

It's not always an easy or pleasant experience to be taken out of your comfort zone but has proved to be such a valuable experience for me.

It challenges me to read all sorts of books, many of which I would never have considered or chosen to read. "Being part of the Radio 2 panel is a brilliant experience. Service Development Manager, Coventry Libraries The fact that someone may be inspired to pick up a book that I endorsed as a book group contender is ultimately one of the main reasons that I became a librarian." Sorrelle Clements I still view being on the panel as a privilege and can thoroughly recommend the experience. It also feeds into my current job working for national charity Calibre Audio Library, as I can see what books are coming and obtain them for the library so that our members can enjoy them too. The hardest part of the panel is remembering to keep everything secret until the final books are chosen to be aired on Radio 2!įor me it is a real treat to get a preview of what the next big thing in publishing could be and potentially discover something new. There is a time commitment involved as each panel member can be sent up to eight titles to read and review within a six week period and then asked to attend a meeting at the end of the process to discuss the books that make the longlist. "As a librarian I am passionate about promoting reading and recommending books and being on the panel gives me a platform to do just that. Head of Literature and Audio Book Production, Calibre Audio Library Here some of our brilliant panellists tell you in their own words why they take part. Steve has said about the Book Club: "Books have boomed in lockdown, with thousands of people rediscovering the joy of reading, so it's great news that the Radio 2 Book Club will move to afternoons where it will get the full bells and whistles Big Show treatment!" Every month Steve discusses a different book with both the author and with celebrity guests. In February 2021, the BBC Radio 2 Book Club moved to Steve Wright in the afternoon. The library panel meet to discuss their favourites, and a shortlist is chosen for the BBC. The books are then read by a panel of librarians from all over the UK. Since 2013, The Reading Agency has worked with BBC Radio 2 to select books for their Book Club.Įach season, publishers submit their best forthcoming titles.
