Yeovil College Book Club - Five Things You Should Know About Us.

1. What We’re About:
   We’re passionate about books. A book is both the key and the door to other worlds, places and times; it speaks to us from both past and future, from imaginary worlds and our world, in many voices. A book can entertain or educate, invoke desire or despair, awaken thoughts, emotions, dreams and ideas. Basically, we love to read and we love to talk about what we read with like-minded folk who are equally passionate about books. And sometimes, we have cake.
    
2. What We Read:
   Each month, we read a book, chosen by our members. It could be anything, from the latest YA bestseller, to a cult classic or a popular genre novel, to literary prize-winners and classics.
    
   We read widely and well. By broadening our perceptions and ideas about what makes a good book, and what we enjoy about reading, it allows us all to try new genres or types of fiction. This can be a surprising process.
    
   Books we’ve read so far have included “TheGoldfinch” by Donna Tartt, “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green, “NorwegianWood” by Haruki Murakami, “And The Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini, “Cityof Bones” by Cassandra Clare and “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty. All previous and current titles are available to borrow, so if you'd like to catch up, or if you're thinking you'd love to start your own local book group and need some fantastic titles to kick things off, we can definitely help. You can contact us at: learningcentre@yeovil.ac.uk for more information.
    
3. Where We Meet and What It’s Like:
    
   We communicate about what we’ve read - face to face, on Twitter and on our blog. Once a month, on the fourth or last Tuesday, at 4pm in Yeovil College, we get together and talk it out.
    
   We discuss what we loved or hated, chat about characters and their choices, gently prise out meanings and secrets and point out favourite lines or sections. We listen and respect everyone’s opinion. We also make friends, share anecdotes, jokes and opinions, and we laugh. Frequently and sometimes raucously. Sometimes everyone is in agreement about how great – or ghastly - a book is. Sometimes, we’re not – but it’s the differences of opinion and taste that make a book club so exciting.
    
4. Why We’re So Great:
    
   We piloted lending Nook e-readers to book club members in 2013. Preloaded with every book the club has read thus far, they allow everyone to try out e-reader technology and encourage inclusivity. With text-to-audio capability and a host of enjoyable features which make them great for studying, they’re a fantastic opportunity for our students to become familiar with emerging digital opportunities and to enhance their studies.
    
   We actively encourage creative collaboration. Our YC Reading blog and Twitter feed complement the club’s activities and encourage positive social media engagement and opportunities to build a dynamic and appealing digital identity; a vital prerequisite for today’s students and graduates applying to universities and employers. By contributing to our blog and digital activities, students are empowered to learn and use new skills, and to learn how to navigate the digital world in a beneficial manner.
    
   We have hosted and organised a growing range of exciting literary events and opportunities for both our students and the local community. These have included hosting the 2014 Reading Passport tour, with prominent local authors Adam Nevill and Gareth L. Powell reading excerpts from their novels, discussing their chosen genres, and answering questions from the audience. Thanks to funding from Literature Works and the Grassroots Fund, in 2015 we organised and ran creative writing workshops with prestigious authors and creative writing tutors Belinda Seaward and Joffre White; one held at For Every Cloud, Langport, and the other held at Yeovil College’s University Centre. We plan to continue to build on these successful events and host more fantastic literary events, workshops and groups in the coming year.
    
5. It’s Easy To Get Involved:
    
   We welcome everyone and anyone who wishes to get involved and join in with our club and events. We provide all the books, in hard copy or on e-readers, and they are available to borrow from our Learning Centre desk. Students and staff can use their ID cards to borrow books; external borrowers can set up an account with us quickly and easily. Contact the Learning Centre on (01935)845450 for more information, or email us at: learningcentre@eyovil.ac.uk.
    
   We are happy for members to come along to all meetings – however we understand if that’s not possible. If life’s getting hectic or you can’t make a meeting, not to worry. Submit your reviews to us by email, and we’ll post it on our blog at http://ycreading.blogspot.co.uk
    You can also tweet us at @YC_Reading to join in the conversation.
    
   We would love to have more contributors to the blog. We’re looking for exciting, dynamic and creative content about all things bookish. Whether it’s reviewing what you’ve read, writing an opinion piece, comparing a film/tv adaptation to the book or making us a list of what you love and why, we want to have it. Send us your content, or a brief summary of what you’d like to write and why, to learningcentre@yeovil.ac.uk with the subject “Book Club Blog” and you could be writing for us.