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.

We have 14 reading groups which specifically cater 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.

Reading Group Book Sets

Sets usually have a maximum of 10 copies and are available for use by reading groups on request from your local library.

Reading Group tickets allow for up to 20 books to be borrowed for 8 weeks.

Requests are free for reading groups.

Some titles are very popular, so book early - we take requests up to 6 months in advance.

The complete set must be returned by the end of the loan period. Once loaned, a set cannot be renewed. In the event of a set or part set being returned overdue, fines will be charged per book.

Some titles can also be requested as single copies in Large Print or as an unabridged Spoken Word version

Where alternative formats are not available in Hampshire, it may be possible to obtain a Spoken Word / Braille version through Bee Aware - a national inter-library loan scheme for alternative formats.

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?

Here are some suggestions for getting the discussion started!

• What were your reactions to the book?
• What were the book’s main themes?
• Did particular characters appeal to you?
• Did the book remind you of anything else you‘ve read?
• Do you read different things in different places – eg. bed/kitchen/bath
• Do you read reviews and think “thank heavens for book reviews, now I’m going to read that”
• Will you come to our reading group even if you haven’t read the book?
• Do you sit up late to finish a book?
• Do you read certain favourites again & again or are most of your choices fresh ones?
• How do you find time to read?
• Do you skim, skip and leave unread, or do you always read to the end every time?
• Do you read in public places?
• Who ‘s the writer you would least/most like to sit next to at a dinner party?
• What’s your indulgence reading? do you feel guilty about it?
• Do you have lots of books on the go at once?
• Pick a book where you can remember the place you first read it.
• Why do you come to a reading group?
• What kind of book do you tend to avoid?
• Whose next book are you impatiently waiting for?
• What’s your good book for a short journey/ long journey?
• Which book do you remember from your childhood – do you remember the cover?
• Which book would you take to a desert island?
• Where do you keep your books – how do you organise them?