This year, libraries, learning spaces, and community venues across Blackpool are opening their doors for a series of welcoming events that all circle around the same idea: books are better when they’re shared. Whether it’s cross table debates or a relaxed craft and read, you’re doing it right if it involves a brew. We’ve complied you a list of what’s on while members of The Social Lit book club share their recommendations.
Palatine Library: Craft, Conversation and Reading Hour
Thursday 23 April
6.00 –7.30pm
Free – No booking required
Palatine Library is marking The Reading Agency’s #ReadingHour with a calm but creative evening of bookish celebration.
People are invited to get hands-on with the Cricut machine and make their own personalised book bag and bookmark, which already feels like the kind of thing that quietly gets competitive in the best way. Alongside that, there’s space to meet other readers, chat about what everyone’s reading, and just enjoy being around people who get it.
Tea, craft, conversation — no pressure, just books.
Blackpool Learning Rooms: grab a free book on Open Day
Thursday 23 April
3:30 – 5:00pm
Free – No booking required
Over at Blackpool Learning Rooms, World Book Night is being marked with a book giveaway alongside an open drop-in session. It’s a chance to pop in and learn more about courses on offer. Tutors will be on hand to answer any questions you might have in taking the next step in your learning journey. Or, just collect a free book and head off into the evening with something new to read!
Aunty Social: The Social Lit BYOB
Thursday 23 April
6:00 – 7:30pm
Free – No booking required
Bring your own book to share and discuss with this popular reading group. It could be a firm favourite, a guilty pleasure, a book you couldn’t finish, or one you pointlessly saw through to the end. As always there’s no pressure, just conversation, different perspectives, and a chance to connect over the books that have stuck with you for better or worse.
You can also take part in a book swap – pass something you’ve read on and discover something new. We also have copies of The Cove by L J Ross to give away – kindly gifted by The National Literacy Trust.
There’s tea, coffee and good times, but if you’re still feeling kinda shy, here’s a peek into some members’ chosen books.
A few years ago, I was feeling extremely disillusioned with reading. Besides listening to a certain series of books about a magically inclined teenager (I’m a hard 90s child), my experiences in reading had been mostly academic for the best part of a decade. Due to certain associations with She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I found myself out of luck for something to read and/or listen to. I looked to Instagram and fell into the corner known as BookTok. This is how I found Butcher and Blackbird. Although not a dark ‘romance’ for beginners, this was my first insight into smut and this general side of fiction. It has everything: excitement, a Dexter-like quality in the main characters, and a reasonable amount of comedy. Please be warned, there is a lengthy TW list, orzo and ice cream will be ruined for you. This isn’t my favourite book by far, but it holds a special place in my heart for reintroducing me to the joy of reading. Since reading Butcher and Blackbird, I’ve joined Social Lit and read books in so many genres I’ve never previously considered.
My BYOB is The Bone Collector. It might sound familiar as this book was adapted into a 1999 film with Angelina Jolie and a TV series – Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. These were very good but of course the book was better. I feel the characters of the book are quite different to the usual protagonists we see in thrillers. Lincoln Rhyme is quadriplegic forensic criminalist and, somewhat reluctantly, with the help of the team and technology, tries to catch a serial killer. This is also the first book in the Lincoln Rhyme series which is brilliant if you’re like me and want to enjoy the characters progression for a long time to come.
I’m bringing my current read to the group. It’s The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A.van der Kolk. I found the book whilst searching for the ‘professions’ category at this month’s meeting. It wasn’t chosen (it’s okay, I forgive you book buds) but after reading the blurb my mind wouldn’t let it go. It’s written by an expert in traumatic stress and it’s all about the impact that stress can have on a body. If I’m honest, some of the serious cases are difficult to read but the descriptions are respectful and spare us graphic details where possible. The physical effects stress can have on the body are quite frankly, wild and terrifying. I’d definitely at least skim this book if you have been rattled to any degree by your time so far on planet earth. Happy healing era guys.
Slaughterhouse-Five is a delightfully unusual, cross-genre story – part history, part autobiography, part time-travelling alien abduction story. The book is rooted in Kurt Vonnegut’s own experiences of being a prisoner of war and witnessing the infamous destruction by firebombing of the German city of Dresden during the Second World War. I’m bringing it to BYOB because I love Vonnegut’s style and this a book that has heavily influenced my personal philosophy. There are times we shouldn’t accept things as they are they, in other moments it’s better to say ‘F*ck it, so it goes’.
