Book clubs are an interesting and inspiring way to read, share, and connect with others in a relaxed way.
Book Discussion Scheme is proud to be partnering with Narrative Muse to bring you the Narrative Muse Book Club — a chance for you to enjoy a year of social reading with books that celebrate Māori, Pasifika, Asian, Rainbow and Oceania stories.
Simply gather a group of between 4 and 12 people, choose which books you’d like to read from our curated list, and register with BDS. We'll take care of all the logistics of the book club (like providing enough copies for everyone and monthly delivery) so you can focus on going deeper with your reading by sharing the experience with your book club buddies.
Join from anywhere in NZ, at any time of the year, and enjoy some sweet discounts exclusively for Narrative Muse Book Clubbers.
Read on to find out how it all works, or
The Narrative Muse Book Club is a combined initiative with Narrative Muse, a team working to uplift diverse creators and storytellers, and Book Discussion Scheme, New Zealand’s non-profit provider of services to book clubs. Together, we’ve created a reading list of in-common titles from Narrative Muse curations and the BDS catalogue that encompass one or more of the following subject streams: Māori, Pasifika, Asian, Rainbow, Set in Oceania.
If you register as a Narrative Muse Book Club, BDS will send your group ten books of your choice from the list, one a month for ten months, with enough copies for everyone to read the book at the same time. You then meet to discuss what you’ve read — so you benefit from the shared perspectives of your group and get to enjoy a fun monthly social event. Ka rawe! Awesome!
Anyone can participate in the Narrative Muse Book Club (as long as you are not already a member of BDS) and you can start at any time during the year. You just need at least four people to start your club.
BDS operate nationwide, so you can participate from anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand.
*discounted membership fee is valid for one year for new Narrative Muse Book Groups only. If your book club decides to continue for another year, the full BDS catalogue will be available to choose from (including the Narrative Muse Book Club list) and the full membership fee and usual group minimums will apply.
Narrative Muse and Book Discussion Scheme want to make it as easy as possible for groups to participate in the Narrative Muse Book Club, so here’s what you’ll get:
For the special price of:
Narrative Muse Book Groups also only need a minimum of four members to get started (normally seven) so you can start experiencing the benefits of book group without having to get a larger group together.
If you want to grow your numbers, it’s also free to advertise your group to prospective members here on the BDS website.
The first step is to get at least three mates to join you. After that, registering is easy and BDS takes care of all the logistics of running your book club — so you can focus on enjoying your books and meetings.
To participate, simply follow the five ‘R’s
*Christchurch-based groups have the option of picking up and dropping off their books at BDS HQ in Sydenham
**Why 25 titles when we only receive ten? You can rank your titles in order of preference and BDS will dispatch from the top of your list first, as long as sufficient copies are available at that time. Book groups normally receive books from their top 15 picks, but due to the unpredictable nature of returns (think: COVID, floods, life), choosing 25 means we have an emergency buffer.
Visit our FAQs page for more information on how BDS book groups work
When you register, you'll select 25 titles from this curated list for your book club. About seven days before your first book club meeting, you'll receive the first of your chosen titles, with enough copies for everyone to read the same book at the same time — reading is better when done together!