North Books’ third book club edges away from the usual convention of only inviting readers to discuss a single book (though this can happen from time to time) to opening up our evenings to a more general celebration of our shared love of storytelling and the people behind the words on the page. We’ll frame a forward plan in our first meeting but are open to all your ideas. Together we can create a set of events that keeps everyone curious and excited.

Thoughts in the pot so far include asking readers to choose any work from a given writer to encourage a wider discussion of the author’s creativity and output. We are also interested in dedicated genre events as well as putting poets, journalists, songwriters and historians in the mix. Fiction, non-fiction and everything in between.

It’s a book club but it’s a changing one. It will be one thing one month and something else the next time we meet – always, though, it will belong to the group and it will be shaped by you. The only common denominator will be words – and a conversation about them.

JOIN US

Participation will cost £5 (or free if the book is purchased in advance from North Books at a 10% discount). To join the group, please email Jules on jules@northbooks.co.uk.

THE BOOK

A selection of Winterson’s work that is in stock in North Books

On our second evening, Wednesday 17 May, let's talk about the stories of Jeanette Winterson, a writer with many novels to her name, as well as short story collections and non-fiction memoirs and essay collections. Choose any you like, have a read, and bring your thoughts to the group. All of her novels have received notoriety and are worth the investigation.

We can't wait to hear what you all think about the author of Oranges are not the Fruit, a memoir that put sexuality on the teenage map long before others followed suit.

The Passion was her first novel, written in 1987 and for a slim volume it certainly created attention. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal was the suggested starter from one of the group. Recently she has veered towards AI and Frankisstein is a splicing of Shelley’s classic with a modernistic spin while 12 Bytes is a series of essays on AI. All available to order.