You wouldn't read about it

By Teri Fitsell

Aldous Huxley wrote "the proper study of mankind is books." Nowadays students of mankind are getting together in book groups.

These clubs, where handfuls of people gather each month to discuss literature, have been around a long time, but they've undergone an explosion in interest, been popularised on TV and gone virtual on the Internet. Membership of a book club is as essential a fashion accessory now as the sleekest brand of mobile phone was two weeks ago.

No doubt Oprah, the chat queen, would like to take credit for the boom in such groups. When she ventured 18 months ago to recommend some books to her faithful viewers, each of her choices became immediate bestsellers. They still do, and she even has a Website devoted to her literary inclinations.

Other programmes to have given book groups the televisual seal of approval include Sea Change and Mad About You, which also highlighted a common cause of death for book clubs - members not actually reading that month's chosen tome.

Probably the most frequent question surrounding book clubs is whether they really are about literature, or simply an excuse to get together for a bottle of wine and a gossip, while smugly pretending to partake of cerebral nourishment.

Not so, says Charlotte Armstrong, who is in marketing and promotions at Penguin Books.

She noticed how popular book groups were becoming when working in her mother Helen's bookstore, Wild Swans, in Auckland. She became so interested in the phenomenon that she wrote a thesis on the subject as part of a publishing course she completed at Whitireia Polytechnic in Wellington.

Entitled Towards Developing a Marketing Strategy, the thesis is a detailed independent study focusing on who belongs to book groups, how they operate, and how books are chosen.

As well as revealing information of interest to the publishing industry itself - such as, an average book group will buy 12 books a person a year - the thesis also focuses on people's reasons for joining.

Says Charlotte: "The No 1 reason was that they enjoyed the social interaction and felt it was a non-threatening way to share their views and thoughts. One replied that the subjects which arose through their book discussions were far more stimulating than other social occasions."

Helen Armstrong says book clubs are a major part of Wild Swans' activity. "We have evenings for the clubs, in which members come into the shop after closing time, and we discuss book selection with them over a glass of wine. These evenings are very popular. We have a couch, music playing and they can mull over the choices. There is a club stand, where good books are displayed alongside reviews of them.

"We also have author evenings and we help out book clubs looking for new members. Most inquiries are from women but men do join sometimes and there are some men-only groups out there, too."

Anyone wanting to start or join a club should approach their local bookseller who should be able to put you in touch with like-minded individuals. Some shops - and in New Zealand that includes some of the big chains - will also offer guidance and, most importantly, discounts.

If price is still a problem, a money-saving alternative is to contact the WEA's Book Discussion Scheme in Christchurch, a non-profit-making organisation which lends books to clubs.

Says coordinator Shelagh Murray: "At present, 526 book clubs belong to the BDS. Each member of each of those clubs pays a $30 subscription fee. In return, we put out a new catalogue of books annually from which they make 10 choices."

Copies of those choices are sent to each member, along with book notes for guidance. At the end of the year, the groups are responsible for returning all books to the scheme.

"Our membership has risen 10 per cent a year over the past three years," she says, and adds: "I'm sure the economic factor is the main attraction for groups joining the scheme."

Most groups in New Zealand operate independently, like the one which nurse and massage therapist Mary Darragh helped to organise five years ago, which still meets once a month in members' houses in the Grey Lynn area.

"It started because I have always been an avid reader, but had reached the stage where I was stuck for inspiration about what to read. I needed to widen my choices and to get other people's influence, to increase the diversity of books I was reading.

"Our group's membership is made up of consultants, PR people, artists ... some have degrees. The age ranges between 40 and 50 and I think if we have one thing in common it is that we are independent thinkers, many of us are self-employed or work in some kind of consultancy role. I'd say we're individuals and without being aloof we all like to retreat a little.

"We started out having a topic, say Japanese writers or some kind of theme, but found it didn't really work as some people didn't do their homework. Now we just read new books, take it in turns to comment on them during the meetings and pass them on to each other. Some of our members say the club is the highlight of their month."

Not all book groups are so convivial.

Says Helen Armstrong: "Some groups fail. Some fade away slowly as members lose interest ... people stop reading the books. Other clubs die suddenly when all the members fall out over a particular book."

John Barr, promotions manager of Booksellers New Zealand, says a common area of discontent is if one member dominates proceedings too much. He cited an article published in the Wall Street Journal this year entitled The Tyranny of the Book Group, which revealed that in the United States (where there are believed to be more than 250,000 such groups) some book clubs actually employ specially trained facilitators to keep the peace.

These people, who can be paid around $400 a throw, choose reading matter for groups to prevent them bickering over selections, provide discussion questions and keep aggressive members from strangling one another.

Of course some groups take a more direct approach to dealing with troublesome members: they simply fail to tell them when or where the next meeting is.

If you really want to avoid any lashing out over literature, there's always the option of joining a virtual book group. There are lots on the Internet and publishers have swiftly woken up to the potential to attract more book-buyers.

Many publishing houses now have Websites, and some like Simon and Schuster (www.simonsays.com) and Penguin (www.penguin.co.au) are aimed at groups. Simon and Shuster's Website includes reading guides, reviews and author profiles.

Whichever way you do it, reading is certainly back in fashion. With or without the group therapy.