In this new series, we will be meeting each of the various book groups throughout the Norwich School, with words from staff and pupils about how these groups have shaped their reading habits and furthered their love of reading.
Deborah Goodwin, Librarian in Charge of Outreach / Joint Head of Staff Health and Wellbeing, tells us a little about the Norwich School Book Groups in the lead up to World Book Day!
"I have been in a book group of one sort or another for as long as I can remember. I studied Literature at university, and missed talking about books when I left. So when I entered the world of work, I was already keen to start my first book group.
I love the fact that the reading groups at Norwich School have expanded as pupils have gone through the school. I’ve tried to get a 6th Form group off the ground before, but this year is the first year it has worked, and it’s a delight to meet with a small but dedicated group of readers each week. Similarly, the academic pressures of Upper 5 often leads to member numbers tailing off, but this year there is a group who have been coming since Lower Four and who are now all good friends. I always think that joining Reading Group in Lower Four is a brilliant way to make friends with like-minded people in school, and I’m quite sure that friendships have been forged through the group meetings.
I believe that the success of our reading groups is due to having a relaxed approach. We don’t all read the same book and discuss it, as might be done in a more formal book group. We get together to talk about what we are reading, share recommendations, and discuss all sorts of topics, from specific genres, to favourite authors. We often play games, take part in quizzes and activities, as well as often having heated debates about our own “take” on a story that a few of us have all read!
The Staff Book Group does follow the more usual format of choosing a book and reading it together, and this has proved to be popular across many departments in school. I love getting together with mathematicians, scientists, economists, geographers, foreign language assistants and more to discuss a contemporary novel, a classic, a book in translation, or even a thriller. It’s a great way to get to know colleagues better, especially those whose paths don’t cross ordinarily.
I feel very privileged to be leading all of these groups. It’s always the highlight of my week to sit down with a group of pupils and hear what they have loved reading and to pick up on their enthusiasm for their favourite books and authors.
My book recommendation: Unusually for me, it's a non-fiction book. I do think that everyone should try to read Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankl at some point in their lives. The novel I most enjoyed in 2023 (thought it was published in 2017) was The heart's invisible furies, by John Boyne."