There is nothing like talking about the juicy plot of a book you have just read and this week in Vibe, we take a look at the world of book clubs.

50 Shades of Grey, Oliver Twist, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Horrid Henry are all books which provoke discussion amongst readers young and old.

Reading groups are often subject to stereotyping with only old people or geeks allowed to participate in book clubs.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

If anything, book clubs are going through a bit of a renaissance especially with the boom of online discussion forums.

Sites such as onlinebookclub.org offer readers the chance to read a book each month and then discuss it with fellow book worms.

Similarly, TV presenters Richard and Judy have galvanised thousands of readers to talk about their favourite books by setting up their own online book club richardandjudy.co.uk.

Reading has never been so interactive and perhaps this is why book clubs are shrugging off their geeky tags.

Despite this, book clubs have not been totally taken over by the internet and there are still plenty of flourishing book clubs in south London.

It wouldn’t go amiss to check in with your nearby library and see if they have any book clubs set up.

Croydon Council run a number of book clubs for adults and children which are all free to attend.

Usually the groups meet once a month with many of the borough’s libraries having their own group. The Croydon Summer Reading Challenge for example has proved popular with kids during the holidays.

There are also plenty of independent book clubs to get stuck in to.

Alison Sakai, 39, of Crystal Palace has played a key role in setting up book clubs in Clapham and Brixton and says book clubs are a great way of reading books you would have never picked up before.

Ms Sakai says: "I've read books I wouldn't have picked up otherwise, read more than I would otherwise, and thought about what I'm reading a lot more.

"I've also made some great friends and had some brilliant nights out."

Similarly, Sara Caba, who runs the Battersea Spanish book club, says it can be surprising what a group can learn from certain books.

She says: "One book that generated a wonderful chat was "Tratado de culinaria para mujeres tristes" of Colombian writer Héctor Abad Faciolince.

"We were only women that evening, and we were quite taken by how well a man knows the most intimate secrets of a woman. It was a memorable night.

"The Book Club just started this January, and since then we have read 5 books, from countries as diverse as Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Spain. Our coming meeting will be on September 27th and we will discuss an Argentinian book from young writer Patricio Pron, followed by Bolivia in October and Spain in November.

"We try to present the readers with a variety of countries, styles and authors' ages. Some are young authors, some are classics, but all excellent and incredibly well written books."

Visit croydon.gov.uk/leisure for details on Croydon book clubs. Visit claphambookgroup.blogspot.co.uk for more information on the Clapham Book Group and go to batterseaspanish.com/bookclub to sign up to Battersea Spanish.

 


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