Establish the rules of the meeting. Before the meeting begins you must decide how books will be chosen. Will you vote once at each meeting or for the entire year? How will discussions work? How long will each member have to speak?
Introduce new and existing members. Old members can update the group with something new. New members can introduce themselves and explain why they joined. Allow plenty of time for everyone to socialize and get acquainted. This would also be a good time to serve refreshments.
Moderate the discussion with structured questions from a printed list or allow
free-form conversation. The group dynamic will decide which to choose. It might also work to have a combination. Having a list of questions on-hand could help when discussion wanes. A moderator keeps the debate on track and on topic. Tangents may come up and should to keep things interesting, but a moderator must step in when things stray too far.
Follow up meetings by posting online reviews or having e-mail conversations. Active reader forums can be found at Amazon.com and Google Groups.