Skip to Content

5 Easy Ideas to Create a Tablescape for a Book Club Gathering

Are you part of a monthly book club? We’re sharing 5 easy ideas to create a fun tablescape for a book club gathering.

Do you love to read?

Yes!?!

Yay…we do too!

Well, actually to be completely honest I do enjoy a great book but I don’t seem to make the time to read a priority in my life lately…I really need to change that.

But Anne well she really loves to read and does so every day.

She even started a book club years ago and it’s still going strong with a few core members who meet every month.

If you want to learn more about starting a book club check out this post for all the details.

And here’s a post with a bunch of awesome book recommendations to get you on your way.

We’re so excited about this month’s virtual supper club theme.

Can you guess what it is?

Probably not too hard to figure out.

It’s a Book Club Brunch!

Now if you’re new to Simply2Moms you may be wondering what the heck a virtual supper club is.

Every month we get together with our good friends Stacy, Rachel, Jen, and Michele and share our tablescapes and recipes on our blogs.

We’ve been doing this for two years and it’s just so fun to see everyone’s creativity with the different themes each month.

And to add even more inspiration for our readers, we also invite a guest host to join us each month too!

We’re thrilled to welcome Nicolle from Our Tiny Nest this month.

Nicolle lives in upstate New York with her husband and their two boys. You have to go check out her blog where she shares a little of everything from recipes to home decor to fashion.

If you’re joining us from Our Tiny Nest or if you’re new to our blog…

Hey there & welcome!

We’re AnnMarie (wearing black) and Anne (wearing white), the two moms behind this blog.

We work together to share simple and budget-friendly ideas for decoratingrecipesDIY projects, and tips for life with older teens (and beyond!).

You can read more about us and our families here.

And we would love to learn more about you! Be sure to say “hi” in the comments below and tell me where you’re visiting from.

But that’s enough about us…let’s talk more about this month’s theme…book club brunch!

Today it’s all about tablescapes and hosting ideas then on Saturday we share our club’s delicious recipes and menu ideas so be sure to come back!

Get the links to our previous tablescapes for even more inspiration at the end of this post.

Posts on Simply2Moms may contain affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission on purchases at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  You can read our full disclosure policy here.

How to Style a Beautiful Table for Book Club

dining room styled for book club brunch

I recently gave my dining room a makeover with a bit more decorative trim and paint so when I was planning my tablescape I wanted to play up the new color scheme of the room.

I’m really loving how the crisp bright white walls contrast with the moody dark ceiling.

For this gathering, we’re serving brunch but this table is perfect for any meal.

And you can use these fun decorating ideas for any party, from birthdays and anniversaries to showers and weddings.

Anyone who loves to read would appreciate a book-themed event.

How to Create a Book-Themed Centerpiece

dining table decorated with greenery and books for brunch gathering

For this tablescape of course I had to incorporate books in my centerpiece!

So I headed up to our bookshelves filled with mostly paperback young adult books in the hope of finding some hardback covered books.

My husband had also stashed some hardcover books on our kid’s bookshelves so I lucked out after peeking behind the dust jackets.

I found several books with black covers all with gold lettering that were just perfect for my table design.

black hardcovered books with gold lettering on wood riser

I used a large rectangular wood beaded riser in the middle of my table.

Then I lined up five of the books between two chippy white wood corbel-style bookends on the riser.

A couple of small gold mercury candle holders placed next to the books finished the riser styling.

stack of books with green glass bottle filled with evergreen stems

On either side of the styled wood riser, I stacked a few more books because you can never have enough books at a book club brunch.

Then I grabbed my pruners and went into my backyard to clip some of the cypress evergreen tree branches.

I’m lucky that we planted some evergreen trees for privacy years ago after we moved into this new house because now they’re huge and perfect to clip for winter decor.

Check out how I used them last year in a winter tablescape here.

round green glass bottle jar filled with cypress evergreen clippings

I bought these awesome green bottles last year at a local home decor boutique and love that they’re slightly different shapes.

The glass gives a pretty pop of color to match the greenery on the neutral table.

If you’re looking for a green glass bottle vase I found this similiar version on Amazon.

A few more gold votive candles are scattered around the table and the centerpiece is done.

Set an Easy and Natural Brunch Table

place settings with fresh cut and faux greenery and stacks of books

Now I realize not everyone has an extra set of dishes at home but finding this set of black plates has been a game changer.

If you’ve been around Simply2Moms for a while you know I usually style my tablescapes with my everyday white dishes that I absolutely love.

But man these black plates are stunning!

I know you’re thinking “AnnMarie they’re just plates” but I just love how things pop on the black color.

I set each place setting with my round jute placemats then added a faux cedar placemat I got before the holidays.

And then on top of the greenery, those gorgeous black plates!

gold flatware on folded linen napkin on table

I set each place with a casual fringed linen napkin and my favorite gold flatware from Target.

Did you see those book pages on each plate?

Were you wondering what the heck those were?

Well, keep reading…

Use Personalized Place Cards for Guests

table setting styled for brunch with book theme

Welcoming your guests with personalized place cards is a great way to get creative and make something unique for your table settings.

When I was looking through my kid’s books I found an old dictionary that had seen better days.

The cover was torn, the binding was broken and several pages were hanging out of it.

It was the perfect book to tear apart for crafting!

black plates topped with monogramed book page place cards

I looked for some fun book page craft ideas but ultimately decided to just use them as they were and add each guest’s monogram to the middle of the book page.

At first, I tried to freehand the letters with paint.

That didn’t work out too well…let’s just say you’re lucky I’m able to type this article rather than handwrite it. haha

Geez, I don’t know when my handwriting got so awful.

overhead view of tablescape for book club brunch

And of course, I didn’t have any stencils so I had to resort to making my own.

To do this I printed out letters on paper and then cut the letters out and then traced each letter on the book page and then filled it in with paint.

What a pain in the… you know what!

But seriously don’t they look super cute?!

Where Can You Add More Decor for Your Party Theme

console table decorated with gold candle sticks and lantern with mirror reflecting table

I styled my sideboard buffet table with a few more candle sticks and a lantern. Easy peasy!

Later this table will become a place to set all the delicious recipes everyone will be bringing to the gathering.

Isn’t it fun to see a peek at the table decor when you look in the mirror?

book page banner hung on china hutch reading book club

Behind the table, my china hutch cabinet is the perfect spot to hang a party banner.

I made this simple book page banner with the same steps as the monogrammed place cards.

A string of twine secured to the top of the hutch with pushpins holds the banner and each book page is hung from the twine with mini clothes pins.

I’ve made lots of banners for celebrations before using precut burlap pennants so the handmade letter stencils can be seen through to paint but with the book pages, it wasn’t as easy.

I may have to invest in some stencils soon!

tablescape styled with greenery and book themed décor

I hope you got some fun ideas for hosting a book-themed party.

Be sure to check out all the other fantastic table-decorating inspiration from our friends below.

Script text reading: "shop this post"

Click on any image to shop for items from this post

collage of product images used to style tablescape

More Book Club Tablescape Ideas from Our Friends

Next up on the tour is our friend Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse. Wait until you see her amazing book page craft idea!

Be sure to click each of the blog names below the photos to get even more inspiration for your Book Club table.

If you’re a blogger and you’d like to join our virtual dinner club for a month leave us a comment below or contact us here.

Get all of our previous virtual supper club ideas here.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

Don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories! We’d love for you to follow us on social media! You can find us on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

signature and photo

Pin it to Remember it:

Pinterest graphic