Blackburn Libraries Tuesday Reading Group



All reading groups are special. They give a community a place where like-minded people can come together. Our reading group is no different, but as a group we are exploring new horizons, travelling new avenues of understanding and entering fields of literature some have previously been unaware of or wary about.  In our endeavours we are encouraging, supportive and informative towards each other.

 When we are all present, there are nine of us, but that is rare. Aged 50 and above, some well into retirement, we seem to be an homogenous group of elderly women. Appearances can, however, be deceptive. When we get down to serious discussion we are often very diverse.

Our Group meets at the main library in Blackburn, Lancashire, every Tuesday morning, hence our name. We have the use of a meeting room for our group, from 10.15 a.m. to ll.45 a.m. It seems an odd time, but has evolved as one that is best for the majority of our members. Initially we were led either by a member of the library staff, or by a member of the BBC Lifelong Learning team. Now that we are four years old, we have been given the freedom of self-government, with a member of the library staff joining us once a month to catch up on what we are reading, or to bring a suggestion to the group.

We have amongst us retired school teachers, retired police officer/librarian, retired midwife, mature graduates and semi-retired mothers; mothers never really retire. Amongst our group we have various disabilities but ensure there is no handicap. The library has a lift and we hold our discussions around a table just large enough for the number of chairs necessary so that those who are hard of hearing can partake of all discussions. 

Despite this diversity the one thing we all have in common is our love of literature, a desire to express our personal reading and thirst for knowledge of others' readings of the same work. Time and experience has shown us that there are many ways to read a book and other readings can enhance our own.

In achieving our aim of reading, dissecting and discussing as many works of literature as possible, we have steadily worked our way through what seems to be a vast array of literary genre. We are prepared to tackle anything and feel pioneering when approached by the librarian with a suggestion which is without our field of experience. Over the past year we have embraced the BBC Big Read list and read and discussed, amongst others, To Kill a Mocking Bird and Of Mice and Men with great enthusiasm.

We try to alternate our reading choices between classic and modern, and have discovered many delights amongst the newest literature on the market. The latest Anne Tyler, Back When we were Grownups, was not well received by everyone but did, nevertheless, arouse some interesting discussion on family life and relationships. The Memory Stones by Kate O'Riordan was almost unanimously voted a great read, giving rise to discussion on style, subject and depth of personality that the author wove within this memorable novel. 

Perhaps one of our most satisfying discussions was on The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. We read this novel over four weeks and approached each weekly discussion with chosen passages and a certain amount of research of both the writer and the novel. At the end of the four weeks every member of the group felt that they had reached a deep love and understanding of this novel. 

Meetings could never be called ritualistic. Catching up on each others' health and activities is relevant, almost as much as what we are reading outside of the group novel. Exchange of knowledge on these levels contributes to our mutuality of each other and creates a community within which we can operate on the basis of understanding. When discussing the current group read, every opinion is valued, if not shared by all. Statements of opinion are questioned so that every member understands why someone does or does not like something about a novel. Every member is encouraged to contribute.

When a member is absent for a period of time for one reason or another, we feel the loss. It is like having a family discussion knowing some of it will have to be related to that absent member in order that a full consensus is achieved. On the rare occasion that all members are present the discussion can become fractured and some self-control is required to bring the group back to order; a school teacher disposition of one member or another often comes to the fore at such times.

As we grow and develop our love and understanding of literature, the group seems to be evolving of itself.  Some of the group have only been associated for a short time, others from the beginning. At this moment, we seem to have reached a point of cohesiveness and understanding which makes a reading group a satisfying and exciting place to be.