We're slowly making our way through the Guardian's list of 1000 novels everyone must read, which covers novels about love, crime, comedy, family and self, state of the nation, science fiction and fantasy, and war and travel. We work our way through the categories each month, and invite members to nominate books from the list. Once nominations have been received, all members vote for their choice.
The book club is for people living in and around Chiswick, as well as those who don't mind travelling out West to join us. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month, in a local pub, and engage in interesting discussions about the book we've just read.
FAQs
Can I join your group?
Yes! We are now open to new members.
How many people come to each book gathering?
There's a friendly 'core group' of people who come each month (about 20), and we find that there are four or five newbies each month who are testing us out to see if the group is for them! Don't be put off by the '150+ book worms' who are signed up to this site.
*Please note that we have an RSVP limit of 35 people for each event, to make discussion manageable and meaningful.
How does the book club work?
There is a team of leaders who take it in turns to host the meetings. They will prepare a summary sheet, with a short synopsis, and a few questions for discussion. We tend to work through these very loosely- it's a fairly informal affair, and we all usually end up off topic, so they are a useful way of (trying) to revert the conversation back to the book in question!
How can I find the book of the month?
The Guardian claims that every book on their list can be purchased through the Guardian bookshop. However, we haven't tested that option yet!
Some people buy their book from Amazon (you should be able to find most of the books we read here) and opt for the slower delivery with free postage. You could also try your local charity shop - here in Chiswick we have a marvellous Oxfam near Turnham Green station - or the local library. One member recommends Read It Swap It .
If you have any other ideas for tracking down the books we read, please let me know using the 'Contact Us' button.
When should I buy/borrow the book?
We recommend getting the book as early as possible, so you have time to finish it before we meet, and get the most out of discussions with fellow book lovers! We try to list the book for each month's event at least 6 weeks in advance.
Can I come to a book gathering even if I haven't finished the book?
Sometimes! Please contact us in advance (i.e at least by the day before) if you haven't finished the book but still want to come. Sometimes, this is absolutely fine, but on other occasions, you might have difficulty joining in the discussions. For example, if you hadn't finished Paul Auster's City of Glass in advance of our November gathering, you would have been completely lost during our discussions and activities!
Which novels do you read?
Check in our 'Files' folder (under the 'More' tab above) to see the Guardian's list of '1000 novels everyone must read' or check them out on their website. We select the novels by recommending one book each, then voting!
What if I RSVP and then don't turn up?
If you RSVP 'Yes' twice and then don't turn up (or don't let me know in advance that you're not coming), you have tied up a spot that could have been taken by someone who really wanted to come! Your membership of the group will then be revoked. This is to give those people who are keen to be active members the chance to join our discussions.
Is there a cost for each meetup?
The pub we meet at doesn't charge us for the venue, which is great. However, once every 6 months we are charged for this website, so from January 2012 we will be asking all attendees to contribute just 50p.
What is this 'waiting list' all about?
Our gatherings fill up pretty quickly, because we're such lovely people and because books are cool! But, invariably, about 10 people drop out in the week leading up to the meetup, and quite a few people simply don't turn up on the night (the cheek!). If you want to come to the meetup, but it's full, there's a waiting list that you can add your name to. We strongly recommend that you read the book anyway, because there's an excellent chance that your name will be automatically bumped onto the 'Yes, I'm coming list' in the days before the meetup! And if it isn't, you've still read a fab book - simple :-)
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