a9b3 News http://readinggroups.org/news/ Get all the latest news and views about reading groups for everyone here en Copyright 2013 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:04:00 +0100 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Damian Barr's Maggie & Me library tour Damian Barr is a journalist, writer and salonnière. Shortlisted for a British Press Award, he has been a journalist for over a decade writing mostly for The Times but also the Independent, Independent on Sunday, Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Evening Standard and Granta. He is currently Literary Editor of House magazine. He hosts his infamous Literary Salon at Shoreditch House where guests include Bret Easton Ellis, John Waters, Polly Samson, James Frey, David Nicholls, Colm Toibin, Jojo Moyes, Taiye Selasi, Alex Preston, David Mitchell, DBC Pierre and Naomi Alderman. He has hosted events with the British Council, the Orange Prize, Hay, the BBC National Short Story Award and the Man Booker Prize. About Maggie & Me It's 12 October 1984. An IRA bomb blows apart the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Miraculously, Margaret Thatcher survives. In small-town Scotland, eight-year-old Damian Barr watches in horror as his mum rips her wedding ring off and packs their bags. He knows he, too, must survive. Damian, his sister and his Catholic mum move in with her sinister new boyfriend while his Protestant dad shacks up with the glamorous Mary the Canary. Divided by sectarian suspicion, the community is held together by the sprawling Ravenscraig Steelworks. But darkness threatens as Maggie takes hold - she snatches school milk, smashes the unions and makes greed good. Following Maggie's advice, Damian works hard and plans his escape. He discovers that stories can save your life and - in spite of violence, strikes, AIDS and Clause 28 - manages to fall in love dancing to Madonna in Glasgow's only gay club. Maggie & Me is a touching and darkly witty memoir about surviving Thatcher's Britain - a story of growing up gay in a straight world and coming out the other side in spite of, and maybe because of, the Iron lady. Find out more about Damian, his latest book and his love of libraries in our author focus blog. Get involved Damian Barr will be visiting libraries this June to talk about Maggie & Me. These events are perfect for reading groups - so why not pop along with yours? Wednesday 19 June: Leicester Central Library (Bishop street, Leicester, LE1 6AA). Starts 1pm. Contact Leicester Central Library on (0116) 2995483 or email Chris.hodgson@leicester.gov.uk. Thursday 20 June: Smethwick Library (High Street, Smethwick, West Midlands, B66 1AA). Starts: 3.30pm. Find out more at www.sandwell.gov.uk. Contact Smethwick Library on 0121 558 0497 or email sirena_cresswell@sandwell.gov.uk Friday 21 June: Weoley Castle Library (76 Beckbury Road, Birmingham, B29 5HR). Starts: 10.30 - 11.30am. For more information call 0121 303 2895 or email nikki.bi@birmingham.gov.uk Friday 21 June: Yardley Wood Library (Highfiled Road, Birmingham, B14 4DU). Starts: 2.00pm - 3.00pm. For more information call 0121 303 2895 or email nikki.bi@birmingham.gov.uk Tuesday 25th June: Ilkeston Library (Market Place, Town Centre, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 5RN). Starts: 7-8.30pm. For more information email Priscilla.Baily@derbyshire.gov.uk. Author photo credit: Jonathan Ring http://readinggroups.org/news/damian-barrs-maggie-me-library-tour.html http://readinggroups.org/news/damian-barrs-maggie-me-library-tour.html Events News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 National Reading Group Day 2013 is almost here National Reading Group Day 2013 will take place on Saturday 29 June. We're pleased to be working once again in partnership with The Booksellers Association to celebrate everything to do with reading groups and book clubs wherever they take place - libraries, bookshops, community centres, pubs, churches, bakeries, cafes, schools, work places, theatres, hospitals, prisons, cinemas, online or, of course, your home. We'll have lots of exciting give aways and competitions on Reading Groups for Everyone, including books by Kathy Reichs, Dawn French and an exclusive Zadie Smith offer for London libraries. We'll also offer reading groups the chance to win visits from authors including Karin Slaughter and Adele Parks. We'll have more information and news coming next week including a guide for library staff and booksellers, so make sure to check back to find out how to get involved. Get involved Download the poster and download the guide for libraries. Don't forget to let us know what you are planning by getting in touch on Facebook and Twitter. We're looking forward to it and hope you are too. http://readinggroups.org/news/national-reading-group-day/nrgd-2013.html http://readinggroups.org/news/national-reading-group-day/nrgd-2013.html National Reading Group Day Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 A.M. Homes wins the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction The winner of the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction is A.M. Homes for May We Be Forgiven (Granta). The announcement was made at an awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London - hosted by Chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction board, Kate Mosse. The 2013 Chair of Judges, Miranda Richardson, presented the author with the £30,000 prize and the 'Bessie', a limited edition bronze figurine. Both are anonymously endowed. Miranda Richardson, Chair of Judges, said: "Our 2013 shortlist was exceptionally strong and our judges' meeting was long and passionately argued, but in the end we agreed that May We Be Forgiven is a dazzling, original, viscerally funny black comedy - a subversion of the American dream. This is a book we want to read again and give to our friends." About A.M. Homes A.M. Homes is the author of two collections of short stories, Things You Should Know and The Safety of Objects, the novels Music for Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers, Jack and the bestselling This Book Will Save Your Life, and the highly acclaimed memoir, The Mistress's Daughter, all published by Granta Books. She is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and writes frequently on arts and culture for numerous magazines and newspapers. She wrote and produced for the television series The L Word and is currently developing a major US TV series for HBO called The Hamptons. She lives in New York City. May We Be Forgiven Harry has spent a lifetime watching his younger brother, George - a taller, smarter and more successful high-flying TV executive - acquire a covetable wife, two kids and a beautiful home. But Harry, a historian and Nixon scholar, also knows George has a murderous temper, and when George loses control the result is an act so shocking that both brothers are hurled into entirely new lives, in which they both must seek absolution. Get involved A.M. Homes will be joining Women's Prize co-founder and best-selling novelist Kate Mosse in a Google+ hangout at 3pm on Thursday 6 June. They will be joined by A.M. Homes' publisher Philip Gwyn Jones and literary journalist Robert McCrum. You can join the discussion. Tell us what you think of the winning title on the Google Plus Women's Prize for Fiction Book Club, where you can also read what the Official Women's Prize for Fiction reading groups thought of this year's shortlist. You can also share you thoughts in the comments box below. http://readinggroups.org/news/am-homes-wins-the-2013-womens-prize-for-fiction.html http://readinggroups.org/news/am-homes-wins-the-2013-womens-prize-for-fiction.html News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 The Bell Jar - review from John in Hertfordshire In association with publishers Faber and Faber we selected five lucky reading groups to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Sylvia Plath's modern classic, The Bell Jar. The groups have all been busy reading and John Horak, a member of the all-male Hertfordshire Book Group is our first champion to send in a review. John offers his own thoughts on whether The Bell Jar is still relevant in today's society, 50 years after first publication. John's review I started reading The Bell Jar sceptical - how can such iconic status be bestowed on a writer on the basis of one novel and a book or two of poetry? In short the book deserves its reputation because the story is true and frightening, gripping, inspirational and as relevant today for women (and men) everywhere - even more so given the continued cultural, institutional and economic world-wide assault on the status of women. Plath describes how Esther goes through a steady process of breakdown as the contradictions between her aspirations and her position as a woman become clear to her in her New York internship as a bright young person used to school and college success. I found the book gripping because her ability with words and imagery is so effective in evoking a scene. Plath writes economically and vividly. Esther and Doreen start the evening by setting off to a boring business ball, but on the way get picked up by Lenny Shepherd and some mates, land up at his apartment - ( "I wouldn't have missed Lenny's place for anything" ), - he spikes their drinks... Later Doreen arrives back at Esther's hotel room completely drunk after being drugged by Lenny. Esther has earlier narrowly escaped the same fate by ditching her partner and leaving Lenny's apartment. Esther's demonstrates clear understanding of her own predicament - she knows Doreen is the exciting one, leading to new experiences which she craves, but she also knows that these are dangerous and destructive: "I will watch her and listen to what she said, but deep down I would have nothing at all to do with her." However her insight does not save her personal morale, and her feeling of self-worth deteriorates steadily in the face of the continual onslaught from all sides - Jay Cee, her boss at the "premier and intellectual" Ladies' Day magazine is telling her to get three, preferably four languages so she can go straight to the Times, while her mum is telling her to do shorthand so she can service up and coming young male executives! I say it is true and frightening for me because it captures exactly the puritanical and hypocritical morality and stereotypical gender expectations my sister I experienced as adolescents in the fifties and early sixties. Plath describes the hypocrisy faced by Esther in a debate over several pages (pp 74 - 82), using Esther's discovery of Buddy's first sexual encounter with a waitress, her subsequent encounter with Eric who made it clear that sex was with whores, and that he would keep the woman he loved free of all that dirty business, the Reader's Digest article by a married lawyer on 'The Defence of Chastity'. Esther makes the point that the debate "did not consider how the girl felt." And she then meets Constantine, the first man to have intuition. At this point she is so confused she doesn't make it with him. The book is inspirational too. You don't get easy ways out, happy endings or knights in shining armour. You do get her break-down, her confused treatment by mental health professionals, the help given by a motley collection of strong and successful women, her own strength of character, and increasing ability to handle contradictions. The madhouses Esther goes through are full of women who are casualties from Peyton Place, and Esther gets pretty mad herself, by somehow keeping enough sanity to climb out. This is mainly through the help or observation of women who themselves have learnt a way through the jungle: Philomena Guinea the Mill's and Boon millionaire writer, spinster, her sponsor and who gets her signed in to her own mental hospital; Dr Nolan her psychiatrist at this mental hospital who is the first Esther can trust and is able to nurse her through in spite of a hiccup; Joan and Mrs Savage, two lesbians in the hospital who show how the trap they have had to negotiate back in normality has led them to 'insanity'; Jay Cee and her baggy clothing (Merkel?) who pushes Esther beyond her limits. What Esther begins to see is that these women, with their warts and all, have found a way through the contradictions. So she is able to get out of the hospital and do what is mostly on her mind: get a cap fitted, go and lay her first bloke on her terms and so equalize up with the Buddies, Lennies and Erics she has come across. Her description of doing exactly this is confident, sharp and funny: "I decided to practice my new , normal personality on this man... it was only after seeing Irwin's study that I decided to seduce him" Like all great literature, the lessons are based on down to earth experience. Careful, vivid, succinct writing about specific actions makes Plath's book worth reading and passing on to my children fifty years after it was published. They (all in their twenties, two girls and a boy) will find it just as relevant as we did - surely the test for any book. Get involved Have you been reading The Bell Jar with your reading group? We would love to hear your thoughts! Either comment below or email us. Meet all the groups involved in our The Bell Jar at 50 project. http://readinggroups.org/news/the-bell-jar---review-from-john-in-hertfordshire.html http://readinggroups.org/news/the-bell-jar---review-from-john-in-hertfordshire.html News The Bell Jar at 50 project Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 Desmond Elliott Prize - shortlist announced The shortlist for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2013 was announced today. The shortlist was selected from a longlist of ten novels by a panel of judges chaired by best-selling novelist Joanne Harris. Launched in 2007, The Desmond Elliott Prize has established itself as the premier prize for new fiction. A panel of three judges for the Prize are asked to look for a novel of depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The work should be vividly written and confidently realised and should contain original and arresting characters. Books from all fiction genres are considered. The shortlist The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber (Sceptre) About the book On 30 May 1593, a celebrated young playwright, poet and spy was killed in a tavern brawl in London, or so the official version goes. In The Marlowe Papers the truth is revealed, in blank verse, according to Christopher Marlowe himself: that his supposed death was an elaborate ruse to avoid being convicted of heresy; that he was spirited across the Channel to live on in lonely exile; and that he continued to write, hiding behind the name of a colourless man from Stratford - one William Shakespeare. About the author Ros Barber is the author of three volumes of poetry and her work has appeared in publications such as Poetry Review, London Magazine, the Guardian and Independent on Sunday. She has a PhD on Marlowe and has recently been appointed Associate of the Shakespearian Authorship Trust. She lives in Brighton and has four children. The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence (Hodder & Stoughton) About the book Alex Woods knows that he hasn't had the most conventional start in life. And he knows that even the most improbable events can happen - he's got the scars to prove it. What he doesn't know yet is that when he meets ill-tempered, reclusive widower Mr Peterson, he'll make an unlikely friend, someone who tells him that you only get one shot in life. So when, aged 17, Alex is stopped at Dover customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn of ashes on the passenger seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing... About the author Gavin Extence was born in 1982 and grew up in Lincolnshire. From the ages of five to 11, he enjoyed a brief but illustrious career as a chess player, winning numerous national championships and travelling to Moscow and St Petersburg to pit his wits against the finest young minds in Russia. He won only one game. He now lives in Sheffield. The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan (William Heinemann) About the book Anais Hendricks is in the back of a police car, heading for The Panopticon, a home for chronic young offenders. She can't remember the events that led her here, but across town a policewoman lies in a coma and there is blood on Anais's school uniform. The residents of the Panopticon form intense bonds and Anais finds herself part of an ad-hoc family. Much more suspicious are the social workers. Looking up at the watchtower that looms over the residents, Anais knows her fate: she is part of an experiment, she always was, and the experiment is closing in. About the author Jenni Fagan was born in Livingston, Scotland. She graduated from Greenwich University with the highest possible mark for a student of Creative Writing and won a scholarship to the Royal Holloway MFA. A published poet, she has won awards from Arts Council England, Dewar Arts, and Scottish Screen among others and was included in Granta Magazine's Best of Young British Novelists list 2013. Fagan works as a writer in residence in hospitals and prisons and lives in London. The 2013 longlist The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber (Sceptre) The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence (Hodder & Stoughton) The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan (William Heinemann) The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland (Harper Fiction) Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman (Serpent's Tail) The Fields by Kevin Maher (Little, Brown) Signs of Life by Anna Raverat (Picador) Seldom Seen by Sarah Ridgard (Hutchinson) Jammy Dodger by Kevin Smith (Sandstone Press) Library competition Remember that there is still time to submit your library display photographs for the competition. The winning library will get to choose three members of staff to attend the Prize ceremony at Fortnum & Mason in London Piccadilly, on the evening of 27 June, to include a contribution towards travel costs. Photos must be submitted to Juliana Oliver by 11 June. Extras Keep up to date with the Prize by following on Twitter. Read the first chapter of the entire Desmond Elliott long list. The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman The Fields by Kevin Maher Signs of Life by Anna Raverat Seldom Seen by Sarah Ridgard Jammy Dodger by Kevin Smith The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace (Simon & Schuster) Watch a video about the prize: http://readinggroups.org/news/desmond-elliott-prize---shortlist-announced.html http://readinggroups.org/news/desmond-elliott-prize---shortlist-announced.html News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 Join the Women's Prize for Fiction's Book Club Have you read any of the shortlisted titles for the Women's Prize for Fiction? If so, then get involved in the Women's Prize for Fiction Book Club for an opportunity to be part of the discussion celebrating the best of women's fiction, and to see what book groups are recommending. Be part of the Women's Prize for Fiction online community: Join the Women's Prize Book Club - simply log on to Google+ (if you're not a member you'll need to create a gmail account) to meet other members of the book club and share your views on the shortlist and longlist. Join in with the celebrations on 5 June and hold a Women's Prize for Fiction party. You can download our party ideas and there will be the opportunity to stream the Women's Prize Awards Ceremony live. Visit the Women's Prize YouTube page to watch a series of live interactive Women's Prize conversations on Google+. Join us in the countdown to the Awards Ceremony and get involved in the discussion on facebook or twitter. You can also follow the Women's Prize on twitter and on Google+. The Women's Prize for Fiction, formerly The Orange Prize for Fiction, is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world celebrating excellence, originality and accessibility in women's writing. The shortlist is Kate Atkinson for Life After Life, A.M. Homes for May We Be Forgiven, Barbara Kingsolver for Flight Behaviour, Hilary Mantel for Bring Up the Bodies, Maria Semple for Where'd You Go Bernadette and Zadie Smith for NW. http://readinggroups.org/news/join-the-womens-prize-book-club.html http://readinggroups.org/news/join-the-womens-prize-book-club.html News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 Meet the official Women's Prize for Fiction reading groups We've selected reading groups in three regions to be our official Women's Prize for Fiction reading groups. The groups are shadowing the 2013 Women's Prize and sharing their thoughts on the shortlist on the Women's Prize Google Communities page. If you and your reading group are reading one of the shortlist, you can also join in with the conversation on this page. The three regions taking part are the South East, Nottingham and Cumbria/Lancashire and here the participating groups introduce themselves: Cumbria/Lancashire Rigghead Readers, Cumbria Library Services Rigghead Readers was formed in November last year. We have seven members and aim to read as widely as possible covering both fiction - for example, Tender is the Night and non-fiction, such as Richard Macfarlane's The Old Ways. We also like to cover local authors such as Jacob Polley and Sarah Hall, who we are scheduled to read later this year. We have already read The Pinecone by Jenny Uglow, which like many of our books was provided by Cumbria Library Services. As we are a dispersed group living in a rural area we make the book evening a social event too and have made every meeting despite facing floods and snow. The 'All Js', Carlisle Library Tall or short, blond or brunette, single or married, divorced or widowed, business woman or vicar, realist or dreamer, we're all Js. Jacquis, Janets, Janines, Jens, Jennies and Julias who love to read, even though some Js have to conjure non-existent time from their packed schedules to enter the world of the latest reading group book. The All Js meet about every six weeks to discuss their latest novel, and only the J who collects the books from Carlisle Library ever knows in advance which title from their wish list will be unveiled on the evening. And even then, the other Js like to prolong the suspense of the surprise by insisting J introduces the next book with a charade. (After The Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite, is anything impossible?) The All Js' views and book choices are as diverse as the individuals in the group and it's astonishing where their discussions can lead. And that's what the All Js love about getting together. That and J's mum's home-made biscuits and cakes. Houghton Book Group, Cumbria Library Services Houghton Book Group are a fun, informal gathering who meet one Tuesday night a month at the local pub. We use the Cumbria Libraries reading group service and have read a wide variety of titles. The group's stand-out favourite book ever is Dirt Music by Tim Winton; this was read three years ago and has yet to be toppled. We will be reading all of the shortlisted titles for the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist and we will let you know how we get on via Google+. Alston Moor Reading Group, Alston Library The Alston Moor Reading Group was set up in 2004 and meets on the first Thursday of every month. Over the years countless books have been enjoyed, some not so much, but there is always a lively, fun and interesting discussion on the book of choice. Three of the original members still take part in the group which is made up of men and women. The Johnby Reading Group Our name is a bit misleading - we usually meet once a month in Johnby but most of our members come from surrounding villages, like Penruddock, Stainton, and Greystoke. We have far-reaching appeal! We enjoy reading books that spark debate - ones that are loved by some and loathed by others, such as The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - and encountering new authors. It's rare that we're unanimous in our thoughts of a title, but Niccolo Ammaniti's I'm Not Scared stood out as a book we all appreciated. While a book provides the focus of us getting together, we relish catching up on recent life events and, of course, local gossip. IVC reading group We are a group of people who are members of Border and Lakeland IVC who all live in Carlisle or just outside. We started the group about a year ago, and have found our local library in Carlisle to be very helpful in obtaining books for us. We meet in each others' homes and have lively discussions about the current book, usually with a glass of wine or a cup of tea (the drivers!) The first book we read was Dissolution by CJ Sansom and our latest read was Miss Garnet's Angel by Sally Vickers. South East Purley Book Group, Reading The group began on a summer evening in June 2005 with 10 women who wanted time out to socialise as well as enjoy sharing books together. We have met every six weeks since then and are still going strong with seven original members. We have plenty of enthusiasm for books, films of the books, wine and, of course, lots of chat. Favourite books have included The Bell Jar, The Grass is Singing, A Fine Balance, Engleby, and We Need to Talk About Kevin. We are looking forward to reading _Bring Up the Bodie_s by Hilary Mantel. h4. Leighton Park PTA Book Group, Reading We've been meeting twice a term for two years. We generally have around 12 people attending each session, held in the school library, with the inevitable cakes and coffee (sometimes wine) and always plenty to say!! The group is organised by myself (school librarian) and three parents and, at this time of yea,r we're inviting nominations for and choosing next year's reads. The opportunity to get involved in shadowing the Women's Fiction Prize was an unexpected 'gift' and everyone is looking forward to meeting up with other groups from the region. We'll be reading Zadie Smith's NW. This has been a lucky term for us - we've also just enjoyed hosting an evening with Tracy Chevalier and are off to see the new Great Gatsby film next week. The PTA Book Club is a great way for parents to get to know each other and socialise as well as providing an opportunity to share our love of books! Bookworms, Sunbury Library We are 14 regular readers who huddle over coffee in the corner of Sunbury Library on a Tuesday afternoon every six weeks, and have been meeting since September 2010. We swap opinions on our chosen book and chew over anything remotely connected with the subject matters especially those connected to our own life experiences. We usually give our books a mark out of 10. We love it when we really enjoy a book we wouldn't have otherwise read. We'll be reading Maria Semple's Where'd You Go Bernadette. Ashcroft Reading Group, Fareham A group of 10 female readers meeting monthly at the Ashcroft Arts Centre. The group has been running for six years, with quite a number of original members. We read mainly contemporary fiction and love discovering new writers... We're excited to be reading A M Homes' May We Be Forgiven. We look forward to our discussions, sometimes second guessing whether others will like or loathe the book! At the end of each session we award the book star ratings, both as a personal read and as a reading group discussion. Books and Banter, Slough Library We are a friendly group with a range of ages from mid-30s and beyond. We like to read anything and everything. In the last few months we've read and very much enjoyed fiction like Wool by Hugh Howey and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, and non-fiction like The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer. This range of fiction, genre fiction and non-fiction is typical. We like to read something different from what we would normally read and get to the bottom of why we like or don't like a book and what is interesting about them. We also love to talk about reading in general and just have a good chat. Our Women's Prize for Fiction title is Life after Life by Kate Atkinson. Perouse Reading Group, Epsom Library With the origin of the core group lost in the midst of time, the Perouse Reading Group consists of 10-12 members who meet one evening a month in Epsom Library. Always prepared to read an eclectic range of books...the members of the group are not shy to express their views and a lively debate often ensues. We'll be reading Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver. Nottingham Nottingham Library Tuesday Readers Group Reading Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver We are a group of about 14 people who have been meeting together for over 10 years. We meet at the Central Library and tend to read either literary fiction or the classics. We have some great conversations, especially when we don't agree about a book. We have a wide age range of members; although most of the group are female, we do have several men who are part of the book club. Nottingham Library Thursday Book Club Reading Where Did You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple Our group has been meeting for about five years, and membership has changed a lot over that time. The group has recently grown in size which is great and we currently have about 10 active members. We read all sorts of things - thrillers, modern novels and classics and are really looking forward to reading the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist. Aspley Book Club Reading N W by Zadie Smith We are a small but enthusiastic book group who have been meeting together for over 10 years in Aspley Library. We have very different tastes which makes for some really good discussions. We have shadowed the Orange Prize for many years, and are looking forward to reading one of the books from the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist. Punjabi Ladies Club Reading Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel As the name suggests we are a group of Punjabi ladies who love to read. Our group has been meeting together for over 10 years and has grown in size significantly during this period. We meet in people's homes and are a very friendly group. We now have over 20 members. We are willing to try all sorts of different genres and have read crime, children's books, literary novels, classics... we haven't tried horror yet! Wollaton Library Reading Groups Reading May We Be Forgiven by A M Homes These are 2 reading groups that meet on a Tuesday evening at Wollaton library; the second formed from the waiting list to join the original group. Both groups will tackle difficult books such as Julie Myerson's Then but will happily read thrillers, literary prize nominations and classics. The groups are multigenerational and mainly women. We would welcome new members. Wilford Wanderers Reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson We are determined readers who, when their meeting place closed, continued to meet in each others' homes. This now takes us across a wide area of the city; our reading reflects this as we read a wide range of genres. Get involved Check out the Women's Prize Google Communities page to see what these reading groups think of the shortlist. Get involved with the Women's Prize for Fiction - let us know what you think of the shortlisted books by commenting below or log on to Google+ (if you're not a member you'll need to create a gmail account) to share your views with the rest of the Women's Prize Google Community. http://readinggroups.org/news/the-womens-prize-official-reading-groups.html http://readinggroups.org/news/the-womens-prize-official-reading-groups.html News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 2013 Dagger in the Library Award longlist announced In March 2013 we were delighted to partner with the CWA and Dead Good Books, the crime community from Random House, to encourage readers, reading groups, librarians and library users across the country to visit their library and vote for their favourite crime writer in the 2013 Dagger in the Library. Nominations closed on April 1st and thanks to the help of hundreds of readers across the country, today the longlist of Authors nominated has been announced. The Longlist The thirteen authors in contention this year are: Belinda Bauer Alison Bruce S J Bolton Peter May Gordon Ferris Tania Carver Elly Griffiths Christopher Fowler Michael Ridpath Jane Casey Phil Rickman Alex Gray Frances Brody The winner will be chosen by a panel of UK librarians. About the Award The Dagger in the Library is one of six highly prized CWA Dagger Awards, which have been awarded to crime writers since 1955. It is a unique literary award in that it offers a chance for readers, reading groups, librarians and library users to nominate their favourite British crime fiction authors. The Dagger in the Library is awarded not for an individual book but for the author's body of work to date and helps emerging authors gain deserved recognition and publicity for their writing. Previous winners of the CWA Dagger in the Library award include Steve Mosby, Mo Hayder, Colin Cotterill, Stuart MacBride and Craig Russell. Get involved Find a crime reading group to join. http://readinggroups.org/news/cwa-dead-good-dagger-in-the-library-award-voting.html http://readinggroups.org/news/cwa-dead-good-dagger-in-the-library-award-voting.html General News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 Faber Fiction Book of the Month: Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux This May our Faber Book of the Month is Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux. Running until June, Faber Fiction Book of the Month will be shining a light on a compelling new title each month from both new and established authors, and giving reading groups the opportunity to enjoy them without having to wait for the paperback. In this exclusive offer for Reading Groups For Everyone, if you order four or more copies of the same title you will receive a 50% discount. Copies can be purchased from Faber & Faber. About Strange Bodies Nicholas Slopen has been dead for months. So when a man claiming to be Nicholas turns up to visit an old girlfriend, deception seems the only possible motive. Yet nothing can make him change his story. From the secure unit of a notorious psychiatric hospital, he begins to tell his tale: an account of attempted forgery that draws the reader towards an extraordinary truth - a metaphysical conspiracy that lies on the other side of madness and death. Strange Bodies takes the reader on a dizzying speculative journey that poses questions about identity, authenticity, and what it means to be truly human. About Marcel Theroux Marcel Theroux is the author of four previous novels: A Blow to the Heart, A Stranger in the Earth, The Paperchase, winner of the 2002 Somerset Maugham Award, and Far North which was shortlisted for America's prestigious National Book Award. He lives in London. Extras Download the A4 Faber Book of the Month poster. Get involved Have your reading group read Strange Bodies? If so, we'd love to read your reviews. Simply leave them in the comment box below. Missed previous Faber Fiction Books of the Month? Read about the books from January, February, March and April. Follow Marcel on Twitter. http://readinggroups.org/news/faber-fiction-book-of-the-month-strange-bodies-by-marcel-theroux.html http://readinggroups.org/news/faber-fiction-book-of-the-month-strange-bodies-by-marcel-theroux.html Faber Fiction News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 British Sports Book Awards shortlist announced The shortlists for the British Sports Book Awards 2013 have been announced. Best New Writer Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World by Graham Hunter Beautiful Brutality: The Family Ties at the Heart of Boxing by Adam Smith Run Wild by Boff Whalley Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth by Adharanand Finn Shot and a Ghost: A Year in the Brutal World of Professional Squash by James Willstrop Sit Down and Cheer: A History of Sport on TV by Martin Kelner Autobiography/Biography An Open Book by Darren Clarke Be Careful What You Wish For by Simon Jordan Merckx: Half Man Half Bike by William Fotheringham My Time by Bradley Wiggins Running My Life by Seb Coe Seven Deadly Sins by David Walsh The Footballer Who Could Fly by Duncan Hamilton This Is Me by Ian Thorpe Cricket Book of the Year CMJ: A Cricketing Life by Christopher Martin-Jenkins Gentlemen & Players by Charles Williams On Warne by Gideon Haigh The Plan: How Fletcher and Flower Transformed English Cricket by Steve James The Valiant Cricketer - The Biography of Trevor Bailey by Alan Hill We'll Get 'Em in Sequins: Manliness, Yorkshire Cricket and the Century that Changed Everything by Max Davidson Football Book of the Year Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World by Graham Hunter Be Careful What You Wish For by Simon Jordan Does Your Rabbi Know You're Here?: The Story of English Football's Forgotten Tribe by Anthony Clavane Pep Guardiola by Guillem Balague Richer Than God: Manchester City, Moderrn Football and Growing Up by David Conn The Outsider by Jonathan Wilson Rugby Book of the Year Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions by Stephen Jones, Tom English, Nick Cain and David Barnes Brent Pope: If You Really Knew Me by Brent Pope & Kevin MacDermot My Life As a Hooker by Steven Gauge The Final Whistle: The Great War in Fifteen Players by Stephen Cooper The Outsider by Geordan Murphy Who Beat the All Blacks? by Alun Gibbard Motorsports Book of the Year My Chequered Career: Thirty-five Years of Televising Motorsport by Steve Rider Team Lotus: My View from the Pit Wall by Peter Warr That Near Death Thing by Rick Broadbent Formula 1: All the Races: The World Championship Story Race by Race: 1950-2012 by Roger Smith Lotus 72 Owners' Manual by Ian Wagstaff I Just Made the Tea by Di Spires and Bernard Ferguson Horse Racing Book of the Year A Weight Off My Mind by Richard Hughes with Lee Mottershead Clive Brittain: The Smiling Pioneer by Robin Oakley Her Majesty's Pleasure by Julian Muscat My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding Racing Crazy by David Ashforth When Horse Racing was Horse Racing by Adam Powley Golf Book of the Year Out of Bounds by Sam Torrance An Open Book by Darren Clarke Miracle at Medinah by Oliver Holt Bobby's Open: Mr Jones and the Golf Shot that Defined a Legend by Steven Reid Seve: Golf's Flawed Genius by Robert Green The Bible of Golf by Skellett & Weitzman Illustrated 21 Days to Glory by Team Sky and Dave Brailsford A Swing for Life by Nick Faldo Bike! A Tribute to the World's Greatest Cycling Designers by Richard Moore & Daniel Benson Coppi: Inside the Legend of the Campionissimo by Herbie Sykes Frankel: The Wonder Horse by edited by Andrew Pennington The Glory Glory Nights by Martin Cloake and Adam Powley The winners of each category will be announced on 21 May. After this, each of the individual category winners will be promoted in libraries and bookshops. An online public vote will determine the Overall British Sports Book of the Year. The public vote will held on the official website - www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk. Get involved Read any of the shortlisted books? Tell us what you think on Facebook or Twitter or by leaving a comment below. We have a limited number of promotional magazines, posters and stickers available for libraries. Visit our shop to place an order. http://readinggroups.org/news/british-sports-book-awards-shortlist-announced-1.html http://readinggroups.org/news/british-sports-book-awards-shortlist-announced-1.html News Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:32:55 +0100 0