Meet the Idle Readers - a Manchester based book club
As the English half of The FBC Paris, I’m always looking out for book clubs - focusing on engaged literature - based in the U.K. I was delighted when I discovered Idle Readers, a Manchester-based book club, on Instagram as I had visited the café where they meet every month and loved it. Read on to discover more about how this wonderful book club came to life!
How did Idle Readers come to be?
I (Lucy) co-own an independent coffee shop with my husband Dave called Idle Hands. Rachel, a pal of Idle Hands, had been helping myself and Dave out by waitressing. In early January 2019, we were chatting on shift and recommending recent reads to each other. These were books that had had an impact on us and that we both felt deserved to be read by many.
Around the same time, we also got to talking about New Year and everything that comes with it: resolutions, clean slates, the optimism and possibilities that lie in front of us, as well as the excitement that 2019 is what we make of it. Rachel floated the idea of hosting a book club in Idle Hands and the rest, as they say, is history!
The next step was to make an announcement on Instagram and we were completely blown over with the warmth and positive feedback that we received. We’d expected that perhaps a few of our close pals might come along but within 24 hours we had to restrict the number of places as we had hit full capacity and wanted to make sure everyone who came had some space to sit comfortably!
Idle Readers Co-Founders Lucy and Rachel
Who is behind Idle Readers?
Lucy hails from the North West of England and has found her home in Manchester with her husband Dave. Lucy is mother to Ivy, as well as an incredible baker of pies and co-owner of Idle Hands. Rachel describes her as kind, generous and thoughtful to others. Lucy has always loved reading but never felt she had enough time to squeeze it in - reading is a real luxury. Idle Readers has gently nudged her to branch out and try new authors, genres and books that she might have previously overlooked.
Rachel is a Mackem, hailing from Sunderland in the North East. She moved to Manchester to study at the School of Art and has since adopted Manchester as her new Home. Rachel recently landed her dream job as Community Cafe Manager, at a not for profit cafe called Sidney Street that's part of a charity called The Proud Trust, which supports young LGBTQ+ people across the North West Region. She lives in Levenshulme with her partner Loran and their scruffy dog Darcy. Like Lucy, Rachel feels like reading is an indulgence so it has been a real treat to read together as part of the Idle Readers community this past year.
The founding principals that help Lucy and Rachel select books for group sessions
Our founding principles are that the book club should be accessible and inclusive to all. We have created a cosy vibe where we could come together to relax, meet new people, share our thoughts and learn from each other. We hope all Idle Readers will take the time to be present, to listen to each other with an open mind and an open heart! Reading is a personal act, something we tend to do alone. As we all have different life experiences, we may each take something different away from what we’ve read. Therefore it is essential to be mindful of this and always show kindness to others when sharing our thoughts and opinions.
We don't charge to join the Idle Reader's community or attend any of the meet ups. We always include at least one option in the short list of books that has an older publishing date, therefore is more likely to be found in the local library without a waiting list and/ or can be bought second-hand at a low cost. We also highlight which options are available as audio and e-books.
We wanted to ensure that our short list was representative and inclusive - that there are always authors and stories shared directly from diverse backgrounds, whether that's from people of colour, people from the LGBTQ+ community, or working class people.
We are keen to include the whole Idle Readers community to curate a shortlist of books for everyone to vote from. There are usually 7-10 choices, including a non-fiction option. We choose a different focus every month, and usually put two options out to the Idle Readers community to choose from. We try to use this to reflect what's important to the Idle Reader's community, or what's current and happening that month or it could be as simple as a genre. This year our focus' have included LGBT History, International Women / Female Authors, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Classics, Nature & Animals, Summer, Banned Books / Censorship, Black and POC authors and stories, Short Stories and Winter Holidays.
Has Idle Readers got regular members or is it a new crowd at each meet-up?
We have a mix of monthly regulars plus new Idle Readers joining us at every meeting. It's a real pleasure to develop relationships with Idle Readers that have joined the community at the start of the year. Our friendship circle is growing! We are lucky to be in a position where we can be flexible with the members of our community, which allows us to welcome new members regularly. We would also like to develop our presence online so that more people can join us and be part of the community no matter where they are in the world!
Which titles had the most impact on the Idle Readers book club discussion?
The books that have evoked the most discussion have been The Color Purple and Three Women. Both books connected everyone and stirred some really interesting conversations.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race was a really educational book, it hit home some truths that were hard to swallow but essential to learn. It triggered a lot of self reflection, and we hope is the start of a really positive journey for a lot of our members of how we can do better and prevent history repeating itself.
What ties all three books together is that they took many Idle Readers out of their comfort zone, which is a good thing in our opinion. This forces us to think about the day to day actions we can take to be better allies, to be aware of, to look our history square in the face and understand how exactly it is problematic.
Does Idle Readers play a role in the local community?
We certainly aspire to! We’re looking to find more ways that we can connect and share with where we are and who is with us, and what is happening for our local community.
This year we held a donation drive for The Crimson Wave, a grass root organisation campaigning to end period poverty in our local community. We collected period products that they could give to people who have periods but may not have access to period products in the North West.
We also held a successful Charity Book Sale with the Idle Readers community who donated their books, which we sold with the money raised going to our local Charity 42nd Street. This organisation supports young people under the age of 25 that experience mental health challenges and stress.
We also took part in Manchester International Festival too, where we created a peaceful reading space for people enjoying the festival to come and read a book with us!
We are constantly exploring ways to grow and would like to develop our we can connect and represent our local community more in 2020!
Idle Readers’ favorite book(s) of 2019?
As mentioned above, our favourite book that we've read together as Idle Readers is Three Women by Lisa Taddeo. It was our first non-fiction read and the only book we've read together that was published in 2019. It genuinely was one of the most talked about books, both during the month and at our monthly meet-up. If you haven't read it yet we highly recommend you do!
Here a teaser of some of the books that we would love to read next year as part of book club (FBC Paris exclusive: Idle Readers will be publishing their complete 2020 shortlist soon so make sure you’re following them on Instagram!)
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Things We Say In The Dark by Kirsty Logan
Girl, Women, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi
Favorite (indie) bookshop(s) in Manchester?
Our absolute favourite indie books are Magma and Rare Mags. They both have such a beautiful selection of books plus magazines and indie zines! There are lots of great second hand book shops in Manchester too! But you can't beat borrowing from your local library so we probably spend the most time there!
Favourite feminist address in Manchester?
There are a few great historical and iconic feminist addresses in Manchester. Our fave, which might also seem like the obvious choice is the Emmeline Pankhurst Centre.
The Centre houses a small museum and heritage centre that remains as a legacy to the Pankhurst family and the Suffragette movement, and also serves as a women’s community centre. It was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst, who led the Suffragette campaign for Votes for Women, and is the place where the first meeting of the Women’s Social and Political Union was held.
The women’s community centre provides and offers space for activities and events run by women, for women. It offers a unique place in which women can learn together, work on projects and socialise.
Favourite place to go in Manchester for a drink and a read?
Obviously our favourite haunts include Idle Hands, where we hold our monthly meet-ups: we’re both partial to a Gin & Tonic, Natural Wine or if it's too early for that then a damn fine cup of coffee! There is always something special on the Hand Pour Menu. We love grabbing a coffee and a doughnut while reading at Siop (don't forget to grab a napkin because doughnut fingers stain your book)! Rachel's Cafe (Sidney St) is a nice spot if you are looking for a safe space that serves hearty veggie lunches. We love reading at The Central Library or around Ancoats Marina if the weather is fine. Basically, we're spoilt for choice in Manchester - maybe we could do a Paris / Manchester travel guide collaboration!
How can people join Idle Readers?
We would love to welcome new members to Idle Readers. Follow our Instagram to keep up to speed with all our news. You can also join our Monthly Mailer by emailing idlereaderclub@gmail.com. We host monthly Meet Ups at Lucy's Coffee Shop- Idle Hands, usually on the last Thursday of every month 19:00-21:00 where we discuss the book we've read together as a community. We curate a short list and share via our Mailer and insta stories and invite all Idle Readers to vote from to select the book they'd most like to read together as a group the following month. You can also follow us on Goodreads: Idle Readers !