Get ready for Bookshare - a new kind of book club

A new mass book club organised by the Humanities and Psychology at the University of Wolverhampton aims to stimulate reading for pleasure amongst students, staff and the wider West Midlands community in the Black Country. Supported by the University’s Harrison Library, participants will be handed a free Bookshare title when signing up.  

Offering copies of Yomi Adegoke’s highly topical and provocative novel The List (2023), The Wolverhampton Bookshare is a new project organised by scholars and PhD students in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities and Psychology. The aim is to stimulate reading cultures and library use in the West Midlands – and celebrate the power of fiction.  

The List tells the story of a couple are about to get married when the fiancé appears on a list of sexual offenders published on Twitter that puts his marriage – and his future – in jeopardy. The novel was praised by The Guardian as ‘a gripping social media nightmare’. 

The project is organised by Dr Tom Mercer (Reader in Psychology), Professor Sebastian Groes and their PhD students, Sara-Jayne Edwards (English Literature) and Beth Young (Psychology). 

Sebastian Groes, Professor of English Literature, said: "We’re thrilled to be rolling out this important initiative in the Black Country.  We know that the digital age is putting an incredible amount of pressure on people’s lives so that we often do not find the time to read. This Book Club hopes to help people to make that space in their lives for reading whilst addressing exactly the problems that digital living by reading a novel which is about exactly about this issue."  

Adegoki will travel to Wolverhampton in May for a special Q&A event at which students and the public can discuss the novel with the author.  

Yomi said: "I’m delighted that The List has been selected for the Wolverhampton Bookshare. I hope it sparks meaningful conversations, challenges perspectives and brings people together through reading. I’m really looking forward to engaging with readers and hearing how this exciting initiative has gone."
 
Taking the form of a mass book club, the only commitment required of the Bookshare is to read the book and then answer some questions about it. Once people sign up, more details will be given.  
 
The Bookshare team will be launching the project at Wolverhampton Literature Festival from Friday 31 January – Sunday 2 February where the wider public will have the opportunity to receive a free copy of the book and, in doing so, become part of a community of readers who are interested in the power of reading in 2025.  

 Learning and Skills Development Manager at the Harrison Library Joe Carey said: "Library staff are delighted to be supporting this wonderful initiative that aims to get staff and students reappreciate reading for pleasure.  In a time when life is dominated by social media and streaming services, The List is the perfect book to assess how our experience can benefit from reading fiction, and more specifically how different readers prefer to engage with literature." 

 The project will also have a presence at this year’s Wolverhampton Literary Festival, where the public has the chance to receive a free book and sign up to the project. Head Curator of the Wolves Literature Festival states: "The University and Festival share a goal of promoting reading and education amongst the regional population. We are delighted to help contribute to Wolverhampton Bookshare and look forward to hosting Yomi in May."   

  If you’re on campus and interested in finding out more or signing up, head to the Harisson Library where you will find information, or follow this link.