{"id":65977,"date":"2023-12-04T11:49:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T11:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=65977"},"modified":"2024-10-28T10:40:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T10:40:52","slug":"reading-is-like-my-shield-says-fantasy-book-club-co-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2023\/12\/04\/reading-is-like-my-shield-says-fantasy-book-club-co-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Reading is like my shield,\u2019 says fantasy book club co-founder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Waterstones bookseller, Rowan Maddock, talks about creating a safe community for readers to share their love of fantasy fiction through a book club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Rowan standing in front of the fantasy book section of Waterstones, reading fantasy paperback.\" class=\"wp-image-66087\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Rowan standing in front of the fantasy book section of Waterstones, reading fantasy paperback.\" class=\"wp-image-66087\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_bookclub2.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maddock said: &#8220;Reading has been like my imaginary friend.&#8221; Photo by Sophie Colson <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a month, as the cafe is closing,&nbsp; Rowan Maddock, 22, co-hosts a fantasy book club in Cardiff\u2019s Waterstones. Completely free, the book club chooses a novel each month to read individually and then meets to discuss their opinions on the story.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maddock hosts this event with her colleague, Lisa Foley, who both work as Waterstones\u2019 booksellers, but Maddock felt that Cardiff needed more community reading spaces.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creating a community<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Maddock said: \u201cHaving a space where you can talk to other readers and share your passion was really needed. Reading is quite a solitary activity, so it&#8217;s really nice because everyone that comes along is really grateful they have a space to sit and discuss these books.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>There&#8217;s always something to be learned from the pages of a book, even fantasy<br><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The book club was started in July 2023, and is named Rowan and Lisa\u2019s Fantasy Book Club \u201cor Lisa and Rowan\u2019s,\u201d clarified Maddock with a laugh, \u201cdepending on how active I\u2019m going to be that month.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maddock explained how important it is to talk about the books you read, and how, even when she didn\u2019t enjoy a book, the discussions helped her to see the story in a new light which in turn enabled her to enjoy it a little more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think just having a safe space where everyone can voice their opinions without feeling like they&#8217;re being judged for it, is so important. Allowing people to have and share their opinions is the heart of the book club. You don&#8217;t want everyone to agree,\u201d Rowan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Rowan standing in front of the fantasy section of Waterstones with shelves of books behind her.\" class=\"wp-image-66089\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1400x788.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Rowan standing in front of the fantasy section of Waterstones with shelves of books behind her.\" class=\"wp-image-66089\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/11\/sociallife_sophiecolson_fantasybookclub1-copy-1-1400x788.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Some weeks we don&#8217;t even get past &#8216;Did you like the book?&#8217; because everyone&#8217;s got really strong opinions about it,&#8221; said Maddock. Photo by Sophie Colson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Escaping into fantasy<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The bookseller has loved reading fantasy ever since she was a child. She said when she was 11 she read the entirety of her school library\u2019s fantasy section until they had nothing left for her to read.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in adulthood, Maddock felt the escapist nature of fantasy fiction could bring relief from life\u2019s stresses. She said in the pandemic, living in student accommodation without heating was a real struggle, and fantasy books enabled her to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She added: \u201cI know that I have books that I read in dark times that brought me happiness. And now when I reread them, I don&#8217;t think of the dark times I was in. I remember the happiness they brought me and it brings that happiness back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The book club host explained that reading enabled her to experience someone else\u2019s life for a minute, and helped her to forget her own worries.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cReading is like my shield,\u201d Maddock added, with a laugh, \u201cand I like the adventures as well. Plus dragons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She explained that characters became like family. They were role models that she could relate to, offered her comfort and boosted her self-esteem. \u201cI feel there&#8217;s always something to be learned from the pages of a book, even if it&#8217;s fantasy,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maddock summarised: \u201cI&#8217;m not really a sporty person, but I feel like it&#8217;s my sport. I just love books in their entirety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The book club\u2019s final meeting this year is on Sunday 26 November, 4:00-5:00pm, where they\u2019ll be discussing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waterstones.com\/events\/rowan-and-lisas-sci-fi-and-fantasy-book-club\/cardiff-114515\">Hogfather<\/a> by Terry Pratchett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-vivid-cyan-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0cfa5fe60fddae7a7ae20588830d3ed7\">Rowan&#8217;s fantasy book recommendations:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eragon by Christopher Paolini&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Motitar&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rowan reading her favourite cosy fantasy extract from TJ Klune<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cardiffjomec\/fantasy-book-club-co-host-reads-her-favourite-quote-by-tj-klune?utm_source=clipboard&#038;utm_campaign=wtshare&#038;utm_medium=widget&#038;utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fcardiffjomec%252Ffantasy-book-club-co-host-reads-her-favourite-quote-by-tj-klune<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Waterstones bookseller, Rowan Maddock, talks about creating a safe community for readers to share their love of fantasy fiction through a book 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