Book Club Day UK: Stories you love, people to meet, a day for book clubs.
What is Book Club Day UK?
Book Club Day UK (11 September) is a time to share the joy of being part of a book club, to encourage new clubs to form and to help support existing book clubs so that even more people will discover how book clubs build stronger, more connected communities. To help with the run up to the day, we are pleased to be shining a spotlight on some book clubs to share how they run their clubs.
Meet the club
Tell us a bit about your club
TYA Next Chapter Book Club was born in 2020, when the pandemic meant that young people with a cancer diagnosis were shielding and having little contact with anyone outside of their own household, except for medical professionals when needed. Books are a perfect way of escaping reality, so creating a virtual book club seemed the way to go!
What’s the story behind your club’s name?
#TYANextChapter represents that those Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) are going through something that was ‘not part of the plan’, and the focus is on working through this current chapter of their life at their own pace, and towards their Next Chapter.
Where and how often do you meet?
TYA Next Chapter has evolved over the past 5 years to now cover 4 different regions across the UK (West Midlands, North East, Scotland and South Thames), and meetings are virtual. We tend to read around 4-5 books a year in 2 sittings, so meet approx. every 6-8 weeks as agreed with our readers.
Our experience
What do your members enjoy most about being in a book club?
The chance to meet others from across the UK and share their love of reading, hear a different perspective and we have on several occasions been lucky enough to be joined by the author of the book that we have read, which is always exciting and insightful. Being virtual also means that we often have pet guest appearances too.
What book discussions have stood out?
Our Summer Reading Raffle has been a winner for the past 2 years, with everyone being allocated a different book to read at random via ‘The Wheel of Names’. It has encouraged people to try a different genre, style of writing and generally something new! Some absolutely loved their book, other were surprised by enjoying something they would not usually gravitate to, and others have put down the book after the first chapter to read something else. As we concluded, everyone shared their thoughts, and we compiled a recommended reads list to share with others.
Has your group ever done anything outside of reading together?
TYA Next Chapter has been such as success for the young people that we support, as it offers the chance for escapism through a good book, and the chance to join a social event wherever you are. We have had patients join from hospital, their bedroom, walking home from work, and even a campervan in Italy! Our Book Club gives those involved the chance to be part of something that is on their own terms, and that they know will be there throughout the year.
Does your group use social media, a blog, or a newsletter? If so, how has it helped your club?
The Youth Support Coordinators share Book Club news on their LinkedIn pages, and we have a dedicated Instagram page tya_next_chapter where we share information about our Book Club, and encourage authors to get onboard!
Our book club recommendations
What books would your club recommend to others?
Our readers tend to enjoy thrillers, and we have been fortunate enough to meet some of the authors to discuss their books too! Firm favourites over the years have been The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, Win Kill Lose Die by Cynthia Murphy, The 31 Days of May by Helen Aitchison, Totally Deceased by Sue H Cunningham and we even read a classic The Witches by Roald Dahl. The books that we read can be very varied, but often it is those that are a step away from real life that hit the spot as it offers real escapism.
Are there any authors or genres your group keeps returning to?
We tend to naturally gravitate to murder mystery and thrillers, and I guess that is because they are far removed from every day life. There has been a recent interest in sci-fi and fantasy too, but we try and keep our choices varied to keep people on their toes!
Tips & advice
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own book club?
Don’t be disheartened if it isn’t an instant success, as consistency is the key. Making sure that readers have a chance to get involved with choosing the books is great, and freebies thrown in such as bookmarks or hot chocolate sachets for readers can really help create a shared experience.
How do you choose your books?
We sometimes have already chosen books as we support from an author to join us for the final read through of a book, but at least once a year we encourage people to vote on their choice of read and go with the majority. As mentioned before, our Summer Reading Raffle allocates everyone a completely different book to read over the summer, for us then to meet up and discuss, with everyone sharing a memorable line from the book and giving it a score.
Become a Book Club Rep!
The Book Club Hub team will be creating a group of Book Club Hub Reps of leaders of book clubs across the UK. The Book Club Hub Reps will have the chance to:
• Join a WhatsApp Broadcast Group where we will be sharing opportunities from The Reading Agency and publishers for your book clubs
• Join a Book Club Hub Reps meeting in January 2026 where we will be sharing information about our plans for the Book Club Hub and will also give you the opportunity for you to have your say and help shape the offer
• Join a database of information about book clubs who connect with the website so that we can get in touch with you directly for exclusive offers from publishers (your contact information will never be shared with publishers for this, without your permission)
Sign up to be a Book Club Hub Rep here.
Find out more
Visit our page to hear more about Book Club Day UK and how you can get involved.
Let us know if you would like to have a book club spotlight by emailing Kimberley.Sheehan@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.
