This book club was where I was first introduced to reading books by authors I’d not heard of, reading books from genres that I’d never even imagined existed and talking about all of these books and many more in-between. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was one such book, delightfully recommend by Christy. A fabulously feisty Canadian lady that came to the UK and found work, a husband and a baby to boot! Well, when I say found… I obviously don’t mean found…. that would just be weird.

Never did I think I’d pick up such a book and love it as much as I did. The same with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. These literary beauties (in my humble opinion), both now turned into films, were books that never in my wildest dreams, would I have thought I’d pick up and enjoy them. The thing is, I’m not very good at remembering the details of books, just the storyline, however, I know I loved them both for their ability to keep me wanting more.

As you’d expect, there were a couple of books, that were just not my thing. I loved the premise of the book Fifty Shades of Grey – don’t we all love the idea being whisked off our feet and spoiled by a powerful, handsome man? However, at this point in my life I volunteered with a women’s abuse charity and I didn’t like the parallels. This was before coercive control was known as it is today.

Also, there was one by Martina Cole (I cannot for the life of me remember the title), again, not for me. I’m not captivated by the dark and dreary tales of mystery and death. Give me a colourful, dreamy fantasy fairytale any day of the week!

This is probably why I love the Twilight series so much. Whilst occasionally grim – do cheery vampires exist? – I loved the love story. I loved that Bella’s melancholy nature attracted the uniqueness of Edward, two seemingly odd characters that find each other and thrive. It reflects life more than most people would care to admit. Who wouldn’t want to escape into a fairytale when they’re reading?

To lose yourself between the pages of a fantastical story, conjured up by the brain of someone who simply must have had an amazing childhood of stories and tales, plucked from the brain of another. Sadly, I don’t recall being read to at home very much as a child, but perhaps my memories are clouded. I do remember spending hours absorbing Bunty, Rupert the Bear, The Beano and The Dandy weekly comics and Christmas annuals though.

This connection and sharing are the primary purpose of book clubs. We all crave meeting with like-minded bookworms, but essentially, we want to delve into tales from new authors that with all the will in the world, we would simply not happen across, if it weren’t for other people passionately talking about their current read.  And this is where having a local bookshop comes into its own. Each member of staff will have their own childhood favourite authors, will recall novels read in school that have lodged in their memories, and who are journeying along their own literary path to where reach they are today. That path will continue to change and weave around recommendations from others, until the day they stop reading. (Or listening to audio books).

Book clubs will be a regular occurrence at That Little Bookshop, I hope that already established groups will want to use the cosy space at the bookshop, offering a myriad of book lovers to come together and discuss their go to authors and genres. If you host you own, please do get in touch with me and ask about the availability of the bookshop – it might be best to get in early, as I’m expecting to be busy!