Readers' Groups Made Simple
What is a Readers' Group?
A group of people who have come together in any setting, specifically to talk about books and reading. Groups can be made up of friends who know each other already, or strangers. Public Library-based groups tend to attract people who don't already belong to a ready-made group of friends who want to talk about books.
Groups can be set up to discuss any sort of reading. Most wait to see who joins before deciding what to read. Some can be set up with specific themes or genres in mind. They can be set up with an indefinite life, or for a limited time-span.
Groups can be set up with particular community groups or to discuss specific sorts of reading. Most commonly, people read selected books before the meeting and come together to share reactions. In other groups, books can be read aloud during the meeting so that people are not required to do anything alone or in advance.
In successful Readers' Groups, members will listen to each other's views. While the group may have been set up to read for a particular purpose, readers learn together and the reading curiosity of members may change over time. Try not to be inflexible in how your group operates or what it reads.
Most groups read general fiction; often that which is currently being promoted in bookshops, on TV, radio and in newspapers. Some groups focus on specialist interests. Its probably a good idea to occasionally vary what your group reads, choosing outside the normal range once in a while.
TTR knows of groups which have been set up to discuss the following genres:
- Crime
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Poetry
- Romantic novels
- Graphic Novels & Manga
- Paranormal
- Short Stories
- Literary Fiction
- Classics
And groups for specific communities;
- Black & Asian Interest
- Middle-Eastern Interest
- Chinese Interest
- LGBT Interest (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender)
- Emergent Readers
- Men only
- Women only
- Teenage/ Young Adult
- Families
- Visually-impaired readers
Sometimes time-limited groups are set up to read or "shadow" a book trade prize such as the Orange Prize or ManBooker. Be warned that there can be short time-scales between announcements of long & shortlists, and the prize night, which can make obtaining, reading and circulating a set of books quite challenging.
