Rather than letting your covers gather dust, reignite your spark with a local book club and get together with other literary enthusiasts to rekindle your love of the hobby.
Not only will a book club get you out of that fiction-funk, but it will also offer opportunities to meet new friends, challenge your literary taste and open your mind to new perspectives.
Reading is the ideal escape from the constant glare of screens that populate our everyday lives, so put down your phone and pick up your book with the encouragement of your local reading initiative.
Here are eight opportunities to be part of a new friendship group with the common thread is a mutual passion for literature in Northern Ireland:
5. Books, Paper, Scissors Book Club
In the heart of Belfast’s scholarly district, neighbouring Queen’s University and the Ulster Museum, Books, Paper, Scissors welcomes you from the bottom of Stranmillis. To suit the busy schedules of all, as well as to accommodate their surging popularity, this sought-after book club hosts two sessions discussing the same book in both the morning and evening, ensuring as many people as possible can be involved. The relaxing atmosphere welcomes opinions of all kinds, with open, unintimidating conversation. The cosy space of their store, which is surrounded by walls lined with bright, lively book covers makes for the perfect space to get comfortable with new ideas. Their reading group is popular for a reason, so be sure to keep an eye on your email after you’ve joined the mailing list, as this monthly book club is offered on a first come first served basis. For more information, go to bookspaperscissors.co.uk/book-club Photo: Books, Paper, Scissors Book Club website
6. u3a Book Club
Meeting at Omagh’s Silverbirch Hotel, the u3a book club is a space for retirees to boost their social levels through monthly chats with local folk who also love books. Joining up at 2pm on the fourth Monday of each month, this group covers several different book types, including everything from women’s fiction and romance to thought-provoking memoirs. Pauline O’Hagan, the group’s convenor, advocates for any bibliophiles to join in with their local Tyrone community, whether you borrow the group’s next read from the library, buy it secondhand or purchase it brand new from a retailer. Planning ahead to mid-2025, you can stock up on future months’ picks and binge read each title in advance when the desire to grab a book inevitably arises. For more information, go to u3asites.org.uk/omagh Photo: u3a website
7. The Gloss, Belfast
The lively ladies of Belfast bring passionate discussions and opinions to this all-welcoming female monthly book club, The Gloss. A book club branch that casts its shadow over the entire globe, with more than 150 groups spread across 15 countries, the monthly meet at the Fountain Lane Bar brings everyone together in a true show of cultural community. The multitude of these book clubs make The Gloss a great opportunity for newbies to a city or ladies looking to put themselves out there to meet new people and read diverse material. Newcomers are extended a warm embrace and advised to attend 30 minutes before their first Gloss meeting to ensure an easing welcome into the swing of this operation, reducing all those first-time social anxiety nerves. For more information, go to theglossbookclub.com/events/belfast Photo: The Gloss website
8. Emma Neill’s Book Club
For the edgy, matcha-loving, sea-swimming, charity-shopping girls, Belfast-based Emma Neill’s Book Club has you covered. Run via her Instagram broadcast channel, this book club welcomes all readers to read along with Emma, whose taste in books is as exquisite as her fashion. One of the perks of Instagram is that this book club is interactive, meaning you can vote on the book for next month while sharing your opinion of the last pick. While you can participate in this book club solely through Instagram, welcoming opinions of readers across the world, Emma organises monthly meet-ups in and around the capital to complement the online participation. Swims at Helen’s Bay and hipster coffee dates are on the cards for this new book club’s future, making it the ideal way to meet girls who share your lifestyle and interests. For more information, go to instagram.com/emmaneill Photo: Emma Neill’s Book Club on Instagram