Pickering Book Tree
An Informal Online Book Group
The Book Tree Read Along
The Book Tree Read Along is an informal online book club which runs alongside our Book Bingo reading challenge.
​
We've chosen 25 books, each to fit one of the 25 book bingo prompts, to read throughout 2023. There's a schedule to read one book each fortnight, but the forum posts will be open all year and you're free to join the discussion for as many books as you like and at a time to suit you. The schedule is helpful if you want to complete the bingo card this year, but not set in stone. If there is enough interest to hold an in-person meeting to discuss a book then we'll organise a pop-up book group meeting in the shop! We are keen to run the flexible online version either way, to keep the discussion accessible and not time-bound.
​
The 25 books are 20% off in the shop all year, and you're also of course welcome to join in wherever your copy is sourced from. We've chosen varied books with lots to talk about, and hope you enjoy the reads!
​
To join the discussion online you'll need to create an account on our website (you'll be prompted to do this when you follow any of the links to the forum below). Creating an account is free, you just need to provide an email address and choose a password. It is possible to add a profile image if you want to, but this is optional. Set your display name to whatever you feel comfortable sharing, whether full name, first name, or a nickname of your choice. The forum is only visible to other members. You can change your profile settings here.
Once your account is set up you can communicate in the forum, either by creating your own posts or by commenting on posts by others. Each of the 25 read along books has its own category page, and can be accessed via the links below. If you'd like email notifications for new posts about each book, you can follow or unfollow categories here.
​
Now onto the book choices...
Read Along Book 1
Follow Me To Ground by Sue Rainsford
Start date: 16th January 2023
Described as 'equal parts horror and beauty and unlike anything you'll read this year' and 'dark folklore' on the cover, we're starting with a short but powerfully atmospheric book set in a forest.
​
You can read the book blurb and cover reviews on the Bookshop page via the button below. The 20% discount is only available through us direct, not through Bookshop.org if you choose to buy your copy there.
Read Along Book 2
Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn
Bingo prompt: a book shorter than 200 pages
Other bingo prompts this book fits:
-
a debut book from a new author
-
​a book set in a country you've never visited (if you haven't visited Romania)
Start date: 30th January 2023
Bottled Goods is a novella in flash set in 1970s communist Romania. It's another concise and powerful read. The flash fiction element means that the story is told in short sections, making it easy to dip in and out of, though still difficult to put down!
​
You can read the book blurb and cover reviews on the Bookshop.org page via the button below.