This 11 September is Book Club Day UK—a national celebration of book clubs, connection and community from The Reading Agency. This year’s theme is Be a Reading Rebel, celebrating the power of book clubs to bring people together, spark conversations and make reading visible.
“I really enjoy book club! Not just for the discussion but also the social interaction 😃”
– book club participant
Adult reading is often seen as something to do alone, but the social aspect can be just as important. If you’ve been moved or inspired by a book, it’s natural that you’ll want to talk about it.
A book group allows you to do this, and is a great way to meet new friends, discover new books and bring communities together.
Venue and timings
Choose somewhere fairly quiet and easy for everyone in the group to get to. A local café, pub, workplace, library or the home of one of your members can all work well. Choose a time to meet that is convenient for most people and allow about a month between meetings to give everyone enough time to find a copy of the book and read it.
Members
Reading groups often grow by word of mouth, so you could start by inviting a handful of friends and asking each of them to bring someone to the first meeting. The club can be any size you like, but 8-10 is a good number of people.
If you register your reading group at Book Club Hub, new members in Manchester will be able to find you. new members in Manchester will be able to find you. You can also find existing reading groups there, as well as advice and book recommendations – or ask a member of staff in your local library or bookshop.
Book Choice
There are different ways you can choose what to read at your group. It’s a good idea to make sure the books you choose are available in paperback if you’re planning to buy copies.
- Ask members for their recommendations or take it in turns to choose a book
- Use the Find a Book page on Book Club Hub
- Many publishers and booksellers also have lists of recommended titles
- Choose literary award-winning titles, e.g. the Booker Prize
Tips for when you meet
You can keep things informal or decide to have a leader who can guide the conversation and encourage members to share their thoughts. You could nominate someone to take this role every month, or it could change when someone has recommended a particular book.
One way to begin is by discussing why the book was chosen and giving some details about the author. Another way is to have some general questions ready, such as:
- How did the book make you feel?
- Which characters were you particularly drawn to?
- What did you think of the ending?
- Did anything happen in the book that resonated with you and your own life?
- If it were made into a film, who would play the main characters?
Support from Manchester Libraries
Manchester Libraries can provide:
- Free space for community groups (subject to availability)
- Free book sets, maximum 6 copies per title (subject to cost and availability)
- Lists of popular titles for reading groups
Please get in touch with your local library or contact Tina Harrison: christina.harrison@manchester.gov.uk