Reading Groups
If you are looking for a reading group to join, there are groups at the following libraries:
- Poole Central Library
- Branksome
- Broadstone
- Canford Heath
- Creekmoor
- Hamworthy
- Rossmore
You can find more details of meetings on our What's On page.
If you belong to a group or are thinking of starting one, the library offers special support:
- Free group membership
- Free reservations of multiple copies
- Special 9-week loan period
- Support and advice on setting up and running a reading group
- Book recommendations and suggestions (see below)
- Invitations to participate in author events and book promotions
- Venues to meet - contact your local library to see what can be arranged
- Extra support for reading groups in sheltered housing
Share your views on the books you have read! We are keen to hear your opinions on books and feature some of them on this website. Contact Jenny Oliver with your reviews.
For more ideas and reviews check out the following websites:
Harper Collins www.readinggroups.co.uk/ 
Penguin Readers' Group website
Too busy to join a Reading group? Become an online member of The Guardian Reading Group
Recommended Reads for Reading Groups
The following titles are available from the library in multiple copies for use by reading groups. Many of them have been featured in book promotions including the Richard and Judy Book Club and Summer Reads.
Restless, by William Boyd
As a wartime agent, Eva Delectorskaya has experienced danger and betrayal. For years she has hidden her past, even from her own daughter, Ruth. Now she has one last assignment and needs Ruth's help. Parallel stories of mother and daughter interweave and contrast in this tense, edgy story.
The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly
Mickey Haller is the sort of lawyer that operates out of the back of a Lincoln car. When a Beverley Hills rich boy is arrested for brutally beating a woman, Haller has his first high-paying client in years and might even be in the rare position of defending a client who is actually innocent. But when his case starts to fall apart, it appears that neither the suspect nor the victim are quite what they seem. A real legal thriller.
Love in the Present Tense, by Catherine Ryan Hyde
For five years Pearl has managed to keep the past from catching up with her and her bright, frail five-year-old son, Leonard. Then one day Pearl drops her son off and never returns. Leonard is left to the care of Pearl's neighbour, Mitch. This is the story of how the unlikely pair survive and grow.
My Best Friend's Girl, by Dorothy Koomson
Best friends Kamryn Matika and Adele Brannon thought nothing could come between them, until Adele did the unthinkable and slept with Kamryn's fiance, Nate. Worse still, she got pregnant and had his child. Now Adele is dying and begs Kamryn to adopt her daughter, Tegan. So begins a difficult journey that leads Kamryn towards forgiveness, love, responsibility and, ultimately, a better understanding of herself.
The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
Elizabeth Kostova's beautifully written, fast-paced novel plunges the reader into a world of evil secrets, sinister histories, dark pasts and a shockingly vibrant version of Dracula with a rather terrifying taste for librarians.
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
A young girl, hoping to find a cure for her mother's loneliness, stumbles across a book that changed her mother's life and goes in search of the author.
Meanwhile Leo Gursky is just about surviving life in America. Once he wrote a book in honour of his love but now he assumes that the book, and his dreams, are irretrievably lost. A captivating story of the power of love, of loneliness and of survival.
The Girls, by Lori Lansens
Rose and Ruby Darlen are closer than most twin sisters. Indeed, they have spent their twenty-nine years on earth joined at the head, but they are remarkably different both on the inside and out. Together, they tell the story of their lives as the world's oldest surviving craniopagus twins. Lansens has created a richly nuanced, totally believable sibling relationship in this unsentimental, heart-warming page-turner.
The Highest Tide, by Jim Lynch
One unforgettable night, thirteen-year-old Miles goes to the flats near his home in search of shellfish, only to discover something startling and remarkable: a giant squid. Instantly, he becomes a local celebrity. This quirky novel entwines the riddles of the ocean with those of adolescence to produce a witty and thought-provoking coming-of-age fable.
Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse
Skilfully blending the lives of two women - separated by 800 years, yet united by a common destiny, Labyrinth is an adventure story in two different ages, steeped in the legends, secrets, atmosphere and history of the Cathars, Carcassonne and the Pyrenees. Winner of the Richard and Judy Best Read of 2006.
The Testament of Gideon Mack, by James Robertson
Set in contemporary Scotland, the novel uses the literary device of a discovered manuscript, the testament of Gideon Mack, which has fallen into the hands of a journalist. Mack is a minister who doesn't believe in God, the Devil or an afterlife until the incident in which he claims that he has an encounter with the Devil himself. A gripping story with a wonderful cast of characters.
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