From Jane Austen Appreciation to Book Sharing… Some of the Best Book Clubs Every Reader Should Join

Jane Austen Book Club: Started by a 16-year-old in 2012, this book club, as its name suggests, aims to study and appreciate the works of Jane Austen and her writing style. He brings together Janeites from all over the city to read, re-read, discuss, share and enjoy his books. It also organizes creative writing competitions, events, workshops and meetups across Mumbai. They recently created a Google Group to actively share writing and reading job opportunities.

Fun fact: The club held its first meeting on Jane Austen’s 237th birthday on December 16, 2012.

Caferati: What started as a literary blog in 2004 by three friends quickly branched out into a book club through social media. Caferati is one of the oldest and most active book clubs in Mumbai. Currently it is also a writers forum to support and encourage writing. This book club extends to cities like Delhi and Bangalore.

Broke bibliophiles: This community is a national book club. During their monthly meetings, members discuss the books they have read, as opposed to members discussing their views on a single book, which happens in some book clubs. They also recommend books and discuss at length the film adaptations (if any) of them. You can also contact them if you need help buying or selling books or even promoting them. You can find the club on Facebook and Instagram.

Bombay Book Club: They are as fun and relaxed as a book club can be. Their monthly meetings include book readings, recommendation sessions, discussions and book exchanges. Many aspiring authors and poets are part of the club.

Bookelphie: It’s more of a participatory library than a book club, but it’s still a community of book lovers. Here, a network of bibliophiles lend and borrow books from each other. The key factor here is that you can request books shared by members of the network. It’s a great community because you can showcase your book collection, maintain your library, and share it with readers.

Chennai Tamil Book Readers/Writers Meeting: A one-of-a-kind dating group in Chennai that caters to people who are interested in reading/writing books, novels, poems or any form of writing in Tamil. A one-of-a-kind dating group, it also encourages people to take up writing and reading in Tamil. This is the place to go if you want to start learning this regional language.

The pen: Also known as the International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Publishers, Essayists and Novelists, PEN has its Indian chapter in Mumbai. It is one of the oldest and most famous literary clubs in the world.

One can be either an associate member or a full member of PEN; although no specific qualifications are required to be an associate member, to be a full member you must have at least two books published in your name. The group meets once a month at Theosophy Hall in Mumbai. They charge a $25 fee for reader circles.

Fun Fact: Currently, they have three circles within PEN: the Readers’ Circle, the Writers’ Circle and the Editors’ Circle.

Posted: Sunday, May 8, 2022, 12:58 p.m. IST