Book Discussion Scheme
At a glance
- Name
- Book Discussion Scheme
- Category
- Formal groups & organisations
- Address
- 425 Colombo Street
Sydenham
Christchurch 8023 - Postal Address
- Po Box 7126
Sydenham
Christchurch 8240 - Regions
- Canterbury, Northland, Waitemata, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Tairawhiti, Taranaki, Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, MidCentral, Capital & Coast, Hutt Valley, Nelson Marlborough, West Coast, South Canterbury, Southern (Otago), Southern (Southland)
- Phone
- View Phone Number
- Mobile
- View Mobile Number
- View Email Address
- Web
- Visit Website
Media
Tap to view all photos 1/20
Map
Downloads
You need Adobe Reader to view PDF files.
| Preview | File | Description |
|---|---|---|
 2022 Catalogue for Book Groups
|
Browse our most recent print catalogue or visit www.bds.org.nz/books for the most up-to-date list of titles. |
Reviews
We have disabled our ‘feedback’ feature. We apologise for any inconvenience. Find out more here: I want to read reviews of rest homes
We make running a book club easy and fun. Here's how:
Each month, we deliver a set of books and discussion questions to your book club.
You choose your own books from our extensive catalogue of over 1,000 titles, from classics to recent releases.
You then meet with your group to discuss the book — and anything else that comes up! You can hold your meetings at home, or somewhere like a library, pub or café. It's up to you.
Each time you meet, you'll collect last month's book and return it to us. Meanwhile, like magic, another set has arrived for you to hand out to your club members. So easy!
We've been serving the book clubs of New Zealand since 1973 and have almost 1,300 clubs across the country. If you'd like to learn more about starting a group, or want to check if there's already a group in your area accepting members, visit our website or contact us to request a free information pack.
Each month, we deliver a set of books and discussion questions to your book club.
You choose your own books from our extensive catalogue of over 1,000 titles, from classics to recent releases.
You then meet with your group to discuss the book — and anything else that comes up! You can hold your meetings at home, or somewhere like a library, pub or café. It's up to you.
Each time you meet, you'll collect last month's book and return it to us. Meanwhile, like magic, another set has arrived for you to hand out to your club members. So easy!
We've been serving the book clubs of New Zealand since 1973 and have almost 1,300 clubs across the country. If you'd like to learn more about starting a group, or want to check if there's already a group in your area accepting members, visit our website or contact us to request a free information pack.
Testimonials
| "We love the camaraderie and being introduced to new authors and genres....The diversity of opinions and interpretations broadens and challenges us and sometimes makes us wonder if we all read the same book. We love it." Linda (Thames) "What has really struck me is the conversations start with the book and end up with the men talking about their lives, which is something men don't tend to do." Damien (Dunedin) "That's the value of reading and belonging to an organised book group: we're exposed to different points of view and perspectives and broaden our outlook on things. It makes us more tolerant, I hope!" Michael (Auckland) "For people moving into a new area, the book club has opened up a whole new world of friendships and a sense of belonging — thank you." Rae (Clifton) |
| Updated: 3 Nov 2021 |
Service Description
| BDS offers two main programmes for your book group: Full programme (10 book sets per year, one every month excluding Dec/Jan) Half programme (Five books per year, one every second month excluding Dec/Jan) You also have the option of adding a Holiday Read over Dec/Jan for an additional $30 PER GROUP As a non-profit and charitable trust, we also offer subsidised and tailored versions of our book group programmes for certain groups: Prisons Libraries ESOL/Intermediate English Māori and other ethnicities We are always looking for volunteers to help us run these social agenda groups. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer your time to help run a book group in your local prison, or with your local migrant communities. |
| Updated: 8 Nov 2021 |
Special Features
| We are New Zealand's only organisation specialising in services to book groups. |
| Updated: 8 Nov 2021 |
Suburbs/Districts/Towns Serviced
| We deliver book sets NZ-wide, with no extra charge for rural delivery. |
| Updated: 3 Nov 2021 |
Meeting the needs of older people
| Book groups are not only an excellent way to find and enjoy interesting books, but they are a wonderful antidote to loneliness and isolation. Many of our book groups are age-diverse, so people with a shared love of reading can connect with one another no matter what generation they come from. They are also a popular pastime among the retired community, providing many hours of excellent reading and a regular social activity every month. Large font books are noted in our catalogue for those with impaired vision, and we also have titles available as audiobooks through Blind Low Vision NZ (BLVNZ). To access the BLVNZ audio book library you must be a member of their organisation. To find out if you qualify for membership with BLVNZ, contact library@blindlowvision.org.nz (BLVNZ members do not have to pay the BDS membership fee). |
| Updated: 8 Nov 2021 |
Payment
| Payment | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Payment required | Yes | One year's membership for our most popular programme is $70 per person. Groups outside Christchurch are responsible for the return postage of their books — for a group with an average of ten members, this usually works out at about an additional $10 per member per year if purchasing subsidised track 'n' trace courier bags through BDS. For a full breakdown of programme costs, see www.bds.org.nz/getinvolved/whats-the-cost |
| Subsidy may be available | Yes | As a non-profit our membership fees keep us sustainable. We also offer subsidies for groups in prisons, ESOL/migrant groups, Māori-focused/other ethnicities. If you have a group you think might qualify for a subsidy, please contact us to discuss. We want to help as many people as possible enjoy the benefits of reading and connecting through book clubs. |
| Updated: 8 Nov 2021 | ||
Library Services
| What's on offer at the library | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Social opportunities | Yes | We have several BDS book groups taking place within Christchurch City libraries, convened by a librarian and hosted inside the library during library hours. Contact us to find out if there is a library book group near you. |
| Updated: 8 Nov 2021 | ||