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Edinburgh Book Club wins the Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers' Group Prize 2008
Laura’s Book Group from Edinburgh has won the 2008 Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers’ Group Prize. As part of their prize, the reading group will receive a visit from author Lauren St. John who will lead a reading group session on her book, Rainbow’s End (Penguin).
Laura’s Book Group has been meeting for over two and a half years, in and around Edinburgh. There are eleven women and two men in the group, who travel from all over central Scotland to attend meetings which are occasionally held in venues pertinent to the book’s theme. Recently they met in the meeting room of a pub below the Forth Road Bridge when discussing The Thirty-Nine Steps.
Laura Wilkie, founder of the book group commented: “We can’t believe it! We love our book group, so to be given this recognition from Penguin and Orange is such an honour. Laura’s Book Group has made a difference to all our lives, taking on a life of its own with catch-phrases, weekend AGM’s away, culinary experimentation and stimulating friendships with people we would otherwise have never met. The benefits have been more than we would ever have expected three years ago!”
www.readersgroupprize.com
The Bullingdon Prison Reading Group, Oxfordshire came second, one of all the oldest prison reading groups in the country.
The othergroups that were shortlisted are:
The Book Groupies, London
The European Reading Group, Canterbury Kent
The Rugby High School Reading Group, Warwickshire
St Michaels Reading Group, Doncaster
The shortlist for the 2008 Penguin / Orange Broadband Readers' Group Prize is below. Keep your eyes on the noticeboard at the end of August when the winners will be announced!
The six shortlisted groups are:
The Book Groupies, London
Bullingdon Prison Reading Group, Oxfordshire
The European Reading Group, Canterbury Kent
Laura's Reading Group, Edinburgh
The Rugby High School Reading Group, Warwickshire
St Michaels Reading Group, Doncaster
The Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers' Group Prize 2007 - The Winners!
The Books on the Broad Reading Group from Oxford has won the 2007 Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers’ Group Prize. As part of their prize, the reading group received a visit from author Naomi Alderman who led a session on her book, Disobedience (Penguin). You can see how she fared with Books on the Broad by clicking here.
Now in its sixth year, the aim of the prize is to find reading groups that illustrate individuality, reflect diversity of reading choices and demonstrate the pleasure of shared reading.
Books on the Broad
Books on the Broad is a mixed group of all ages and includes housewives, a mathematician, a political sociologist and a school governor. The group hold their monthly meetings in Blackwell’s and also have an online presence with a number of virtual members; as well as links with other book clubs in Germany and Italy. Kate Wilson, a member of Books on the Broad, said: “We were over the moon when we heard that we'd won! We've had so much fun together planning for the Penguin/ Orange Broadband Readers’ Group Prize. It's a splendid focus for all the energy and creativity that's out there in reading groups.”
Kate Jones, literary agent and Chair of judges said: "Books open many doors for many readers and after a lot of passionate debate we finally decided upon Books on the Broad, who brought an individual sense of adventure to the shared pleasures of finding new voices from around the world and rediscovering fresh delight in old favourites. They represent something found in all this years entries and as such are worthy winners.”
Second place was awarded to The Book Gluttons from London. This mixed group of all ages started just over a year ago in Victoria Library and offers commuters a much valued service. They win two sets of the 2007 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction shortlist.
Entries from Cornwall, Kent, Lincoln, London and Staffordshire were among the finalists. Entrants were asked where they meet, what they read, how they choose their members and what their reading group means to them. Entrants were also asked to write up to 500 words about what makes their reading group special.
Scott Jacobson, Director of Communications at Orange, commented: "The variety of entries this year has been fascinating. It's great to be able to reward the shared pleasure of reading and congratulations again to Books on the Broad."
In addition to the prizes, groups also had a chance to win visits from Penguin ambassadors including Helen Dunmore, Clare Clark and Nicci French. They will each undertake a reading group session with the following reading groups chosen at random from the 2007 entries:
VIP Reader's Group, Kent– will receive a visit from Nicci Gerrard
Sheffield University Women's Reading Group– will receive a visit from Clare Clark
Final reading group will be confirmed for Helen Dunmore's visit.
Previous winners of the Penguin/Orange Broadband Readers' Group Prize include the Parish Reading Group from Leicestershire (2006) and the High Down Prison Reading Group from Surrey (2005).
The Shortlisted Groups for 2007
1. The Book Gluttons, (London) came in 2nd place. This mixed group of all ages started just over a year ago in London in Victoria Library. The group meets the needs of commuters who would otherwise get home too late to join a local reading group.
2. The Book Groupies, (Lincoln). This mixed group of five members has gone from being acquaintances to true friends over the past seven years and the book group has become an important part of all their lives.
3. VIP Readers’ Group, (Kent). This mixed group has been meeting for less than a year. All the members are visually impaired and the book group has helped build new friendships.
4. The Rugeley Book Club, (Staffordshire). This mixed group was formed four years ago in response to the lack of arts facilities in the small ex-mining town and has now expanded to over 20 members.
5. St Mawgan Readers’ Group, (Cornwall). This all female group began meeting in the local 16th century pub two-and-a-half years ago. They have flourished and are now promoting reading by fundraising for local schools and Book Aid International.
The Penguin Orange Readers' Group Prize 2006 - The Winners!
The winners of the Penguin Orange Readers' Group 2006 were The Parish Reading Group from Goadby and Marwood in Leicestershire.
Our congratulations to them on their fantastic success! Here is their winning summary of what makes them special:
"We are a mix of people who live within a 7 mile radius but have little else in common besides a love of books. This means we often have quite different views about books,
even about which books to read, but we are all prepared to listen and learn from each others contributions.
The great thing about the group is how it has brought together a mix of people who wouldn’t normally be in the same social circle, some of whom live on farms,
others in small villages but all are passionate and opinionated about the books we are reading. It continues to surprise us that busy people find time to read
some quite hefty novels in a month and come prepared with comments and insights. We have grown into a lively and happy group and I feel that we are settling
into a format where we can maximise the discussion about a book and get the most out of it. It is interesting that we can go along feeling either “what a great book”
(or the converse) and come away with quite a different view having heard what other group members got out of the book.
It can be quite difficult to meet like-minded people in a rural area like this – so the book group is a great way of reaching others with a similar interest. "
The Prize
On Tuesday 5th September, the Goadby Marwood Parish Readers' Group visited the Penguin offices. On the day of their London visit, the group of 9 members, left Grantham station bright and early and arrived at Penguin mid-morning. One of their members, Marjorie, had not been to London for 40 years! Firstly, the group attended a Viking Editorial meeting. They had brief chats with Venetia Butterfield, Publishing Director of Viking, and Eleo Gordon, Senior Commissioning Editor also for Viking. After this they went up to the spectacular 10th floor where, after photo opportunities on the balcony overlooking the Thames and Big Ben, they had drinks and lunch with Penguin and Orange staff. They then spent the afternoon having talks from Publicists, Marketing Officers, Cover Designers and a Classics Editor. They finally departed to shop in Covent Garden with heavy goody bags, at 4.30.
The week before they had been visited by Marina Lewycka, author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. Marina loved her visit to rural Leicestershire,
especially the pork pie she was given at the end of the evening. She wrote a short article about it for the Guardian; Marina Lewycka on her visit to Goadby and Marwood.
As the Penguin/Orange Readers' Group Prize awarded its fifth laurels, Jenny Hartley reflected on a growing and increasingly adventurous phenomenon in Publishing News,
click to read the article.
Tom Weldon, MD Penguin General with members of the Goadby Marwood Reading Group on the 10th Floor of the Penguin building.
The Judging Process
It was particularly hard this year to choose a winner from the exceptionally strong shortlist and a special mention should go to the second prize winners
the Wivenhoe Bookshop Reading Group from Essex. Our warm thanks also go to everyone involved in the judging process, pictured below.
The judges are from left to right: Hayley Lloyd (Orange Communications), Ruth Wells (Reading Development Co-ordinator South East Reading Development Partnership), Nicci Gerard (Penguin author), Guy Pringle (editor newbooks.mag), Jenny Hartley (author of The Good Reading Group Book Guide), Kate Jones (co-founder of the prize and chairman of judges and now at ICM Books) and Louisa Symington (Penguin Books).
Guy Pringle and Jenny Hartley mull over the shortlist.
We can also reveal the winner of the Reading Groups' Favourite Book, as voted for by you! To see which six books were the most read in reading groups across the country, click here.
Once again, our thanks to all who entered and who continue to support and enjoy the Penguin Readers' Group Network.
Penguin Orange Readers' Group Prize 2006
The judges of the Penguin Orange Prize met at Penguin on 4th July to decide on a winner from the shortlist of 6 reading groups.There had been excellent entries from all over the country this year. It was a tough decision and Chairwoman Kate Jones had to put it to the vote!
The 6 shortlisted entries are (in alphabetical order):
1.The Bredhurst WI Reading Group, Kent
The Bredhurst WI Reading Group has been meeting since December 2003 and now has nine members, all ladies, whose ages range from 58 to 71. Only two members are still working, one as a primary teacher and the other as a NHS manager, the rest being retired. Prior to their retirement the occupations of the remaining members were a mobile librarian, a bookshop assistant, a playgroup leader, an adult education teacher, a craft teacher, a medical secretary and one member describes herself as 'just a housewife'.
'"We were absolutely flabbergasted to hear that we had been shortlisted for the Penguin/Orange Reading Group prize, which we certainly did not expect".
2. The Bretton Book Group, Cambridgeshire
We are a group of nine ladies who have been meeting for over two years. We have various jobs/professions – Market Researcher, Health Visitor, Land Charge Clerk, Speech Therapist, Children’s librarian, Teaching Assistant, Finance Officer x 2 and a PA.
“We all felt very excited and honored about being short listed we know our group is great because we have made it into the kind of group we all but to have that recognised is fantastic”
3. The Litronauts Reading Group, East Sussex
We are a group of seven women, all in our forties. The group is eight years old, and while a few members have come and gone over the years the group is fairly stable; only when a member leaves for good do we look for a new member to make up the numbers. The professions of the current membership are: band manager, website designer, radio producer, freelance translator, researcher, architectural design consultant and local authority information assistant.
'Five of us were surprised, one of us thought we'd won and the other hadn't realised we'd entered so was a little confused. However we were all delighted - until it came to choosing the group photograph. Then in just twenty-four hours, after eight harmonious years of reading, debate and socialising our book group fell apart in an acrimonious exchange of insults. We had to go to ACAS!'
4. The Parish Reading Group, Leiceistershire
There are 10 in the group, we have been meeting for nearly 2 years. We are all women, although this is not by choice, as the group is open to anyone. Our occupations are: vicar, post mistress, retired farmer, retired parish clerk, solicitor, physiotherapist, retired teacher, social worker, volunteer at local hospice, liaison officer for NHS.
“We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Penguin/Orange Reading Group Prize. We are a modest group, but with the support of Melton library we have managed to read a broad selection of books over the last 2 years since the group was formed. It would be great if we won this prize to have the opportunity to meet an author to get some of the answers to the questions we raise at our meetings about the books we read.”
5. Willerby and Kirkella NWR Book Group, East Yorkshire
The group has been meeting since 1979 and is an offshoot of the local NWR group so you have to be a paid up NWR member to join the Book Group. We have 19 members in our group, all women and meet in members’ homes. We mostly have an attendance of at least 14 or 15 at meetings. The age range is from 40 to 60 plus with at least 2 in their seventies. Most of us are now retired from paid work and we come from a variety of backgrounds. In this retired group of members we have a good number of teachers, a couple of nurses, a careers officer and members with secretarial and retail backgrounds. Those still working include a librarian, a social worker, a midwife and a receptionist. Many of the retired members are involved in voluntary work including working as trustees, school governors and fundraisers.
"We're delighted that our passion for reading has been recognised, by our group being shortlisted for this prize. We're thrilled and feel as excited as if we'd won!"
6. Wivenhoe Bookshop Reading Group, Essex
Starting three years ago with seven members and the idea of mixing good food with good reading, we got together with a local restaurant who agreed to give us a meal and a glass of wine for £10. We now have nearly 100 floating members who come when they can. We never have fewer than 25 per meeting and have recently started an equally successful evening meeting on a Wednesday night as well as our normal Friday lunchtime meeting.
"We are overjoyed by the news! It is so great to be shortlisted for an award whilst doing something we really love and enjoy so much."
Penguin/Orange Reading Group Prize 2005
Runners up: The Port Ellen, Isle of Islay Book Group
From the quiet shores of Islay to the vibrant atmosphere of the Edinburgh International Book Festival... Click here to find out how the runners up of the Penguin/Orange Reading group prize got in in Edinburgh when they met authors Bill Duncan, Joan Bakewell and Ali Smith.
2005 winners: the High Down Prison Reading Group
High Down Prison Reading Group won the Penguin/Orange Reading Group Prize 2005 in association with Ottakar’s. As part of their prize, the group received a visit from Author Nick Hornby who led a reading group session on his new book, A Long Way Down.
A member of the prison group said “winning is not really one of our strong points so we are pleased that the judges saw something appealing in our reading group. The chance to meet Nick Hornby is incredible, especially for the Arsenal fans amongst us.”
Kay Hadwick, Librarian at High Down Prison and Founder of High Down Prison Reading Group, commented: “The all male reading group based at High Down Prison operates in a trusting environment where disagreement in reading choices never results in confrontation as there is too much confrontation elsewhere in the prison. The reading group offers members a relaxed forum to discuss books and enables prisoners to escape the daily irritations of prison life.”
One member has written a rhyme which represents the views of the reading group:
“Reading group comes as a breath of fresh air
A monthly release when close to despair
A freewheeling forum for expression of thought, analysis, criticism, witty retorts
Reading group means the distinct absence of rule
A nice coffee and biscuits with other book loving fools”
Second place was awarded to The Port Ellen, Isle of Islay Book Group who read books that hold relevance to their daily lives, current affairs and contemporary Scottish literature. Due to the unusual circumstances, the first prize, a trip to the Edinburgh Book Festival, went to the Isle of Islay Book Group. They attended a celebrity panel event in Edinburgh and met authors Bill Duncan, Joan Bakewell and Ali Smith.
Joanna Prior, Marketing and Publicity Director of Penguin, commented: "High Down Prison Reading Group is an inspiration. Their description of the benefits their members derive from reading and discussing books together is a great testimony to the power of books to transport us all from our everyday lives to new and enriching experiences."
The Shortlist
Six reading groups across the UK were shortlisted for this year's Penguin/Orange Reading Group Prize. Now in its fourth year, the aim of the prize is to find the reading groups that illustrate individuality, reflect diversity of reading choices and demonstrate the pleasure of shared reading.
The shortlisted reading groups were:
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Black Reading Group (Walsall). This mixed sex group with an age span of 9-70, is the first reading group in the country to have published collectively as a group. The group focuses on black history and black authors
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Congleton NWR Book Group (Cheshire). This all female group are members of the National Women’s Register and have been meeting for the past 31 years. In total the group have read more than 300 books
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The Crosby Reading Group (Liverpool). This all female group began as an off-shoot of the National Housewives Register and have been meeting for 30 years
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High Down Prison Group (Surrey). The views of this all male prisoner reading group are expressed by one group member as “a breath of fresh air; a monthly release when close to despair”
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The Isle of Islay Book Group (Hebrides). This all female reading group in a small rural island write a regular book review column for their local newspaper and read contemporary Scottish Literature
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Red Deer Readers (Sheffield). This mixed sex group has been meeting for 8 years and has produced its own website for other reading groups to utilize
Entrants were asked where they meet, what they read, how they choose their members and what their reading group means to them. Entrants were also asked to write up to 500 words about what makes their reading group special. (Scroll down to read the shortlisted entries)
The judging panel for this year's prize consisted of:
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Kate Jones, literary agent, founder of the Penguin readers group website, (Chair)
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Nicci Gerrard, Penguin author and one half of crime writing duo Nicci French
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Professor Jenny Hartley, Roehampton University, Author of The Reading Groups Book
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Jo James, Marketing and Publicity Director, Ottakars Bookshops
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Guy Pringle, editor newBOOKSmag
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Ruth Wells, Reader Development Officer for South East
Professor Jenny Hartley commented: “This year’s shortlist overturns the popular pre conceptions that reading groups are a relatively recent phenomenon dominated by women. Two of the groups on this list have been meeting for 30 years or more and the shortlist is remarkable for its diversity. From inner city to inner Hebrides – and inside prison too – this year’s shortlist is a great showcase for what reading groups do best: outward going, socially inclusive, the small scale with the wide focus.”
First prize will be a trip to the prestigious Edinburgh Book Festival with travel and accommodation, attending a celebrity panel event and meeting a Penguin author. Second prize is £200 worth of Penguin books.
Pippa Dunn, Director of Brand Marketing at Orange, commented: "Following on from the huge success of last year’s prize, we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Penguin and to be working in association with Ottakar’s for the first time this year. The prize forms an integral part of Orange’s portfolio of literary partnerships, which includes the flagship Orange Prize for Fiction, and aims to support reading at a grassroots level.”
Joanna Prior, Marketing and Publicity Director of Penguin, commented: "Penguin is committed to meeting the growing interest in reading communally through our dedicated web site, our Readers Days and this prize, which was conceived in 2002. This year we have received an increase in entries of 80% which is terrific.”
Click on the links below to find out more about the groups.
Black Reading Group
Congleton NWR Book Group
The Crosby Reading Group
High Down Prison Group
The Isle of Islay Book Group
Red Deer Readers
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The 2006 prize
The 2005 prize
The 2004 prize
The 2003 prize
The 2002 prize
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The 2004 prize
The winners in 2004 were The Racketeers from Bolton (below) who won a weekend trip to Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The Racketeers from Bolton
'Kate Adie later presented us with a scroll to commemorate our victory and we were applauded by an adoring audience. Richard’s tentative suggestion that perhaps Kate was the object of its adoration was gently dismissed. No surprise that his status anxiety is acute...'
Read all about the winners trip to Edinburgh in their own words: High (Status) Anxiety - The Racketeers in Edinburgh
The judges found the standard so high that they decided to award second prize jointly to:
The Ivanhoe Sprotbrough Library Readers Group from Doncaster
The Chesterfield Library Listening Group
Each group will receive £100 of Penguin books.
A Specially Commended prize was awarded to the The Reading Group, Coventry for the length and breadth of their reading list - they have read 218 books as a group. They will receive free copies of 3 new Penguin fiction titles for their group to read.
The standard was outstanding and the judges were very impressed with the quality of the books read.
Finally the judges also commended the Turriff Reading Group, whose entry was excellent.
The shortlisted groups were:
The Reading Group, Coventry
Aldersbrook Library Reading Group, East London
The Racketeers, Bolton
The Ivanhoe Sprotbrough Library Readers Group, Doncaster
The Chesterfield Library Listening Group, Chesterfield
The Rayleigh Library Readers Group, Essex
Turriff Reading Group, Aberdeenshire
Blackburn Libraries Tuesday Reading Group, Blackburn, Lancashire
The Bookworms of Farley Hill, Reading
Graphic Novels Reading Group, Newcastle
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The 2003 prize
The Winners in 2003 were the Ealing Samaritans Reading Group.
The group comprises of four men and nine women. Their jobs include: a London Underground driver, a British Airways Stewardess, a builder, a phlebotomist and a TV producer. Judith Roscoe who submitted the group's entry summed up their feelings on winning the prize:
' We are all over the moon about winning this award. We all enjoy our meetings immensely and to win an award for something we enjoy so much is fantastic. And what an award it is!'
Read the 2003 prize-winning entry and their diary of the trip to Edinburgh:
Ealing Samaritans Reading Group
Ealing Samaritans in Edinburgh
The 2003 shortlisted groups were:
Hale Barns Book Group
VIP Book club (Visually Impaired)
Hogarth Reading Group
The Beestonians
The Famous Five
Laird Street Reading Group
Guilford Book Group
Tettenhall Library Readers' Group
Brighton Beach Book Group
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The 2002 prize
The winners of the 2002 prize were a reading group from Wokingham.
Click on the link below to read their winning entry and find out what the group thought of their trip to Edinburgh.
Wokingham Readers' Group
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