Book Reviews by Dublin Book Clubs

Ballymun Library Reading Group
By kind permission of Dublin City Council

Walkinstown Library Reading Group

Dubliners Review Books that have been Nominated to their City's Literary Award: The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

In Dublin, attending readers' groups, or book clubs, is an old way to socialise that has taken on a new burgeoning of popularity in recent years. This growth happily contradicts fears about society's decline in reading. Many people will say that they joined a readers' group in order to read books they might not otherwise have read and to also experience the pleasure of sharing something they enjoy with others. Reading group members come from all age groups and all walks of life and an extraordinary range of books is read, ranging from contemporary fiction, to the classics.

By 2003 thirty-six adult reading groups met in, or were affiliated to, branches of Dublin City Libraries and there are book clubs for children in six branch libraries. It is a phenomenon that will grow and grow.

Walkinstown Library Reading Group Dublin City Public Libraries also promote reading on an international level and are delighted to be involved with The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which is the largest and most international prize of its kind. It involves libraries from all corners of the globe, and is open to books written in any language. The prize has been offered since 1995.

The Award, an initiative of Dublin City Council, is a partnership between Dublin City Council, the Municipal Government of Dublin City, and IMPAC, a productivity improvement company, which operates in over 50 countries.

The Award is administered by Dublin City Public Libraries. www.impacdublinaward.ie

Dublin City Public Libraries would like to thank the readers from several of the Dublin-based reading groups that over the next few web-pages review some books that were short-listed, in recent years, for the IMPAC award.

© Dublin City Public Libraries