Do you love reading? If so, the Radio 2 Book Club is just the thing for you. From October, Simon Mayo will be taking an in-depth look at a whole range of fiction and non-fiction titles – with author interviews, incisive analysis and online interaction. However, Simon needs your help!

Radio 2 are looking for people who are interested in casting their eyes over their literary selections. If chosen, your comments will be put to some of the world’s most pre-eminent authors.

So, if you want the chance to become one of their listener reviewers, join the Radio 2 Book Club by filling in the form found on the link below:

Radio 2 Book Club

I’m often invited to visit local book groups who have been reading Glasshopper, and I’m always delighted to attend.  It’s a great pleasure to meet readers and hear their thoughts on Glasshopper, as well as other books.  I’m a member of a book club myself, and I love nothing more than a glass of wine and a boot chat.  So if you live in the area, don’t be afraid to ask me – I’ll always say yes if I’m free!

At the recent Chichester Writing Festival at West Dean I was pleased to bump into three people I had met at separate book clubs over the past year, in Chichester, Bosham and Southsea.  They’ve all invited me back once they’ve had a chance to read Hurry Up and Wait, my new book which is out in May 2011.

For any groups who are reading Glasshopper at the moment, I’ve listed the Book Group Questions below, which can be helpful in getting a lively discussion going between readers:

The Reading Guide:

1. Having read the novel do you find yourself more attached to either Jake or Mary?
2. What makes the family in Glasshopper dysfunctional?
3. Does the novel attempt to attribute blame for their troubles?
4. Does it suggest causes underlying Mary’s alcoholism?
5. How convincing did you find Jake’s voice, and how is his character built up in the early chapters of the novel?
6. Does the novel tell us anything about the experience of children with alcoholic parents?
7. What does Glasshopper say, if anything, about good or bad parenting, and motherhood in particular?
8. How representative is Mary’s experience, given her gender and generation?
9. Do you feel sympathetic towards Mary as a character?
10. How does the narrative structure of the novel influence our assessment of Mary’s behaviour?
11. What is gained by having both Jake and Mary narrate their stories, and what limitations does this present?
12. Is Bill a good father?
13. What images or symbols are associated with Mary, and how do they give us an insight into her character?
14. Beyond alcohol, how does Mary escape the constraints of her past and her present life?
15. How does the behaviour and moral code of one generation impact another in the book?
16. What kind of character is Gypsy – is she sympathetic? How does her behaviour also reveal Bill, Stu and Mary’s characters?
17. Does our impression of Rachel change as the novel progresses?
18. What does Matt – and his absence – add to the story?
19. How much does the story depend on things or events we aren’t shown?
20. Are there any turning points in how we see Bill as the story progresses?
21. Could the novel be described as a portrait of a marriage?
22. How important are the time shifts within the novel?
23. How does the author use different locations in the novel?
24. How does the shift in location to the Dordogne change the atmosphere of the end of the novel?
25. How does Bill react to the news of the accident, and how is this reflective of his character?
26. How does Jake deal with what happens in the Dordogne, and his father’s reaction to events?
27. Could the family have survived Mary’s alcoholism had the novel ended differently?
28. Is the novel judgmental or prescriptive in its depiction of alcoholism?
29. What is it that unbalances the family – could it be secrecy? Addiction? Betrayal?

I hope you enjoy the book – and for those of you looking for more local authors, don’t forget to check out the Chichester Book Club below:

Representing West Sussex on the BBC Radio challenge, Isabel Ashdown appeared on the morning show today, to talk about the Chichester Book Club and great fiction in our local area. To listen again for the next 7 days, please click on the logo below, and drag the listening time bar along to 3:40:

This August, Chichester author Isabel Ashdown launches an innovative new website called the Chichester Book Club, dedicated to introducing local readers to books and authors in their region.

Isabel created the site in response to the large number of enquiries she was receiving from book clubs and reading groups in the Chichester area.  Many were looking for a comprehensive reading guide to her novel, Glasshopper, whilst others just wanted to make contact and ask a few questions.

She says, “Like all the best parties, we like to keep it small; all our authors have a local connection, either living in or having grown up in the area, and many have links to the University of Chichester and associated groups.  It’s now easier than ever for inquisitive readers to access books, book club guides and event news from emerging and established authors in our region.”

The Chichester Book Club Autumn selection has something to suit every taste and mood, with page-turning novels from award-winning writers, ranging from gritty realism to suspense-filled crime, from intriguing historical fiction to exhilarating fantasy.

Isabel is joined by fellow writers Jane Borodale, Gabrielle Kimm, Peter Lovesey, Alison MacLeod, Bethan Roberts, Pauline Rowson, Jane Rusbridge and Tim Stretton, all authors with a local connection.

“We are very fortunate to have so many talented and interesting authors in the Chichester area,” says Isabel. “It’s exciting to be part of such a creative community.”

You can follow the Chichester Book Club at:

• Official website: www.chichesterbookclub.com
• Official Facebook page
• Twitter: @ChiBookClub

The TV Book Club is back again on Sundays at 7:30pm on More4.  Brought to the nation by creator and producer Amanda Ross, the woman behind the original Richard & Judy Book Club, the show will dramatically enhance the writing careers of both established and relatively unknown authors.

I’m pleased to say that Glasshopper has been recommended for book groups by Waterstone’s, and a full  set of discussion prompts for Glasshopper can now be found on the Book Groups page of my website.  If there’s anything else you’d like to see on there, or any questions you’d like answering, then please drop me a note using the contact form on that page.

The final 8 Summer titles chosen for The TV Book Club will be reviewed by Jo Brand, Dave Spikey, Peter Davison, Laila Rouass and Stephen Tompkinson.  The 8 books are:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Man Who Disappeared by by Clare Morrall

The Legacy by Katherine Webb

The Bed I Made by Lucie Whitehouse

Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears

Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

The Devil’s Acre by Matthew Plampin

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

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To buy Glasshopper, click here.

To view Glasshopper Book Club & Reading Group Discussion Questions, click here.

Portsmouth Library Service runs several library based reading groups across the city, meeting every four weeks for lively discussions about the books they’ve read.

I’m delighted to hear that Glasshopper has been selected as one of the books on their The Book Case book review website, which means that they now have a large number of copies available for loan to both book clubs and independent readers in the city.

To view Glasshopper Book Club & Reading Group Discussion Questions, click here.

Myriad Editions are offering a special discount for reading groups and book clubs buying six or more copies of Glasshopper.

Fiction Editor, Vicky Blunden says: “It’s great to hear that book groups are enjoying our novels, and to celebrate this and encourage more groups to discover our authors we’re offering a special deal: buy six or more copies of any Myriad novel for just £5 per copy including postage.“

Contact Vicky Blunden for details.

To view Glasshopper Book Club & Reading Group Discussion Questions, click here.