Emily's Walking Book Club

I had been interested in the concept of book clubs and the way they had changed and morphed for different circumstances, but seeing a "walking book club" was a first. I had seen the post online - "Join other book-lovers for a walk on Hampstead Heath to discuss Hilary Mantel's powerful memoir 'Giving Up the Ghost'." I decided to give it a shot.

Emily's Walking Book Club

On Sunday 6th November, I got two trains to arrive at Hampstead Heath Station, cold air filling my lungs. It was a chilly day, but nothing a scarf wouldn't fix. A short walk later, I arrived at Daunt Books, an independent bookseller that runs the monthly book club. I met Emily Rhodes, the founder of the club, a lovely woman with a clear passion for books.

Once a month Emily picks a book from the store – a hidden gem that she feels does not get enough recognition, and isn't a book the average person would choose. An email is sent to the list of regular participators, posters go up in-store, and a post on her blog. Participators have a couple of weeks to read the book, and develop some thoughts of their own, in preparation for the walk.

The idea behind the walking book club is that it is easier to discuss something whilst walking with one person, rather than sitting in a stuffy room working up the courage to say something in front of a room of people, so you leave with a richer and more fulfilling experience.

By 11:15, a small throng of people had gathered within the book store, clutching paperback copies of 'Giving Up the Ghost' and paper cups of coffee, giving me slightly more confidence about this experience. If several other people were here for this walk, then it must be reasonably popular and well liked?

At 11:30 we left the store, continuing down the road until we arrived at the entrance to Hampstead Heath, trudging through the mud, chatting away. After a while Emily stops us, and reads out a passage of the book, about one of Mantel's childhood memories, and how it is fluid and unreliable, and how sometimes you can't trust yourself.

We continued on through the cold and mud, discussing the ideas of these memories and how they relate to both the author, and ourselves. I had an interesting conversation with a lady named Audrey about this, which I wasn't particularly expecting.

Being far younger than the other participants, I was expecting to be left without a talking partner, but on the contrary, I found myself having great conversations with people, and gained great insight.

Overall, I found the experience wonderful, and I hope to eventually go back on another of these book walks in the future.

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Janine Flohr

Janine Flohr

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7 Comments

  • Alice Collins

    On 27 June 2017, 14:18 Alice Collins commented:

    This sounds like it was a great experience, would you recommend the book to others after having gone on this? What other books has this club explored? I'd love to be able to attend one of these sessions, but I'm unfortunately not a local! A link to Emily's blog would be lovely, very jealous, looks like great fun!

  • Sabrina Guzen

    On 27 June 2017, 15:40 Sabrina Guzen commented:

    It sounds like a wonderful journey! I would have also liked to visit and Emily seems so enthusiastic about books - it's lovely talking to people with the same interests as you. Is this book club only in that area? Or are there many different ones across the country?

  • Chloe Rodgers

    On 27 June 2017, 16:14 Chloe Rodgers commented:

    This sounds like a wonderful event to go to, and what a superb choice in book! A great idea to be outdoors and what a good event for the summer as well. It is a shame that the younger generations do not get involved in activities such as these. It is great to see someone such as yourself taking part in this event. Have you been back since or considered going again in the future?

  • Anna Cheng

    On 28 June 2017, 08:25 Anna Cheng commented:

    I liked this review very much! Good to know that the younger generations are into these activities and they haven't gone out of fashion yet

  • Janine Flohr

    On 28 June 2017, 08:47 Janine Flohr commented:

    To answer some questions:

    1. I would recommend 'Giving Up the Ghost' to others, I found it a very emotive read, although not in the typical way. It was quite difficult to get through due to some of the heavy subject nature, but was a very rewarding read.

    2. Some of the more recent books explored by the book club have included: 'The Tortoise and the Hare' by Elizabeth Jenkins, 'Instead of a Letter' by Diana Athill, 'All Passion Spent' by Vita Sackville-West, 'A Far Cry from Kensington' by Muriel Spark, 'The Summer Book' by Tove Jansson, and 'Beware of Pity' by Stefan Zweig.

    3. Emily's blog is https://emilybooks.wordpress.com/ where she posts about books and her thoughts on them.

    4. I have seen a couple of other walking book clubs spread around the country, but not very many. Hopefully they will increase in popularity soon!

    5. I have not yet been back to the book club but I hope to in the future.

    Thank you!

  • Luke Taylor

    On 28 June 2017, 10:34 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    I'm so glad people are still so appreciative of books these days!

  • Antonia Tabi

    On 28 June 2017, 18:13 Antonia Tabi commented:

    Greta review very interesting to read along with some good book recommendations

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