Frequently Asked Questions
You can request to join us here. We are currently reviewing membership requests to try to ensure that real people are joining us. Watch for an email from us once we’ve had a chance to review and accept your request. Make sure you add us to your contact list: [email protected]
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
If you share anything with us here, we want to give you full credit for your thoughts, tips, insights, art, work or anything else that you contribute and belongs to you. If you’ve read about us, you’ll know that we will always try our best to provide proper attribution or list accurate sources.
By creating a profile here and logging in each time you visit us, we can link everything you contribute back to your profile.
You can request to join us here. We are currently reviewing membership requests to try to ensure that real people are joining us. Watch for an email from us once we’ve had a chance to review and accept your request. Make sure you add us to your contact list: [email protected]
If you’ve already created a profile, just log in or reset your password and you should be able to get back into Book Club Friends easily.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
Here is the link to log in. But if you have any problems at all, please just contact us! We can get you logged in very quickly!
You can also try the following:
If you’ve already created a profile, try resetting your password and you should be able to get back into Book Club Friends easily.
Are you sure you’ve created an account? You can request to join us here. We are currently reviewing membership requests to try to ensure that real people are joining us. Watch for an email from us once we’ve had a chance to review and accept your request. Make sure you add us to your contact list: [email protected]
If you have joined by tapping through from Facebook on your phone or tablet, you will have been forced to use Facebook’s in-app browser, which discourages continued off-Facebook use. Here are the signs that you’re using Facebook’s browser instead of your own independent browser:

Look at the top left corner of the screen for the “X” and the top of the browser with “Facebook”. Using this browser forces you into having to log in each time you visit.
To enable a longer period of time between logging in with each visit, exit your Facebook app and open a new browser window by tapping on one of the following browsers:

Once you’ve opened a new window in one of these browsers, you can type “BookClubFriends.com” into the search bar to find our site.
Your personal browser that is installed on your device can save your username and password for our site, making it a one-tap entry before each visit. The frequency in which you are logged out may depend on the browser you choose to use and your unique preferences that are saved on your device. Current Internet safety protocols will encourage logging out after each session (e.g. financial institutions), which is why this occurs. BCF will never ask for or store any sensitive information from you, so you can safely keep your username/password in another app, such as “Notes” that will enable you to copy/paste your credentials into our log in system.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
Visit your Home page and join the conversation! Look for the “What’s on your mind?” button at the top of the screen on your Home page to post to the group. Please introduce yourself, pay your cat tax, or just say “Hello”!
We’ve created a short video to demonstrate some of the most common ways to share your thoughts here.
Poor Tara drew the short straw and voiced our introductory video. She’s 100% bookworm and 0% actress, so please keep that in mind when you play this video!

If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
To edit the posts you make while on your Home page, look for the little grey cog and “Edit” button at the bottom right of each post, just above the “Comments” section. When you tap that button, you will see a list of all of the Home page posts you’ve created. You can sort the posts according to date created, but your most recent posts should be listed at the top. If you don’t see your most recent posts, try tapping on the little up and down triangles to the left of the “Date Created” column.
You’ll be able to see this little cog and “Edit” button on every Home page post. But even if you click on the button on someone else’s post, you’ll only ever be able to see a list of your own posts and you’ll only be able to edit the posts you created.

If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
Once you’ve logged in, your Home page is the place where everyone can post and comment, just like the Facebook feed. We encourage open discussion on all topics and only ask that members treat each other with kindness, respect and compassion.

There is no need to join the forums and guided book discussions if you’d rather not! This area is optional for more detailed discussions that members can easily join and return to whenever they’d like.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
Our group discussions take place on our forums. Our forums are currently divided into two places: General Discussions and Author Forums. You can chat about anything in our General Discussions forum. Our Author Forums are currently organized by Author Book Club and then by Book or Subject.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
A topic is a question or discussion subject located under a specific forum.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
To join a discussion on one of the Forums, tap on the Topic title listed under that forum page and this will open the specific Topic page.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
To create your own topic in a forum scroll to the bottom of the Topics list. You will see a box that says “Create New Topic In” below. Type a short title for your topic/question in the top line field (Topic Title). Add a longer description in the text box. Then click the red Submit button to post your topic.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
If you want to answer a topic and add your thoughts to a discussion, scroll down to the bottom of that page (discussion thread) until you see the Reply box. Type your answer into the reply box and click the Submit button.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
You can reply directly to another member’s response by clicking on the Cog icon located in the bottom right corner of their post. Click on the Cog icon. You will see “Reply” appear. Click on the link. This will open a “Reply To” box. Type in your reply and click the Submit button.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
To edit one of your Forum responses, click on the Cog icon under your response. It’s located in the bottom right corner. You will see “Edit” appear. Click on the link. You will see your current text in the “Reply To” box. Make your edits and then click the Submit button.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
The most helpful way you can share your favourite books, series and authors is to make a recommendation. Recommendations on our site are displayed throughout our site, such as on Author pages, where other people who are curious about the author will see it.
The authors and books you recommend also help us prioritize what authors and books we should add to our catalogue, if that book and author isn’t already included.
Recommendations for a specific author will appear on that author’s page next to a list of their books.
Recommended Books and Authors from an author’s fans (our members) are also highlighted on Author pages and on other pages on our site.
In some instances, we will also include a special page of “What to Read if You Love…”
These pages highlight authors, books, and series from readers who love that author.
How To Share Your Recommendations
Here are the steps for how to add your own recommendations.
Tap the “Recommend” button in the top navigation menu or any of the various “Make A Recommendation” buttons found on various pages throughout our site. Or, go to our Recommend An Author page.
You should see a submission form appear.
Fill in the form. Please only fill in one author per submission. There are three Required fields: Recommended Author (where you put the name of the author you are recommending), Recommendation (where you explain why you are recommending the author, or book, or series, or all three), and Your Favourite Authors (where you list 3 of your favourite authors).
There are several ways you can go about recommending an author, a book or a series depending on who and what you would like to recommend.
To Recommend Just an Author
To recommend just an author, fill in the Author field, the Recommendation field, and Your Favourite Authors field.
Note: for the Your Favourite Authors field please be sure to separate the names with commas.) Then click the “Submit” button.
To Recommend a Book
To recommend a specific book, fill in the Author field, the Book Title field, the Recommendation field, and Your Favourite Authors field. Then click the “Submit” button.
Note: for the Your Favourite Authors field please be sure to separate the names with commas.) Then click the “Submit” button.
To Recommend a Series
To recommend a specific series, fill in the Author field, the Series field, the Recommendation field, and Your Favourite Authors field. Then click the “Submit” button.
Note: for the Your Favourite Authors field please be sure to separate the names with commas.) Then click the “Submit” button.
To Recommend a Book and Series
To recommend an author, a book they wrote, and a series they wrote, fill in all the fields and click the “Submit” button. Note: the book you include does not have to be a book from the series you recommend.
Note: for the Your Favourite Authors field please be sure to separate the names with commas.) Then click the “Submit” button.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
Your profile photo will be used on your profile and appear on your posts throughout the site. Here is how you add one to your account.
On Your Laptop / Tablet / Desktop Computer:
To add a photo to your profile using your laptop/tablet/desktop follow these steps:
Log in and select “Profile” from the drop down menu located under your Account (located in the top right corner of your browser under your name.
Click on “Profile” in the menu located on the left side of the screen.
You will now see several options including “Change Profile Photo.” Click on this link.
Next, click on “Select Your File” to upload an image from your computer.
You will now see your uploaded image in the Upload Box.
Next, resize or crop your image if you want to. You will see a preselected crop box highlighted with an animated border and a preview of the preselected cropped image on the right. NOTE: you can use your mouse to expand or change this cropped area.
- To expand this cropped area move your mouse to one of the corners of the square. Click on it and then drag your mouse to make the box bigger.
- To move the entire cropped box, click within the center of the box. You will see a 4-arrow icon appear. Use your mouse to drag the box to where you want it. Then click outside of the box.
Finally, to crop the image and make it your Profile photo, click on the button “Crop Image” on the right. This will add your new profile image on the top left of the page.
On Your Mobile / Smart Phone:
To add a photo to your profile through your phone follow these steps:
Log in and click on the drop down menu (the three lines in the top right of your browser)
Select the drop down menu under “Home”.
Click on “Profile”.
Click on “Change Profile Photo”.
Under “Upload” click on “Select Your File”.
Pick the photo you want to use for your Profile and upload it. You will now see your photo in the Upload box.
Next, resize or crop your image if you want to. You will see a preselected crop box with an animated border inside the Upload box with a preview of the cropped image below it. NOTE: you can use your touch screen to expand or move this cropped area.
To expand this cropped area click one of the corners of the square then drag it to make it bigger.
To move the entire cropped box, click in the center of the box. You will see a 4-arrow icon appear. Drag the crop box to where you want it. Then click outside of the box.
Finally, to crop the image and make it your Profile photo, click on the button “Crop Image” below the Upload box. This will add your new profile image.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
If you would like to change your email address for your subscription to our newsletter please follow the steps outlined below. Follow the same steps if you would like to opt-in to one of our other emails including our Book of The Month Club emails or Mysteries emails.
You will see a screen instructing you to click on the “Email Me A Link” button to receive an email to your inbox to start the process. This is done for security reasons.
Click on the Update Your Preferences link included at the bottom of one of our newsletter emails.
You will see an Email Sent confirmation screen after you have clicked on the “Email Me A Link” button. Note: Intuit Mailchimp is the email service that we use to send our newsletter.
An email will be sent to your inbox. If you don’t see it in your primary email folder please be sure to check your Promotions or Spam folders. Please click on the “Update your preferences” link included in the email. If you do not click on the link your subscription preferences will remain as they are.
You will now see an Update your preferences form displayed. On this form you can update your email address, name, and the emails you would like to receive. You are already subscribed to our Author news, which is our general club news default newsletter. You also have the option to receive Book of The Month emails, which provide details on our Book of the Month Club discussions. The Mysteries option will keep you updated on any puzzles and games we may offer.
a) Make any changes you want to make to your preferences.
b) Once you are ready, click on the “Update Profile” button.
You will see a Confirmation page displayed that will outline the changes you have made. You can click on “return to our website” to go directly to our site.
Everything you share should link directly back to the profile you’ve created here on Book Club Friends, where you can share more about yourself and your other social media profiles or websites, if you’d like. If there are any instances where your work or posts don’t link back to you, please just contact us and we’ll get that sorted right away!
After you have filled out one of our forms with your email, username, and login credentials for the first time and shared something on our site, you just have to activate your account and then you can simply log in to share more suggestions, book inspirations, and more, without needing to fill in your details again. (To activate your account, check your inbox.)
Once you are a registered member, we can link everything you share to your member account here on Book Club Friends to ensure you get full credit for your contributions and suggestions.
If you see a form asking for your email again, that means that you are not logged in. Simply log in (or reset your password if you’ve forgotten it) and you should be able to get back to participating on Book Club Friends easily.
If you have any problems at all, please just contact us!
Just contact us and tell us what you have in mind. We’ve received brilliant ideas from members in the past and would love to hear what you have in mind. While we can’t always execute every idea presented to us, we will always try our best to do what we can!
We started this site based on our book club’s favourite authors (Louise Penny, Richard Osman, Elly Griffiths, William Kent Krueger, just to name a few!) and are continually building our library based solely on the most popular recommendations made by our members. If you’d like to see an author, book or series highlighted here, please make a recommendation and tell us why you love them!
You can read more about us here. We are just a few Canadian book club friends and not anything like the Silicon Valley tech wizards behind the big social media apps, so if you’re having any problems, just contact us about the issues and please know that we will always try our best.
You can create as many lists as you’d like by using the “Add To List” button found next to every book on the site. You can use lists to organize the books you’ve read, the books you want to read, the books you own, the books you want to others to gift you, or any other way you’d like.
Your lists can be downloaded into handy PDF files and given to loved ones or you can also choose to share your lists with friends or keep them private for yourself. Only members can access this feature though.
Audio books are a great way to enjoy books, especially when eyes get tired or hands are busy. There are several free sources, but sometimes there can be long waits for popular books. There are also several services to buy audio books, some are subscription based and some allow for single book purchases. Here is a list of the most popular ways to listen to books:
Libraries have audio books available to borrow for free as long as you have a library card. They often use Libby or Hoopla, which are apps you can download onto your phone, computer, or tablet. Just ask your librarian for details.
Project Gutenberg and YouTube occasionally have free audio books.
Audible offers subscription plans and has a very large catalog of new and old books as well as Audible exclusives.
Barnes & Noble also offers their B&N Audiobooks subscription program.
Kobo Plus Read & Listen offers a subscription program as well. Kobo is part of the same company behind the Libby app, available at many libraries around the world.
Apple Books and Google Books both offer single audio book purchases rather than subscription plans.
Healthy dialogue on all topics is encouraged. We love discussion on any subject that stems from reading books! However, hate speech or harassment are absolutely not tolerated.
Please keep this quote in mind, “If what you want to say is neither true, nor good or kind, nor useful or necessary, please don’t say anything at all.” – Socrates
We love libraries! Libby is our favourite app on our phones and devices. And we fully support independent bookstores as well. We encourage our members to visit their local libraries and independent bookstores. We support all avenues that encourage literacy and literature.
We’ve added links to online retailers to make it easier to purchase books, for anyone who might be interested. We hope that one day, any sales may help us offset the costs of creating and maintaining this site. But that is very unlikely given the tiny amount we earn for commission for books that are purchased via a link on our site (cents for every book).
We are committed to keeping this site and our social media groups alive and well for as long as we possibly can! The costs to maintain this site come out of our own personal pockets – this is truly our labour of love.
Cat tax (Internet slang): An image or video of one’s cat posted online, seen as a duty to be fulfilled upon introduction to a forum or social media platform.
Cat tax and all the other types of taxes published are just fun posts that members share to introduce themselves and their experiences with our community.