Reading Groups

Reading groups are fun and rewarding in that they change the private and personal experience of reading into a shared one. Reading groups have become increasingly popular in recent years, with many libraries, bookshops and workplaces hosting meetings.

What we can do for Reading Groups

• annual membership scheme
• starter pack for new groups
• 8 week loans
• multiple copy sets (8-10 per set)
• reservations up to a year in advance

Groups for visually impaired people (VIP Groups)

Hampshire libraries host number of reading groups catering specifically for the needs of visually impaired people. Group members select a book title for each meeting and we obtain it in whatever format is most convenient - on cassette or CD, in large print or in Braille - so that everyone has a chance to read it and join in the discussion. All the groups welcome new members, whether visually impaired or not.

Find a reading group

• Reading Groups for Everyone - find groups near you or add your own group to the listings
• You can also check What's On

Running a Reading Group

What is a Reading Group?

A reading group is a group of people who meet regularly to discuss books they have all been reading. They range from a few friends to more organised groups set up in libraries and bookshops who advertise for members – they should be relaxed and informal and above all fun.

How do I set one up?

If you start with one or two friends they may invite others to join. However there are advantages to setting up from scratch with people you don’t know as you are more likely to be introduced to books which are new to you. You might decide to put up a notice in your local library to find others who are interested

How many members ?

Around six to ten seems to work well – if you have too many people not everyone gets a say and shyer members may feel inhibited. Too few and it’s hard to get a range of views on which to base an interesting discussion but more than ten or twelve people can make a discussion hard to handle. The most important thing is that group members feel comfortable with each other.

Where to meet?

Lots of groups meet in people’s homes, each member taking a turn to host the evening. However it is important to make sure this doesn’t turn into a competition to provide the best catering as some members may not be comfortable with that.  Other groups prefer to meet in a restaurant or bar so that food and drink is easily available and no-one has to cope with the clearing up afterwards. You may be able to meet in your local library or hire a room in a village hall or even the local pub.

One thing to bear in mind is refreshments, as a glass of wine may help members to relax and open up – you could ask for contributions or turn it into a bring a bottle/food meeting.

When to meet ?

Most groups seem to meet once a month or perhaps every six weeks – this will give people long enough to read the book, any longer and they may lose their enthusiasm.
Time of day very much depends on the venue and when members of the group are available. The key thing is to keep things regular, place, time and dates.

Never leave one meeting without planning the next meeting – it can help to plan several dates in advance and give out a list of dates and books to all members. It’s a good idea to have a list of everyone’s names and phone numbers so that members can be informed of any changes to arrangements.

How long should meetings last?

It’s probably best to allow at least one/one and a half hours for your discussion.

Which books to choose?

The easiest way is for each member to take a turn in suggesting a title and introducing it to the group – If you meet in different homes this could be the host/hostess. If you find it difficult at the beginning you could:

• Start with books that have won prizes.
• Read around a theme eg. novels about Europe, food, water, war, journeys, childhood…
• Read different novels by the same author and then compare them.
• Read two books to keep a discussion going in case one turns out to be unpopular or hard to talk about.
• Read the novels of an author giving a talk at your local library and follow this up with a group visit to the event.

Some groups plan a whole programme whilst others choose at each meeting. Planning the entire programme means that members who want to read ahead can do so. The key criteria is that the books you choose should encourage debate and discussion.

Hampshire library service has a collection of reading group sets (6 –10 copies of each title)which you can choose from. Some titles are very popular and will need to be reserved well in advance of your meeting. (requests can be made up to 6 months in advance)

Leading a reading group

Most reading groups appoint a member to lead meetings to give some structure to the discussion. The responsibility can be shared by host/hostess/person choosing the book. It is important to decide this well in advance so that he or she can prepare and that the burden does not always fall on the same person. You could give people different roles within each meeting (doing the research/starting the questions/providing the wine/choosing the next book….etc.)

You may feel more comfortable leading the discussion if you have prepared a list of points as you read the book, noting its main themes, characters, or significant passages. It can help to begin by reading sections out loud– this will help focus the group . . .but keep it short!

It does help to do research before the meeting eg print off the author’s website/other reviews so that if there is a lull in the conversation you can give them more information about the novel which may spark off further discussion – this is one of the things you could ask different members to do each time

You could start the discussion by asking the person who chose the book to introduce it (no lengthy plot summaries!) and say why he or she thought it was special, then ask each of the members what they thought of it.

Round the table questions are a useful way of getting quieter members to say something, if they want to, without pushing themselves forward. Questions should be open ended eg. “what did you think of the book” so that answering yes or no is not enough – also try to get people to explain their reactions If they didn’t like the book ask them to explain why – was it the characters or writers style they didn’t like?

Common problems are the person who wants to dominate the conversation and the one or two who tend to sit in silence.  Look out for someone who is desperate to say something but can’t seem to find a gap in the conversation -  but avoid pushing shyer members into the spotlight.

Opinions may differ radically but there no rights and wrongs – everyone’s opinion of the book is equally valid.
If conversation founders, when discussion of the book has been exhausted, you could ask the group what other books they have read since the last meeting.

Your Initial Meeting

If you are taking the initiative to form a reading group you will also be the one who organises the first meeting. If you don’t know each other you may be more comfortable meeting in a public place rather than your own home.

If you agree what kind of group it will be straight from the beginning then no-one will be unhappy with the way it progresses. Don’t worry if a couple of people don’t come back after the first one – that means the format wasn’t for them. You will get others along the way.

The best way to start is to ask the members what they want to get out of the group – go round the table to get everyone talking. Do they just want to exchange opinions about the story or do an in depth analysis of the text, are people happy for members to attend if they haven’t had time to read the book?

Reading Group Book Sets

Hampshire has a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and essential skills reading group sets. Most sets have a maximum of 10 copies, (a limited number of large print and spoken word copies can be supplied to groups who have print disabled members).

In order to use the Reading Sets Service your group will need to join the library service. The group must nominate a named individual who will act as the groups contact, and will take overall responsibility for any sets loaned. They can join the Reading Groups Sets Service at their local library, (membership costs £15 per year).

• After registering the group should deal exclusively with the branch where they have registered.
• The Reading Groups Set memberships scheme entitles groups to loan up to 12 reading sets per year, free of charge, (additional sets can be ordered at a cost of £1 per set).
• Sets can be ordered up to 12 months in advance, early booking is advisable as some sets are very popular.
• Groups can borrow up to 2 sets at a time and keep them for up to 8 weeks.  Reading Group Sets cannot be renewed.
• No overdue charges apply. However, the complete set must be returned by the end of the loan period, (a replacement charge may be levied on missing copies).
• Sets can be booked using the Online Booking form , or via your local branch.
• When making a booking please check that the month before is free to allow time for the set to be obtained and transported to the pick-up branch of your choice.
  Search the spreadsheets to ‘check availability. (see, Fiction, Non-Fiction or Essential Skills).
• To enquire about an existing booking, please contact your pick-up branch.

NB Groups can order single copies via the reservations service, (standard charges apply).