Bookgroup of the Month

Every month we feature a different bookgroup. We'd like to hear from other bookgroups. Please email us at info@bookgroup.info and tell us about your bookgroup. Please fill in the questionnaire. If we choose it we'll send you a book voucher for £10.

Ardler Village Book Club, Dundee

Who are you?

I am Karen Hamilton and I am the Treasurer and organiser of the Ardler Village Book Club.

How did you get started?

I started this group as there was not a book group in my local area and it was something I was very interested in.

How long have you been going?

We started in April 2007 so 1 year.

Where and how often do you meet?

the book group meets once a month but as we have expanded into creative writing too the writing group meet every second week as well.

What sort of books do you read?

We don't read one genre and I try to get the girls reading books that they would not necesarily pick to read themselves.

Which books have provoked the best discussion?

I would have to say the ones that people didn't like. Although I have had a lot of success with the book choices there have been a couple that some of our readers didn't like. These titles have always generated the best discussions within the group and some of our discussions have been quite heated, although we have all remained friends at the end.

What was your worst read?

Our worst read has been "The Other Side of You" by Sally Vickers. Everyone in our group disliked this one. The plot was very predictable and uneventful. One of our members really struggled as she would fall asleep every time she tried to read it as it was so boring. The members themselves passed the test on this one though as they all stuck with it and finished it; something eveyone struggles with when they are reading something they are not enjoying.

Anything else?

I managed to get donations of books for our first two months and secured funding to provid us with books for a year. We also go on trips away. For example, we have been to the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh and are planning other trips in the summer. We have also had author visits to the group; James Robertson, Euan Macpherson, Les Brown and Lindesy Gardiner.
We have also expanded into creative writing and have just published the first issue of our own magazine "The Dundee Miscellany" which is available in every public library in the city and on our web site.