The Best of Book Clubs Part 2

Emily Adsett, The Haslemere Book Shop Book club

We are so lucky to have a wonderful book shop in Haslemere and I spoke to Emily Adsett about their own, extremely popular, book club. Started due to pressure from their customers, the Haslemere Book Shop Book Club has a whopping 129 people on their mailing list!

How does that work?

Well, with such demand, we divided it into two groups, one meeting on a Tuesday afternoon and one on a Thursday evening. And actually, we usually have around 10 people at each. The most we’ve had is 20 and that was a bit of a squeeze. The same book is discussed at each sitting and we’re not strict on which you attend so people can choose the time that suits them best each month.

What’s good about your book club?

It has been running for 6 years now, and I’ve made very close friends. It’s been particularly great for people who might perhaps be new to the area and don’t know many people yet. Because it’s a book shop run club, they don’t need a way in. They can just join and that’s so good for making those first connections.

What would you say to anyone worried that it might be too high brow for them?

That’s funny because we have actually had someone leave because there wasn’t enough in-depth analysis and they expected us to be more literary. It’s a very friendly group. Also, we have people who come along each week and just sit quietly and listen, and that’s fine too.

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