…. The Bookman’s Tale by US-based author Charlie Lovett, published last year by Alma Books in the UK.
Over 1000 readers voted for the National Reading Group Day ‘Hidden Gem’ – a book they felt didn’t get the popular recognition it deserved, but which would make a great reading group read.
The Bookman’s Tale – the story of how a mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller’s search through time and the works of Shakespeare for his lost love – won almost a third of the total votes.
“I think one reason book groups here in the US have responded so positively to The Bookman’s Tale is that it seems to hit the sweet spot between page-turner and thought-provoking literary mystery,” says author Charlie Lovett. “In my many visits with book groups, readers have enjoyed exploring the influence of Shakespeare; the mechanics of multiple timelines; the dynamics of the relationship between Peter and Amanda, and the meaningful place of physical books in an increasingly digital society. Because The Bookman’s Tale is, on one level, an ode to ‘the book’ itself, it has held a strong appeal for those who care enough about books to gather in groups and discuss them.”
As a special treat to mark National Reading Group Day for reading groups everywhere, a guide to The Bookman’s Tale is available online, and you can also send questions to author Charlie Lovett using the @CharlieLovett and #NRGD2014
Reading The Bookman’s Tale
At the same time as voting for the National Reading Group Day Hidden Gem, we also invited reading groups to apply to receive and review 10 copies of the winning title. We have selected six National Reading Group Day reading groups who will be reading and reviewing The Bookman’s Tale who are:
The selected reading groups are: Stockton Central Library Reading Group from Stockton on Tees; Blackheath Library Evening Reading Group based in the London Borough of Greenwich; Long Marton Book Club which has members from Milburn, Dufton, Crackenthorpe and Appleby as well as Long Marton in Cumbria; Portaferry Reading Group which meets at Portaferry Library in Northern Ireland and Redditch-based Between The Lines Reading group in Worcestershire. They are joined by Sawley Reading Group in Lancashire; Masons Reading Group from Cartmel Fell in Cumbria and Wheatley Reading Group from Ilkley in West Yorkshire, who are all hosted by Brenda McLoughlin and who will be jointly reading and reviewing the winning ‘hidden gem’.
They will be posting their reviews on The Bookman’s Tale page on Reading Groups for Everyone.
Get involved
Visit The Bookman’s Tale page to read the reading group comments and post your own.
Send your views to @readingagency using the hashtag #NRGD2014
