Book Clubs

For those who haven’t yet discovered them, book clubs are groups of readers who come together on a regular basis, usually monthly, to read and discuss books, with the emphasis being on reading for enjoyment. Reading is mainly a solitary activity but in a book club it becomes a shared experience and a social activity. New friendships develop and new authors are discovered. The book no longer ends on the final page. The pleasures and the traumas of each book are re-lived as views and opinions are shared and explored. Library-based clubs usually meet in the library. Others meet in their own homes, in restaurants, in colleges, in community centres etc. As the club evolves, cinema outings, visits to plays, Christmas meals etc all become part of the book club experience. Most clubs meet once a month and read and discuss one book per month. There are various methods of choosing a book and it varies from club to club. Size-wise, groups of between 8-10 people seem to work well. However, there is no one right way to run a book club. Each club will establish their own guidelines as they discover what suits their particular group. Some clubs are very casual, others are more formal. Some involve a glass of wine and some food, others a cup of tea and a biscuit. Each book club is different but the common factor in all is that they are a great way of sharing a love of books and of making friends along the way.
Book clubs are not a modern phenomenon and, contrary to popular belief, they were not invented by Oprah Winfrey. The first formal book club is believed to have started in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1643. Meanwhile in Britain, mill girls were reading books together before work. In more recent times, a 1960s report reveals details of a reading circle where women read aloud to each other as they caught up on their knitting and mending. Oprah, however, can be credited with the current book club phenomenon. Today, book clubs have spread worldwide and, in Ireland alone, there are several hundred in existence.
The annual Ennis Book Club Festival, in association with Clare County Library, was born out of the huge interest that exists in reading and discussing books. It has grown year on year as book clubs from all over Ireland gather in the Clare capital for a weekend full of literary activities. The 2009 event will run from 6th – 8th March.
Clare County Library runs bookclubs in many of its branches and new members are always welcome.
Ennis Library 065 6846353
Adult bookclub – 1st Tuesday of every month at 7pm.
Children’s bookclub – 1st Tuesday of every month at 3.15pm
Shannon Library 064 364266
Adult bookclub – One Tuesday monthly at 7pm
Children’s bookclub – 1st Wednesday of every month at 4pm
Kilrush Library 065 9051504
Adult bookclub - Last Wednesday of every month at 6.30pm
Children’s bookclub – Last Wednesday of every month at 5.30pm
Killaloe Library 061 376062
Adult bookclub #1 – 1st Wednesday of every month at 6.45pm
Adult bookclub #2 - 1st Tuesday of every month at 11.00 a.m.
Scariff Library 061 922893
Adult bookclub - 1st Thursday of every month at 7.00pm
Children’s bookclub – Last Thursday of every month at 3.30pm
Kilkee Library 065 9056034
Children’s bookclub - 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6.30pm
Newmarket Library 061 368411
Adult bookclub – One Tuesday each month
Miltown Library 065 7084822
Children’s Bookclub – Every fourth Friday at 4pm