Reading Groups

Do you enjoy reading and talking about books?
If you do, why not join our friendly and informal Reading Groups. They are a great way to read, share and explore new books and find new authors.
The way they work is that members choose a book to read over a month from our Reading Group Book List and then we meet to discuss it. There is something for everyone, including:
- Modern fiction
- Classics
- Non - fiction
Shared Reading with Derby Book Festival
What is Shared Reading? People meet up, read, listen and chat about great stories and poems. It’s an experience that helps 1000s of people around the UK feel good and live well.
Reading together has a unique power to connect us, help us feel better and be more able to cope with life’s challenges.
Who can benefit from Shared Reading? Many people say Shared Reading has a positive impact on their happiness and wellbeing, reducing social isolation and building self-confidence.
What happens at a Shared Reading session? All kinds of literature is shared; poems, short plays, comedy sketches, song lyrics, diary entries, letters and short stories. The sessions are friendly & open and guided by trained volunteers. People only read out loud and chat if they want to. Lots of people join our Shared Reading sessions just to listen. Everyone is welcome.
How is the reading material chosen? Materials for the sessions are chosen by people joining the sessions and by volunteers. It’s a fantastic opportunity to explore new exciting literature.
Who would benefit from Shared Reading? Anyone can benefit, but particularly people looking for new groups to join, want an introduction to different types of literature, or just want to make new friends. Many social prescribers are recommending Shared Reading as part of their holistic therapy programmes.
Find out more at the Derby Book Festival website and secure your place by emailing shared.reading@derbybookfestival.co.uk.
Facebook Reading Group
If you are unable to come to our groups in person you can join our Facebook Reading Group.
Derby Libraries Facebook Reading Group is a welcoming online space where members can join together to read, share, and explore books and find new authors. You can also join in the online conversation about the books you’ve read, new authors you’ve discovered, do some book reviews, make recommendations to the group a great place to share your love of reading!
We highlight books available for multiple downloads from our eLibrary so lots of people can read them at once – this is great for Reading groups, download the book and read at the same time as your friends.
The group is free to join and open to everyone
Running your own reading group
Do you run your own Reading Group or Book club? Would you like to meet in one of our Libraries?
We have a great selection of Reading Group Book sets for you to borrow.
Groups that meet in the library are entitled to a group ticket and sets can be delivered to a library of your choice.
The sets are popular reading group titles which we think you will enjoy discussing.
Discover some great book titles that your group can read next.
Get in touch if you would like to find out more about setting up a reading group.