If you're looking for a fun, relaxed (and often entertaining) way to expand your social circles and your literary prowess, few methods can compare to the book club. Book clubs are increasing in popularity, for a number of reasons.

1 - As Americans become increasingly busy and overscheduled, it helps to have built-in reminders and accountability to help us remember to take time out for reading and recreation.

2 - With the rise in social media and social networking, more and more people are making conscious choices to connect in person with other individuals and groups.

3 - In 1996, Oprah Winfrey announced the launch of "Oprah's Book Club," a designation that would take certain authors from the realm of the unknown to instant bestseller status virtually overnight. Oprah's intention was to "help get America reading again," and the ultimate result was the formation of countless local book clubs amongst avid fans.

4 - Most Americans admit to suffering from a condition known as "information overload," which in part includes being inundated with countless book recommendations, which most people do not have the time to commit to reading. Joining a book club allows an individual to focus on just one hot-topic book at a time, and to explore its meaning in-depth with other readers, further expanding the whole experience.

Starting a book club is easier than you may think, but it all begins with a clear intention. Setting a proper focus for your book club can help alleviate frustration and disappointment down the road (for yourself and other book club members of your group).

Here are some possible intentions you might consider:

1. To become more educated or well-read.

2. To have fun and socialize.

3. To hone your conversational skills.

4. To meet new people.

5. To read books you otherwise would not have chosen.

6. To use group discussion to learn more about a particular book, author, or genre.

These are just a few of the reasons for starting a book club, but it's important to set your intention so that you can invite others who share the same focus for the club. For example, if your primary reason for starting a book club is to explore literary works and classics that you never got around to reading in college, so that you may have a better understanding of allegory, a particular genre, or literary genius, you will likely become annoyed with a group member who joined simply to have fun and meet new people. Once you've created your intention for the book club, the next step is to gather members, which simply involves extending invitations to friends, colleagues, neighbors, acquaintenances, etc.