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10 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 19 DECEMBER 2025 CULTURE Looking forward to a New Year of reading BOOK Club Gozo is a free, monthly reading group that was set up on the island over eight years ago. The group has proved to be a real success story with Gozo's book lovers, who in- formally meet over a coffee to discuss the featured book of the month, and so that all group members can engage in conversations and share their opinions and thoughts about the book with fellow readers. All the book titles for the forthcoming year, along with the monthly meeting dates and venue details, are shared on the Book Club Gozo's Face- book page, where you can also join the discussion online, and find lots of book-related in- formation and further reading ideas and details of forthcom- ing author events. Malta Libraries staff based at Gozo's Central Public Library, in Rabat (Victoria) have been very supportive in helping to publicise the club and host regular author events. Copies of all the 2026 book club choic- es have been added to library stock and can be borrowed or requested free of charge by any library user. Some of titles can also be downloaded using the free online e-Books service of- fered through Malta Libraries. Two of the main aims of the book group are to firstly cre- ate a friendly and welcoming space, where reading, often a solitary act, is transformed into a enjoyable communal experience; and secondly, to go 'beyond the bestsellers', by enabling members of the group to read more widely and discover new and different genres and themes – often this will be reading books that per- haps you wouldn't have picked up otherwise, or by authors that never sparked an interest, or by reading what you might have considered to be outside of your comfort zone. And that's not all. As a mem- ber of a book club, you will get the opportunity to read more and be part of a diverse com- munity of enthusiastic readers who just love talking about books! 'Meet the Author' Events Programme In addition to this year's monthly review sessions, Book Club Gozo teamed up with Malta Libraries to launch a series of four library-based au- thor talks, all with a connec- tion to the Maltese Islands. So far guest speakers have included Lynne Marie Tay- lor, talking about 'Death in Valletta' the author's debut historical crime fiction novel, set in Victorian-era Malta. A look at how Malta's surpris- ing arts and cultural scene is being shaped by a new gener- ation of movers and shakers in 'Malta – The Beautiful Hour' by Karen Elizabeth Steed. Last month, the library welcomed the contemporary crime fic- tion novelist AJ Aberford, and creator of the highly popu- lar series of books, featuring the adventures of Detective George Zammit. The final author event of the year will take place on Wednes- day 17 December at 10.30am in the Gozo Central Public Li- brary and will be an illustrated talk and book launch of 'The History of Dwejra Tower and its Surroundings' with Maltese heritage and nature writer Dr. Stanley Farrugia Randon. This new publication is sponsored by Visit Malta in partnership with Din l-Art Ħelwa. Further author talks and events at the library are planned for 2026 New Year, New Reading experiences Book Club Gozo will hold its first meeting of the New Year on Wednesday 28 January 2026 to discuss 'The Surf House' by Lucy Clarke – an unforgetta- ble destination thriller set in Morocco. Details of the meeting venue and dates are giv- en on the group's Face- book page, and at the library h t t p s : / / w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / groups/148431662393803/ https://www.facebook.com/ gozocentralpubliclibrary Karen, a regular member of the book club, said: "Gozo is a surprising place to begin with, and the book club is no exception. The books chosen are from every genre and the members have lived in all four corners of the world, which makes for lively discussion - first, you'll learn something from the book, then you'll learn something more from the talk. Above all, this group, which meets at a café over coffee and cake, provides an excellent way to spend a few hours on the last Wednesday morning of every month." Jill, another member of Book Club Gozo, said: "The book club provides opportunities to meet with other readers, and to share our reactions to the books we read. Our enjoyable discussions of books often ex- pand to include films, theatre, and other cultural events tak- ing place in Gozo." Silvio Galea, Library Officer based at Gozo Central Public Library with some of the book club titles to be discussed during 2026 Book Club Gozo 2026 A4 Promotional Poster – Monthly Book and Author Listing