mins? Keep track of this because any longer than 30-40 mins is too long typically.
Occasionally a guest will yelp out a question and that’s ok. Then I redirect us back to the interview.
And then the last question or two is typically about the future. What are you thinking about now? What direction do you see this industry going in? What’s keeping you up at night?
People don’t need to have read the book to enjoy the night.
Attention spans are real, even at salons.
Ask your close friends to act as cohosts making sure no one is standing alone and no one is thirsty. The minute someone walks in the door they should be swept up by the warmth of your hosting. Then they can get down to the business of having fun.
Host at home or a friend’s place.
Cook one big dish (pasta, stew, roast veg) + a salad.
Ask a musically talented friend to play a 10-minute set.
Thrift-store tablecloths + buy candles off Amazon. Old style xmas tree lights work really well too for a warm vibe thrown into a glass hurricane or just snaked around a kitchen counter.
Borrow chairs and or get a lot of cushions so people can sit on the floor. Beanbags!
Ask guests to bring dessert, drinks, snacks.
Ask for help from everyone.
Books have always been my close friends since I was a child. Growing up, I wasn’t allowed tv, film or toys. So I really relied on books for creativity, ideas, comfort and warmth. And I still do!
Salons are about creativity, ideas, comfort and warmth too so it’s really a perfect combination. At a salon you meet new friends, new collaborators, new romances; they’re community without the algorithm dictating what you should like. In a world where we are being thrown predictable outcomes, it’s really refreshing to not have an algorithm interfere.
Book salons are where ideas, friendships, romance, and collaborations are born.
They’re a way to form community without algorithmic interference.
ENJOY YOUR BOOK SALON!