Member Groups at The London Library
Member groups are a great way to meet other like-minded members, collaborate, share interests or reading recommendations. Browse the list below to find your community. Or, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out how to start your own.
The Short Reads Book Club
This book club welcomes members who like to get together to talk about short, sweet reads. We choose books that are less than 200 pages long. It might be a play, an artistic manifesto or a novella. There's no specific genre, it is led by individual members' interests. Unique and provocative picks are as welcome as classics. The group meets regularly in person to discuss the latest chosen book. Please get in touch for more information.
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The German Language Book Club
The German Language Book Club is a group for German-speaking London Library members who want simultaneously to practise the language and widen their German reading. The group will aim to meet at regular intervals and to draw on the Library’s extensive German collection for titles to read and discuss. Meetings will be held in German. Please get in touch for more information and to register interest (auf Deutsch, wenn’s geht).
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The Italian Reading Group
The Italian Reading Group is a book club for London Library members who would like to explore the Library’s extensive and fascinating Italian collection. We discuss four novels a year chosen by the group. In addition, between September and June, the group runs extra events at the library with invited authors. Both the book club and the ‘extra’ events are also available online if you are unable to attend in person. The emphasis is on having relaxed and friendly discussions in Italian and/or English as preferred. Get in touch for more information and to register interest.
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The Philosophy Group
The Philosophy Group had its first meeting in April 2017. It now meets twice a month, on every second Tuesday of the month in the Library and on every fourth Tuesday of the month on Zoom. Both meetings start at at 6pm. Meetings usually last for about an hour and a half. Different books are read at the two meetings so members can come to either or both meetings.
The Group discusses philosophy books which can be read over the course of up to three or four meetings. Recent books include The world of perception by Merleau-Ponty and After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre. The conversation assumes that those attending have read the part of the book on which the evening’s discussion is based. If you would like further information about the Group, please email John Robinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who will be happy to answer your questions and give you details of the forthcoming meeting.
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The PhD Group
The PhD Group exists to encourage and support London Library members who are undertaking research degrees, or working on books and articles. They meet periodically to share the fruits of their work and to explore the joys and frustrations of researching, writing, presenting conference papers, and preparing findings for publication.
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The Non-Fiction Writers Group
The group meets twice a month on the first and third Tuesday of the month between 6-7pm.
First Tuesday meetings (6-7 pm, in person and online (availability permitting)
At every meeting, a different member of the group chooses a short passage (500-1,000 words) from a non-fiction text. The passage is circulated to the rest of the group a week in advance. At the meeting, the member will lead the discussion of the passage, focusing particularly on what we as writers can learn from the author's approach and techniques. There is no obligation to attend every month; simply come when you can.
Third Tuesday meetings (6-7.30pm, online only)
These meetings are to provide a space for writing, and an opportunity to discuss work in progress. We spend the first hour writing intensively, then half an hour sharing and discussing what we have written.
Database
We run a voluntary database for group members to reach out to each other for support and collaboration with writing issues.
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The History Reading Group
This group meets on the third Wednesday of the month and each meeting the group hears 2-3 book recommendations with a short presentation on each book followed by Q&A and discussion. For more information and to join the group please get in touch.
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The History Research Group
The group is for members who use the Library's rich collections for historical reading, research and writing. They hope especially to offer support to historians whose plans are being frustrated by the current closure of archives, for example by pooling information on digital sources. For further information please get in touch.
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The Poetry Group
A relaxed poetry group for Library members to read, write and discuss poetry on a monthly basis. Seasons and beginner poets welcome.
First session on 21st October; thereafter on the late opening Wednesday evenings (20th November and 18th Dec).
Please note that all London Library member groups are run on a voluntary basis by members.
The Library is delighted to help to facilitate these groups and we are extremely grateful to those volunteering to lead the groups. We ask members to recognise these efforts and to always consider the usual Library rules and etiquette when interacting in groups whether online or at the Library.
