Face to Face Book Groups...

[Claire]

Is there anyone out there who belongs to a Real Life - Not on The Internet - All Sitting in the Same Room type book group?

If so - tell me all about it, please :)

Where and when and how often do you meet?
How do you decide what to read? And what sort of things do you discuss about the stuff that you have read?

How did the group start? How did you hear about it? What do you love or hate about it?

I'd love to belong to one - and I'll have a go at starting my own, if I can't find one, (and if I'm feeling unusually brave :o ) - so I'd love to know more about other people's experiences of them.

[Harriet]

Well, I go to one on Wednesday lunchtime at school, in one of the English teacher's classroom. There's about 10-15 of us and it's basically just my group of friends and the teacher's like a chatty, nice teacher so we just discuss books that we've read and try and keep a theme to the meeting.......but we always get distracted and most of time get into 'heated discussions' about Dan Brown most of the time, or people who don't like His Dark Materials against those who do etc etc........I guess it doesn't sound that organised or fun, but I really enjoy it and look forward to Wednesday lunchtimes, and have found out about quite a few books from it.

[Claire]

Sounds really cool, Harriet,

Do you meet every week? If so, do you all manage to read the same book between each week - or is it organised differently than that? What sort of themes do you have?

[Jassie]

I started one with a friend at work when I lived in London and it grew to about eight people and decreased to five but we always had a good time and met up once a month. We tried meeting at pubs first but felt self conscious all sitting there with the same book so we ended up rotating round each others houses. I still hear about what books they are discussing even now I've left (just to make me jealous they've started to do all the classics they refused to do earlier I swear!)
We used to select a whole lot of books, attach reviews and then every few months decide what the list for that quarter was going to be. Everyone got a chance to choose which books went up for nomination but it was always a consensus decision when picking. It's great fun if you find a good group. I did join one run by my local library when I moved but I missed the old group dynamic as I found that the new people just wanted to talk about other stuff rather than books and so since then I have missed being part of one. Good luck if you go for it!

[Silvergirl]

I belong to a book group - it's great entertainment. We meet monthly and all suggest titles which are then put up for 'a public vote'. The local library usually has details of groups in your area. Hope you find one - I would thoroughly recommend it.

[Harriet]

Sounds really cool, Harriet,

Do you meet every week? If so, do you all manage to read the same book between each week - or is it organised differently than that? What sort of themes do you have?

We meet every Wednesday, and we don't really all manage to read the same book, but chances are most of us have read the book that we're discussing.

[megustaleer]

I belong to a bookgroup that started off as an offshoot of an NWR group in1980. We meet quarterly, and have three books to discuss.
Although the membership has changed over the years the number that turn up each time has remained fairly constant, usually about 6, which fits comfortably in most people's sitting rooms.
Although we have three months in which to read the books, it is rare to have all the books read by all members. We are given a precis of each book by a member chosen at the previous meeting, and her comments (We are an all female group, because of our NWR roots), and then have a free-for-all discussion.
Having dealt with all three books we have tea/coffee/wine and biccies, then choose the books for the next meeting. Usually some of the members have brought along books they have read or would like to read, or reviews from papers or magazines, and we choose from them. We then allocate the chosen books to three members who will 'present' them at the next meeting. All that remains then is to set the date and venue of the next meeting.
Having been going for so long we are a bit 'like minded', so our dicussions are not always very lively. It has always been more fun when we have had members with opposing tastes!

I am also a member of two postal reading groups, which provide a wider variety of books, and provide a reading forum for people living in more isolated situations.

[Grammath]

I've been part of a library based group in north London for about 4 years. We meet once a month and there's usually about a dozen of us - it was smaller but there was a surge of interest around the time of the Big Read and we had to split in two as a group of 20+ was too unwieldy.

Membership is about 3/4 female, and about half 30-somethings and half of retirement age.

We normally read on a theme rather than all reading the same book. For example, this month we have been inspired by the Chinese New Year we are reading books by Chinese authors. Generally, its fiction but we have had non-fiction themes e.g. travel books. Normally, the two librarians who run the group select the themes but they always welcome suggestions.

Using a library has several advantages to my mind:

1. You don't have to buy books, meaning its free for everyone.
2. No-one's under pressure to provide catering etc. We have a kitty that buys a few bottles of wine to lubricate the conversation at each meeting. For someone like me, who lives in a small flat, hosting a group just wouldn't be practical.
3. Its quiet. I imagine trying to conduct a discussion in a pub or restaurant can be difficult because of the background noise.
4. Reading on themes means that in each selection you can normally find something that appeals to you plus there are no arguments when it comes to nominating things to read.

The disadvantage of the way we do things is that, because not everyone has read the same book, it can sometimes be hard to get discussion going and to include everyone.

I'm intrigued by the postal book group, I've not come across one of these before. How does it work?

Good luck in getting your group started, I'm sure you'll have fun.

[megustaleer]

The way postal bookgroups work is like this:

Each group consists of 12 members, located all round the UK, and into Europe. at the start of the group's year each member chooses a book from her* own collection, which she posts on to the next person on the group's mailing list. She receives a book from the person behind her on the list.
Each book is accompanied by a small notebook in which each reader writes their comments.

At the end of the month she posts the book she received on to the next person. In this way each member receives 11 books, and gets her own book back, with comments, at the end of the year.
No restrictions are imposed on the choice of book, and in that way members are introduced to books/authors they might not otherwise have considered reading,

* I use she/her, because the groups I know of are either part of NWR (and you need to be an NWR member), or have been started by ex-NWR members. There may be others

I have belonged to postal bookgroups for about 15 years, and have 'discovered' lots of good writers I would never have come across had I stuck to the things I knew I would like

[BrumB]

Sounds like a great idea - none of the pressure of having to read for a face to face group but all the advantages of haviing an opportunity to read new books. One of the reasons I enjoy BGOL so much is that I have already started reading authors I would never have hears of. Would like to take part if we can get one going.

[megustaleer]

I belong to two, one of which I run. Wouldn't be able to cope with another, but if anyone else wants to start one I am happy to give advice/hints.
It's great for people who live in isolated locations, or are unable to get out of the house easily.

[Pirate Kate]

I belong to a "teenage multicultural reading group". It sounds really bad, but it's actually really great.

It's at my local library and we meet once a month.
There are about 5 or 6 of us and we can discuss the book and many other topics we drift onto.
The "Youth Librarian", Dave is great and he organises our books and buys biscuits and stuff for us to eat, so we eat and drink squash or tea and talk.

It's really good because we read books i wouldn't normally pick up for myself, but i enjoy them.

[Adrian]

I tried to start a book group in my local library (just south of Birmingham, England) but got a poor response. Shame, really, as I was all geared up. Seems you need a quorum first before advertising.

Might try again, see how I go.

[robertsp20]

I belong to three! ALL are dinner book clubs (heh heh. What a deal :D ). Two are at colleges. One meets once a month--check out the web site for the description AND the menus: www.msoe.edu/lli/gr_books.shtml.

Another meets at the college I work at and we read two books a semester. Our dinners are fab-u-lous.

And I initiated a new 4H (kids' club) project called Books on the Move to promote audio books--get up and walk, AND read at the same time--and to promote bookcrossing. We have a monthly meeting with a themed menu. We started out with Lemony Snicket books and used some of the food titles from that series. Then we did the Redwall series and used the Redwall recipes overs the internet. The kids seem to enjoy it very much.

[megustaleer]

Anyone watching Corrie? New storyline over the last few episode involves a reading group started by the opinionated and pompous Norris. Is this going to undermine the rising popularity of bookgroups?

How would your group deal with a Norris Cole?

[sam wood]

Hi everyone

Just joined this forum, and my first post is this:
I am studying Creative writing and am currently researching into the power of reading groups. Do you think they hold any power and if so how?

Any info you can give me would help tremendously with my project.

Thanks
Sam

[Grammath]

Hi, Sam, and welcome.

Well, I can only go by my own experience, but I think book groups do wield a certain amount of power and that publishers recognise this.

The group I belong to has been approached by publishers to reading things prior to publication. I'm assuming that, if we'd taken them up on their offer, we would have wound up providing quotes from "ordinary readers" to go on the dust jacket blurb (assuming we liked it, of course) and provided them with an early sight of the book's probable level of commercial success.

I think the reason for this is there's nothing publishers want more than a word of mouth success, far more trustworthy than any ad they could place and more personal than a good review from one of the papers.

By their very nature, reading groups can create exactly that. People read a book, enjoy it and get their group to read it or they at least recommend it to the other members. They probably read more than the average person and so spend more on books too, just the demographic publishers want to investigate.

I think the success of titles by previously unsung authors e.g. Louis de Bernieres, Alice Sebold are attributable to this phenomenon.

Of course, the real prize is to have one of the TV or radio bookgroups chose the book. I imagine the sales filip is probably bigger than being nominated for one of the well known literary prizes.

As for the potential power of BGO, well, who knows..... :)

[Claire]

I tried to start a book group in my local library (just south of Birmingham, England) but got a poor response. Shame, really, as I was all geared up. Seems you need a quorum first before advertising.

Might try again, see how I go.

Hmmmm, I've got a quorum of two, so far.... Me and my Mother-In-Law - is that enough do you think????

Do let us know how you get on, if you do give it another go. Did you get any response at all?

That prompts another question, actually. Those of you who do belong to book groups, how many members do you have? What's the smallest workable number, do you reckon?

[Adrian]

Hmmmm, I've got a quorum of two, so far.... Me and my Mother-In-Law - is that enough do you think????

Do let us know how you get on, if you do give it another go. Did you get any response at all?

That prompts another question, actually. Those of you who do belong to book groups, how many members do you have? What's the smallest workable number, do you reckon?

I'd have to say you need more than two, especially if you already know the other person. I like the idea of a group of strangers (to begin with) all with our opinion about the book.

I have just put the advert in again (I got three responses last time but two didn't leave their contact details - I am a man and they were women and I think they were worried about giving a stranger their number). Will let you know how I get on.

I think six is the minimum, though I would have gone forward with four of us if that was all there was to begin with. And I'd say about a dozen as the max. Can't see it working logistically with more, and even with twelve it'd be a struggle to get everybody's view.

[happyfriday]

I was a mamber of a book group years ago but then i moved and have not been able to find one that i could go to and enjoy like my last one!!! The next best thing though is the 2 girls i live with love to read aswell and we all read different types of books, lately we have begun to swap books and hence i've started to read books i would not of picked up before, we also have had some heated debates regarding some books, its fun and the closest i'll get to a book club for a while i'd say! :( !

[Tess]

Sounds like a great idea - none of the pressure of having to read for a face to face group but all the advantages of haviing an opportunity to read new books. One of the reasons I enjoy BGOL so much is that I have already started reading authors I would never have hears of. Would like to take part if we can get one going.

A postal bookgroup comprised of BGO members is a great idea, we should try to start one.

[Bookworm348]

That sounds like a good idea, I'd be interested in joining.

[Claire]

Ooh, might be interested.

I'm not ever so organised about posting stuff to people. (Hang on in there, Tess ;) ) but it certainly sounds interesting.

[megustaleer]

I belong to two, one of which I run. Wouldn't be able to cope with another, but if anyone else wants to start one I am happy to give advice/hints.
It's great for people who live in isolated locations, or are unable to get out of the house easily.


This offer is still open. The person co-ordinating a postal bookgroup needs to be able to read the books, and I am already commited to 3 bookgroup books per month, so can't take on any more reading.

[Adrian]

How does a postal bookgroup work? One book sent round to all members in turn? A book each that we send to the next in line?

Why not just use the bookgroup forum on this board? Agree on a book and we all read it and discuss it there in a couple of weeks hence. Is this just a cheap way for us all to read one copy of a book as it wings its way round the country?

I must be missing something.

[Tess]

How does a postal bookgroup work? One book sent round to all members in turn? A book each that we send to the next in line?

Why not just use the bookgroup forum on this board? Agree on a book and we all read it and discuss it there in a couple of weeks hence. Is this just a cheap way for us all to read one copy of a book as it wings its way round the country?

I must be missing something.

If we have a postal bookgroup then the book could be registered and tracked on bookcrossing, plus it is very nice to receive a book in the post :)

[Opal]

I'd be interested in a postal book group. The idea of a regular one where you really have to buy the books doesn't appeal too much, and to be honest I'm not sure I quite understand how the postal book groups work (think I need to go and re-read this thread :o ) but I'd definately be interested... :D

[hello_rodders]

Hi Guys

Just wondering if there's anyone on here who belongs to a bookgroup or knows of any in the Birmingham area, being new to the area (moved up here to start uni in October) not really sure where to start, used to belong to one back home so would be nice to fine another one here.

Rodders

[megustaleer]

"How does a postal bookgroup work? One book sent round to all members in turn? A book each that we send to the next in line?
Is this just a cheap way for us all to read one copy of a book as it wings its way round the country?"
Yes, a book each that members send to the next in line.

No it's not particularly cheap, as there is first class postage to be paid out each month to send the book to the next member.

There are other types of bookgroups, they suit people in different circumstances. A bookgrouponline book group might be a better option for members here, although choosing a book with so many members all with different tastes could be difficult, (just look at the 10 favourites thread!).


A postal bookgroup suits people without easy access to the internet...they do still exist, it's a newish experience for me... , people living in geographically isolated situations, with transport problems, with mobility problems, and people who are tied to the home for whatever reason. And also for people who enjoy getting a 'mystery package' in the post every month, usually bringing something enjoyable, and often the chance to discover a new title or author.

[Adrian]

Just wondering if there's anyone on here who belongs to a bookgroup or knows of any in the Birmingham area

hello_rodders, I'm in Bromsgrove and have one other definite and two possibles interested in a bookgroup.

[hello_rodders]

Brilliant Chris, thanks very much for your help, when you do eventually get up and running let me know and I'll be up for it. Is Bromsgrove far from City Centre? Don't really know many places in Brum ouside of the centre?

Rodders x

[Adrian]

hello_rodders Bromsgrove is about 15 miles of Birmingham but we may end up meeting in Barnt Green which is about 10 miles South of the city.

Next time I'm in Brum I might try a notice in the central library. I'm having little luck here.

[Kel]

I have always wanted to join a face to face group but I have never been able to find one that suits when I can make it. And now I have just moved to an area that has few buses in the evening so it would be difficult to get home. That's why I really like the idea of an online version. One day I would love the opportunity to join a face to face one or start my own! It is one of my favourite ways to pass time- chatting about books!

[lipstick_librarian]

Since I moved house in May, I've really missed my RL book/drinking group - mainly for the social aspect ;), as I can fulfill my need to talk about books online these days. However, I've taken the plunge and decided to set one up as I couldn't find an existing one locally. I scouted on Freecycle for interested people and got loads of replies! Our first meeting is next Thursday in a local pub where we will decide what we're going to read, how the group will run, etc. I'm a bit scared as I seem to have put myself in charge and I'm hoping that the others will have lots of ideas about what to do and what to talk about. As organiser's privilege I would, however, like to suggest our first book, but am having trouble thinking of one. I don't really know anybody who's going (apart from MOH) but from their emails I'm assuming they have a fairly wide range of interests. I thought about 'Black Swan Green' by David Mitchell as it is set locally, but does anyone have any other ideas for a nice, easy starter which could stimulate lots of discussion?

[David]

does anyone have any other ideas for a nice, easy starter which could stimulate lots of discussion?
Well, as has been demonstrated by its thread there's been plenty of interesting discussion about On Chesil Beach, plus it's pretty short! Whilst there's a lot in there it's far from being a difficult read either.

Still, on reflection perhaps the intimacy of the sexual element might not be the best area to kick off a meeting of people who don't know each other very well.

Though on further thought still, if it's a reading/drinking group.....

Anyway - it's a thought! ;)

[megustaleer]

This isn't a recommendation, as I haven't read it, just a suggestion.
As it's set in and around Worcester Cathedral you might like to add The Legend of Aranrhod (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legend-Aranrhod-Geoff-Anderson/dp/0955011612/ref=sr_1_1/202-2462210-5908606?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194534950&sr=1-1) by Geoff Anderson, to the titles you offer for the group to consider.

[lipstick_librarian]

Still, on reflection perhaps the intimacy of the sexual element might not be the best area to kick off a meeting of people who don't know each other very well.

It could be a good breaking-in exercise though... However, I feel like I've read and talked so much about OCB now that I want to try something fresh. I'm more concerned about choosing a good pub as a venue now!

[David]

I'm more concerned about choosing a good pub as a venue now!
Priorities will out in the end...! ;)

[Colyngbourne]

I belong to two off-line reading groups.

One is a junior school group, meeting every Thurs lunchtime: we read a book roughly every four to five weeks but do a lot of book-related talking in between.

The other is a group I organised about four or five years ago of seven friends and myself. Mostly nowadays we get six of us together, every month, on an evening. We take it in turns to choose a book (or offer a selection of two possibles to the group). We drink coffee/tea with cakes and sometimes wine. In the latter part of the evening we do "something else" - a 'set task' which might be writing a v short poem on a theme, or a 100-word story, or our Desert Island Films, or reading out our Favourite Poems.

[Barblue]

How about a book of short stories. There seems to be quite a good choice these days. In this way, you can get quite a lot of discussion going because usually the subject of each story is different.

I loved Fahrenheit Twins by Michel Faber and am currently reading Ten Sorry Tales by Mick Jackson. Both have slightly quirky stories and I found lots to talk about in both.

As to venue, can I suggest that you find out if there is music being played in said public house before you decide. One of my groups meets in Borders, in their Starbucks, and sometimes the music is intrusive.

Well done for setting up the group LL. Hope all goes well.

[GERBAM]

HI CLAIRE AND OTHER FACE GROUP READERS

I created and facilitated book discussion groups for over 15 years.
The first one I founded was through a "LEARNING CENTER" for adults ... mainly single people who didn't have venuesd to meet like minded people. That group had men and women all very bright an lasted for more than five years. We met once a month in a house whose owner donated that 2 hours to us. The perk for me was getting paid to do what i love.

For many years I ran groups for various groups I belonged to: Newcomers Club; AAUW; the Library.

If I had not become bedridden in 1994 all of those groups would be ongoing.

If anyone wants to start a book group my advice is:
1) try your local library ... go in to speak to the director w/a written proposal stating your goals.
2) to find people put flyers in store windows; bookshops especially; ask the library director if seh will help you advertise.
3) I don't know if any of you have 'adult ed. programs' ... I approached 5 towns and spoke with the directors and laid out my simple plan. They loved the idea and my 'classes' were put right into their catalogs and they were all very successful.
4) Often womens' clubs are looking for people to bring programs to their members and once a month is appealing.

AND if you are so inclined you can go to AMAZON and look at books about organizing and making face groups successful.
You can also find much info online.

I will be happy to answer questions you may have.

GOOD LUCK ALL
GERBAM

[John Self]

Sorry to go back almost three years, but out of curiosity...

(We are an all female group, because of our NWR roots)
NWR?

I've never been in a face-to-face book group. My gym has or had one. I put my name down when they were setting it up and saw I was the only man listed! Never heard anything more though.

[Flingo]

Sorry to go back almost three years, but out of curiosity...


NWR?
National Women's Register (http://www.nwr.org.uk/index.shtml). Megustaleer has posted more about the group in the "Postal Book Group" thread that is around here somewhere.

[megustaleer]

NWR = National Women's Register (http://www.nwr.org.uk/) (or National Housewives Register when I first joined).

Started in the '60s to provide intellectual stimulation for 'lively-minded women', who were still confined within the straightjacket rôle of 'housewife' as seen in those '50s soap powder ads.

[Colyngbourne]

I belonged to the NWR for a couple of years when I was living an isolated kind of life in the place we lived before where we are now, but I didn't much like it, and I can't recall what we did, except that we had to take turns to come up with activities - which is (or was) a sure-fire turn-off for me. I still have a copy of Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist which I was loaned by a member of that group. I was also the youngest member by about 25 years (and this is about 10 years ago)

[chuntzy]

This spring a book club was set up in our village. What I find offputting and limiting is that our organiser selects books that our borough's library service holds in enough numbers i.e. about 15 copies. The titles are usually from a Richard and Judy list.

I'd be interested to know how your RL book clubs 'work'.

[Barblue]

Like you Chuntzy, one of the problems with my local library RG is that we can only get popular fiction or pre-proof copies supplied by publishers. We are often disappointed by these, but one or two gems have emerged.

One tactic we use as a group is to suggest an author to the library and ask them to supply all they have by that writer. We did this with Elizabeth Taylor and the group discovered a writer unknown to most of us. We read one and sometimes two titles by the author and then discussed her work and how it seemed to evolve over time.

If we decide we want to read a classic we often find that though the library might only have one or two copies, some members of the group might have a copy on their shelves or are more than happy to find a copy in local charity shops (we seem to proliferate those here) or even buy a copy because they 'always meant to' anyway.

At my Boarders RL group we select several books from the shelves on our way to the meeting in their Starbucks and make a democratic decisions about the next read by voting! That usually means buying a book, but we have used library loans or charity shops or the Read It Swap It website.

Hope my experience helps Chuntzy.

[David]

I've popped this up in Central Library since it's about book-related matters.

EDIT: ...and, indeed, merged it with another thread about real-life book groups.

[megustaleer]

My RL bookgroup started out as an offshoot of our local NWR (http://www.nwr.org.uk/) group, and dates back to the early eighties. When the NWR group folded the bookgroup continued.
Most of the current members were in the original NWR group, with the addition of various friends over the years. As you can tell from the dates we are not in the first flush of youth, and all our fledglings have flown the nest.

I don't remember if we started of with a monthly meeting, but finding evenings when everyone could attend has always been a problem. (The majority work in education, and being in different establishments, and different LEAs, everyone's parents evenings etc are on different nights).

So now we meet quarterly, and have three books to read between meetings.
At the end of the meeting those of us with a book we think the group might like 'pitch' that book, and we choose three according to how the mood takes us. Then three people volunteer to give a brief review of the book at the next meeting, and to lead the discussion. I'm afraid we have become a bit lazy over the years and no longer choose books that are in any way demanding, and as discussing three books in one evening can't be done in any depth we just pick a few points to consider.

We are a small group (about 9 of us) who live locally and have known each other for years, so we meet in each others houses. Some of us will buy the chosen books, and lend them to the rest. We don't feel any great compulsion to read all three books (or any, in my case, if they are not books I already want to read :o )

I guess none of that is much use to anyone starting up a new group, except to serve as a dire warning for the future. :rolleyes:

Edit: Having looked back in the thread David has merged with this I see that I am repeating myself (there's a novelty :rolleyes: ).

[chuntzy]

Like you Chuntzy, one of the problems with my local library RG is that we can only get popular fiction or pre-proof copies supplied by publishers. We are often disappointed by these, but one or two gems have emerged.

One tactic we use as a group is to suggest an author to the library and ask them to supply all they have by that writer. We did this with Elizabeth Taylor and the group discovered a writer unknown to most of us. We read one and sometimes two titles by the author and then discussed her work and how it seemed to evolve over time.

If we decide we want to read a classic we often find that though the library might only have one or two copies, some members of the group might have a copy on their shelves or are more than happy to find a copy in local charity shops (we seem to proliferate those here) or even buy a copy because they 'always meant to' anyway.

At my Boarders RL group we select several books from the shelves on our way to the meeting in their Starbucks and make a democratic decisions about the next read by voting! That usually means buying a book, but we have used library loans or charity shops or the Read It Swap It website.

Hope my experience helps Chuntzy.


Barblue: this is a real help and I'm going to print it out and if the opportunity arises discuss it with the others. I especially liked the idea of selecting an author and asking the library for any of that author's books. (Coincidentall, in the last couple of years I've read and enjoyed a couple of Elizabeth Taylor's novels).

[Barblue]

Barblue: this is a real helpPleased to help. ;)

[Grammath]

Since post #8 in this thread, I've joined a second book group in addition to the one I mentioned there, which is still going strong.

The new group is part of Liberal Judaism's movement for young Jewish adults, for which I still (just) qualify. Unlike my library group, which read on a theme, we are reading a specific book each month, so far novels by Jewish writers on Jewish themes, such as "Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon, which have been selected from group member suggestions.

It is a bit more structured so far than the library group; it was started by LJ's Education Officer, who's come to the groups with prepared lists of questions as triggers for debate. She's returning home to the USA in July, and I'm in line to take over running it, so it might not remain like this.

Being a member of two groups means a lot of my reading is in preparation for the meetings, but I'm finding I don't mind that much.

[bobblington]

A group of friends and I meet up every 6 weeks or so to talk about a book we all decided to read. Last night it was the Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. Anyway I was wondering about people who are in other book groups

1) How do you select books?
2) how many books do you get through in a year?
3) Do you all read the same book OR do you all read a book and talk about that book?

This is what we've read since we started up in Jan,

Possession - A S Byatt
The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
Imperial life in the emerald city - Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Wicked - Gregory Maguire
The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickins

Next book - Home - Marilynne Robinson

Does that seem a far mix?

[David]

I've popped your post into this thread, bobblington, which deals with real life book groups.

[bobblington]

Thank you - perfect!

[The Wrong Detail]

I go here: Lass o'Gowrie Book Club (http://bookclub.meetup.com/1364/) which meets in a pub in the centre of Manchester. We choose a theme for the next but one meeting then discuss members suggestions the next time we meet.

[Grammath]

I go here: Lass o'Gowrie Book Club (http://bookclub.meetup.com/1364/) which meets in a pub in the centre of Manchester. We choose a theme for the next but one meeting then discuss members suggestions the next time we meet.

How pleasing to know the Lass is still there, and that it has a book group. It used to be a regular watering hole of mine when I was a student. I suppose its proximity to the University campus means that it is not surprising it attracts literary types.