Welcome to the first Book Club News of 2021, BookBrowse's monthly newsletter for book groups.

Articles include books in translation and how book groups are responding to the pandemic.

We also take a look at our lineup of current and upcoming book club discussions. We're able to share a limited number of copies of books with our members, but discussions are open to all, so if you see a book of interest, please do join us!

Best regards,

Davina, BookBrowse publisher

Introducing translated literature into your book club is a great way to expand the scope of what you read and discuss. Translated books make up a relatively small percentage of all books published in English, but within that small percentage lie vast opportunities to engage with unique artistic perspectives. Below is a selection of recent translations for your book group to enjoy.

The media often portrays book clubs as more interested in gossip and wine than books, but as you likely know, they're much more dedicated to reading and discussing than some would have you believe. I know because in our 20 year quest to provide exceptional reading recommendations to book clubs and inquiring readers, BookBrowse has surveyed more than 25,000 book club members, so I have seen firsthand that most are strong communities, passionate about books, vigorous in debate and learning.

What I didn't know is how they've been coping in 2020. So, over a period of two weeks in October, BookBrowse asked book club members (including many readers of this newsletter) to share their experiences with us--and over 3,400 answered. We compiled the responses into a recently published report, "Book Clubs in Lockdown."

The good news is that most book groups have risen to the challenges of 2020, learning new skills and reinforcing old friendships. Overall, three-quarters of respondents say their book club is currently meeting, but most are doing so in a different way to last year...

There can be few of us who aren't wishing for the Covid-19 pandemic to be over so we can go about our lives again. But when will that be? And will things go back to the same as they were or will there be a "new normal"?

At the time of our survey in October, over a third of respondents simply weren't going to be drawn into giving an opinion; of the remainder, more than half reckoned it would not be until the third quarter of 2021...

Discussions are open to all, so please join us!

If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification.

You can also find inspiration for your book club among our more than 150 past discussions including the books we discussed in 2020.

Usually published once a month, Book Club News is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish BookBrowse Highlights every Thursday, Publishing This Week every Sunday; and Librarian News monthly.