Don’t drink and drive, drink and read

Would you like to sip from a glass of wine while reading a book?

Book lovers have got a great chance to read over a glass of wine in Reading Between the Wines Book Club, organised by Octavo’s Book Cafe&Wine Bar in Cardiff Bay on Feb 22.

Despite the atrocious weather a few customers still managed to attend the very first meeting of the year-long activity.

Every participant would take home a book recommended by Octavo’s and come back a month later to share their reading experience.

“I’ve been thinking about joining a reading club for a long time but some just looked quite pressured. And I knew that with working and trying to get stuff in, I didn’t want it to be another pressure. I just want to enjoy it. Reading Between the Wines seems to be something worth trying,” said Rachel, one of the first members of this group.

“It’s quite social and I want to get back to reading more. I never really explored and I tend to stick to what I know. I want to try more and read more widely. This situation where you get really good recommendations with people who share their energy and passions can be lovely.”

Each member pays £5 per session who then take turns to spend this money on any fiction books that they want to with a 10% discount at Octavo’s.

At the next meeting, all the members would sit together, cozy and warm, sharing their opinions and reviews at the same time savouring a glass of fine wine.

Hazel Cushion, the owner of Octavo’s, talked about her idea of starting this book club: “I came across this system of doing reading club when I was living in the middle east, Dubai. And it’s pretty relaxed and easygoing way of doing a club because we don’t have to all read the same book. I feel that sometimes book club can be too serious but this system is much more informal.

“Of course, it’s a good opportunity to promote the bookshop and get people to come in and buy books. But it really is more about enjoyment and reading, discovering new books and making new friends.”

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Chilling on the sofa and reading a quality book with a glass of wine at hand seems to be too enticing an invitation to refuse, especially when what you get is not only knowledge and books but also grace and friendship.

Today’s meeting is just the trial of the Reading Between the Wines Book Club and it turned out to be a good start. Octavo’s needs two more members.

This event will be held on the 4th Wednesday of every month.

If you are interested, check their homepage for further information.

Visit Octavo’s Book Cafe&Wine Bar here: