What we’re about
Is your TBR nonfiction already on the eclectic, obscure or weird side? Or do you like the sound of diving into books about things like the history of hair, death, or the pencil? Come join us to read and discuss fascinating reads. (Disclaimer: We won't be reading self improvement, business, or biographies here.)
Interested? Read more below.
What will be be doing?
We'll be running a book club meetup in the last week of each month, on different days of the week to offer more opportunities to join depending on your schedule.
Meetups will generally be held in Ealing to make the most of the transport links across West London and London. Sometimes we'll coincide a meetup with an exhibition or other event on the theme of the book so will meet there instead.
Food will be available to order if you like but don't feel you need to order food.
Where possible, we'll have some themed snacks or other fun things.
What we'll be reading, yay!
This book club fills a niche other book clubs don't cover. We'll be exclusively reading nonfiction titles that explore single-word/narrow topics or objects from different angles like historical development, cultural variation, and interesting information - sometimes called Concept History Nonfiction. Titles might come from the Science, General History, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology/Anthropology and Reference sections of the bookshop. And the more obscure, weird, and unknown the better. Titles might relate to the history of objects like hedges, sheep, or death, as well as more abstract topics like aging, hair and ritual.
Some months will have a vote between 3 suggested titles; other months there will be a set book, especially if there's an event we can attend on the theme. There will also be some special events across the year where we'll try something different - have a look at May's meetup as an example.
We're also keen to hear your book recommendations. Feel free to add any recommendations to our Goodreads bookshop here and, if they're within the book club's remit, we'll try to schedule them for a future meetup.
Feel free to dip in and out of the meetups each month - there's no need to come along to a meetup if you don't fancy that particular book.
What we won't be reading
Your typical nonfiction - think self improvement, business, biography and popular culture/politics related titles. There's lots of other book clubs that do a great job with these areas.
Code of Conduct
- INCLUSIVE AND EMPOWERING: Our meetups are a safe space - all opinions and thoughts are valued. Be patient and give everyone time to speak. Share discussion fairly - help keep discussion flowing and involving all attendees. If we notice you've attended a meetup 3 times and aren't participating respectfully of others, unfortunately we'll not be able to accept your RSVPs to future meetups. Why? Meetups should be enjoyable for all.
- NOT READING THE BOOK: You don't need to finish the book before you come to a meetup - it's fine to have a couple of chapters left. But you do need to have read a good chunk of the book. If we notice you've attended a meetup 3 times without reading the book, unfortunately we'll not be able to accept your RSVPs to future meetups. Why? This helps keep discussion interesting and building on the book's contents, rather than discussing related topics in general or taking time to explain the book's contents.
- NO SHOWS: Life happens, we know things come up meaning you can no longer make it to a meetup you RSVP'd Yes to, sometimes at short notice. But if that happens, please update your RSVP as soon as possible so someone from the waiting list can join. If we notice you've signed up 3 times for a meetup and not attended without updating your RSVP to No before the event, unfortunately we'll not be able to accept your RSVPs to future meetups. Why? This group is currently run on a free account to keep meetups free for all, which means there's a 10 person max limit (including the host).
