Yann Martel, the best-selling author of The Life of Pi, once opined: ‘Books are something social – a writer speaking to a reader – so I think making the reading of a book the centre of a social event, the meeting of a book club, is a brilliant idea.’
With such stirring words in mind, ArtsHub surveyed a selection of book groups to see how people are drawn to such gatherings with like-minded literary folk. There’s no doubt book groups can alleviate the loneliness of reading all by yourself and not having anyone available to discuss the work after you’ve finished the last page, but what kind of titles are chosen and do the books even get discussed? Or are the meetings merely an excuse for gossip, nibbles and alcohol?
