Social book clubs have become extremely popular in the last few years among group of friends all over Britain. These people gather regularly to discuss a pre-agreed book, which each member of the club has to read previous to the meeting. These are generally held in homes, but can also take place in pubs, public libraries or even bookshops. Nowadays, being a member of a book club has become a part of a British person's identity.
One of the main reasons why this trend has become so popular is the fact that congragating in people's houses is, as a form of entertainment, much cheaper than going to the cinema or to the theatre. Besides, it is a golden opportunity to mingle with other book lovers.
You may be wondering where and how everything started. Well, in television. Richard and Judy's Book Club started in 2002 as part of the regular daytime chat show hosted by Richard Madeley and Judith "Judy" Finnigan, who are married English TV presenters. The couple also launch
ed a wine club, these two clubs being very similar in style to those used by the famous Oprah Winfrey in the States. The club featured literature by both new and unknown writers. There was a book revision each week and the winner, the 'Read of the Year', was announced at an awards ceremony. The Richard and Judy's Book Club was a great success, as every book that was reviewed was then sold out in a matter of minutes.
There are even reading group guides online where book club members can find useful tips and questions to take discussions to the next level, both for fiction-novels, short stories- and non-fiction-biographies, memoirs, essays, historical accounts.
In my opinion, the most remarkable aspect of book clubs is that they promote reading as a leisure activity. This is important especially for adolescents, who prefer surfing the Internet or watching TV instead of taking up reading as a hobbie. Besides, they are generally in contact with school books only, and are forced to read them by parents or teachers. Another point to consider is that many of the books that are in fashion at a certain time are made into films later. So, if teenagers decide to start a book club, they can agree on a book to read, then discuss it and finally watch the film to compare their interpretation to that of the film director.
I would finally like to share with you some links you might find useful if you are interested in knowing more about book clubs or in forming one yourself:
Online articles on Book Clubs:
-Why the book club is more than just a fad, by Charlotte Higgins
-How the Richard and Judy Book Club has shaken publishing, by Bryan Appleyard.
-On Book Club Discussion Questions and Topics
There is also a film I have watched and would like to recommend: 'The Jane Austen Book Club' (2007). Directed by Robin Swicord. With Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker.
Well, I hope you find this topic as interesting as I did.
Regards to all of you!
One of the main reasons why this trend has become so popular is the fact that congragating in people's houses is, as a form of entertainment, much cheaper than going to the cinema or to the theatre. Besides, it is a golden opportunity to mingle with other book lovers.
You may be wondering where and how everything started. Well, in television. Richard and Judy's Book Club started in 2002 as part of the regular daytime chat show hosted by Richard Madeley and Judith "Judy" Finnigan, who are married English TV presenters. The couple also launch
ed a wine club, these two clubs being very similar in style to those used by the famous Oprah Winfrey in the States. The club featured literature by both new and unknown writers. There was a book revision each week and the winner, the 'Read of the Year', was announced at an awards ceremony. The Richard and Judy's Book Club was a great success, as every book that was reviewed was then sold out in a matter of minutes.There are even reading group guides online where book club members can find useful tips and questions to take discussions to the next level, both for fiction-novels, short stories- and non-fiction-biographies, memoirs, essays, historical accounts.
In my opinion, the most remarkable aspect of book clubs is that they promote reading as a leisure activity. This is important especially for adolescents, who prefer surfing the Internet or watching TV instead of taking up reading as a hobbie. Besides, they are generally in contact with school books only, and are forced to read them by parents or teachers. Another point to consider is that many of the books that are in fashion at a certain time are made into films later. So, if teenagers decide to start a book club, they can agree on a book to read, then discuss it and finally watch the film to compare their interpretation to that of the film director.
I would finally like to share with you some links you might find useful if you are interested in knowing more about book clubs or in forming one yourself:
Online articles on Book Clubs:
-Why the book club is more than just a fad, by Charlotte Higgins
-How the Richard and Judy Book Club has shaken publishing, by Bryan Appleyard.
-On Book Club Discussion Questions and Topics
There is also a film I have watched and would like to recommend: 'The Jane Austen Book Club' (2007). Directed by Robin Swicord. With Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker.
Well, I hope you find this topic as interesting as I did.
Regards to all of you!
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