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Start a Reading Group
How to start a Reading Group
Being a member of a reading group helps you get the most out of the books you read and is a great way to meet new people.
There are lots of established reading groups across Sheffield, but spaces can be limited, so why not set up your own group?
Getting Started
First, think about who you would like to meet through your group. Would you like to meet people with similar lifestyles such as other young parents, students, over 50’s etc, or a range of people from different backgrounds?
Ask your friends and work colleagues whether they would like to get together every now and again and discuss a book. Ask them to ask their friends, colleagues and families whether they would like to join you. Talk to other parents at your child’s school.
You can leave messages on noticeboards at your local library, community centre or the staffroom noticeboard at work to find other people to join your group. There are also online forums where you can post messages and get in touch with like-minded people. Sheffield Forum and Gumtree are popular sites for these purposes. Penguin also have a message board specifically for Reading Groups on their website.
The ideal group size is between 6 and 10 members. Too few members can lead to limited discussions and too many can mean that some may find it difficult to be heard.
First Meeting
When you’ve got a few people together you’ll need to discuss how your group is going to work.
How often will you meet?
Most groups find that once a month is ideal or you could try every other month if you prefer to read longer books.
Where will you meet?
Most groups meet at their members’ homes and take turns to host the group. In many groups the host provides refreshments. Alternatively you could arrange for each member to bring nibbles with them.
Arrange to join the library
We keep sets of up to ten books for Reading Groups to browse and borrow in the Central Lending Library. You can also request sets to borrow for free and register your group at any public library. Just think of a name for your group and establish a contact person who will join the library on behalf of the group. If the contact person brings one proof of ID into the library, we will register your group and give you a choice of over 300 titles to pick from!
If you are starting a reading group you can request sets of books for your reading group from your local library, from the Central Lending Library or via the online library catalogue.
Choosing what to read
Many groups opt for the host of each meeting to choose the book they discuss. It is a good idea to plan what you’d like to read at least two months in advance to make sure the set of books you require is available at the library. You can find ideas for what to pick by keeping up with reviews in the media and keeping an eye on shortlists for awards, both past and present. There are also lots of websites with book reviews specifically aimed at reading groups. There are some useful sites listed below.
Downloads
You can download useful guides to using the library as a Reading Group from the bottom of this page.
Top tips on starting your own group
The following websites give some good advice on how to start your own group and get the most out of it.
- Harpercollins:includes selection of reading guides and competitions for free books
Reading Guides and Recommendations
Other useful websites/Radio programmes
- Fantastic Fiction:list upcoming fiction and archives for thousands of author and titles
- BBC Book programmes and website
- whichbook:offers a novel way of choosing books depending on your mood, taste or interest.
- storycode.co.uk enables you to share book recommendations with other readersd aand look for suggested reading along the "...if you like this then try..."lines
- reader2reader.net:part of the People's Network this site hosts a reading group each month. Also chance to input your recommendations.
Please note that the inclusion of any website or link on this page does not mean that they have been vetted or recommended by Sheffield City Council. It is important to make sure that you are happy that they are suitable for your own requirements.
Downloads
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