I first heard about reading groups from Helen Cooke some years ago at an Activate conference. Moving to Dorset and trying to meet new friends gave me the opportunity to join a local group. I loved it!! I am now a member of two local groups and I set up a third at my son’s school as a way of getting to know other mums better. All the groups meet once every six weeks or so, meaning that I usually have three books on the go at any one time. Living a full life with three kids, a part time job and helping with Activate means that I rarely get ‘free time’ to read but somehow having the groups gives me permission to enjoy reading and most months it is not a problem finishing the books. I always enjoy the get togethers, meeting a wide range of women from different walks of life and a variety of view points. Some of them share my faith and go to the same church, most don’t and the conversations and issues we share are never dull and often heated.
I know there are others out there who are involved in reading groups. I would love to hear your stories of books that you would recommend, that initiated great discussions and ones to avoid.
My favourite so far from the last four years is ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ by Lionel Shriver. This was a gripping but harrowing read, raising all kinds of issues about parenting, teenage angst, violence, forgiveness and murder. We didn’t all like the book but we were still discussing it two hours into the night. I look forward to hearing your favourites…
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