Book Club Day UK: be a reading rebel, join a book club.
What is Book Club Day UK?
Book Club Day UK (11 September 2026) is a day that celebrates the joy, connection and impact of shared reading, while supporting more people to start or join book clubs in their communities.
For 2026, we are inviting people to be a reading rebel and join a book club, make their book clubs more visible or invite someone new to join their club in September.
The messages are get your books out, find your people and build stronger communities. The day is a chance to bring people together to enjoy the power of reading and book talk, us our Book Club Hub to apply for book club sets to read and review, discover resources and welcome new readers into their circle.
Meet the club
Tell us a bit about your club
Book and Pudding Clubs UK, is a Nationwide Book Club Community, with 66 locations and over 2500 active members across the UK. The community has been running since February 2022, when the first club launched in Warwickshire, run by the community founder Jenna Smith. Since then, we have grown to 66 clubs running in England and Scotland. Clubs meet once a month to discuss the book of the month (each club chooses their own titles) and to eat delicious pudding. The perfect pairing! Our ethos is about fostering a sense of community, championing great books and obviously indulging in delicious puddings too!
What’s the story behind your club’s name?
Whilst out for lunch with her parents, Jenna noticed the coffee shop she was sat in had a bookshelf full of books. After a quick conversation with the owner (who didn’t read!) Jenna asked if the coffee shop would consider hosting a book club once a month. Inspired by The Book Taster Online book club she had been running for 3 years – Jenna wanted to bring that into an in person setting but wanted it to be a unique experience too. The idea came for the pudding – when coffee and cake was ordered and it seemed like the perfect accompaniment to a book club. So Book and Pudding Club was born!
Where and how often do you meet?
Our 66 clubs meet once a month, during the evening, in a variety of locations – but all support independently run venues. We meet in cosy coffee shops, cute country pubs, on farms … so many different venues but all with the heart of Book and Pudding Club within them.
What do your members enjoy most about being in a book club?
Aside from the books and the pudding (obviously) the feedback we get about our clubs is how welcoming, inclusive, professionally and enthusiastically our clubs are run. Each club is hosted by a ‘professional’ book club host – we do pride ourselves on building communities and spaces where people come along and don’t want to leave. Friendships are made, new authors are discovered and connection is built.
What book discussions have stood out?
We read a wide range of books that are in keeping with our three main ‘genres’ – the best book club discussions have come from those ‘marmite titles’ – where some people love them, others have not! There is also something special when you hear a member say that they would never have read the book if it wasn’t for book club – but they are so glad they found it! A number of titles which have stood out include- The Names, All the colours of the dark, Strange Sally Diamond, Weyward, The Silence in Between, Isaac and the Egg.
Has your group ever done anything outside of reading together?
We have 4 main book club social events across the year in the North West, Yorkshire, Midlands and The South. This is a day event where we have goodie bags, book swap tables, author interviews, food and it is a great chance for members (and non-members) to connect and meet new people. There is always a great buzz at these events.
We frequently have authors visiting our clubs to meet with members and talk about their books – which members love. Authors who have visited some of our locations include- France Quinn, Joanna Glenn Sarah Govett, AJ West, Sally Page, Josie Ferguson … and many more.
Many of our members also meet up socially outside of book club – with Rotherham Book and Pudding Club members recently getting together for a day of book shopping and a catch up! Our hosts have a festive get together which is a lovely way for us to socialise. We have even had members attend weddings of their fellow book lovers – due to meeting at book club!
Does your group use social media, a blog, or a newsletter?
We use social media to engage with our members, promote our events and find new members. It is a vital part of us finding our new members and hosts! Our pages are: the_book_taster & bookandpuddingclubsuk.
Our book club recommendations
What books would your club recommend to others?
📖 All the colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker: A powerful, thought provoking read with a cast of characters and a storyline that will reel you in.
📖 Boys Don’t Cry by Fiona Scarlett: An emotional and beautiful book which will not leave you.
📖 Frank and Red by Matt Coyne: An uplifting hug of a book which characters you really take to your heart.
📖 That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn: Historical fiction with a heartwarming and uplifting nature.
📖 Weyward by Emilia Hart: A compelling, suspenseful read that is perfect for the autumn months.
Are there any authors or genres your group keeps returning to?
This depends on each of our clubs. We have clubs which favour a certain genre within our selections, but our hosts do an amazing job of encouraging a range of picks throughout the year as we believe book club is somewhere you should push yourself gently to read something you might not normally pick up! That is why our clubs are special – members have a voice to choose the books that are read but they are guided, supported and facilitated by an incredibly passionate, knowledgeable and welcoming host.
Tips & Advice
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own book club?
Do it – you won’t regret it. We are always looking for new hosts and locations to help grown our community even more so we would love to hear from anyone who is keen to find our more about joining our amazing book club community.
How do you choose your books?
Every month our host puts forward three titles (from three different genres) for our members to vote on. Each member votes and the book with the most amount of votes wins!
Find out more
Visit our page to hear more about Book Club Day UK and how you can get involved.
Download the Comms Toolkit and Workplace Toolkit.
Let us know if you would like to have a book club spotlight by emailing bookclubhub@readingagency.org.uk.
Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #BookClubDayUK.
Keep up with all the latest news by joining our Book Club Hub Bulletin.
