Syston Pre Loved Pages Bookclub Going from Strength to StrengthWritten by Claire Suzanne
After turning the first few pages of The Storm, Gemma Denham’s descriptive and immersive writing had drawn me in. I admit, I was hooked. I would walk away, only to find myself buried in the book five minutes later! So, I was excited to attend our monthly Age UK book club meeting where we were honoured to receive a visit from Gemma herself – a local writer and illustrator who has published both children’s and adult’s fiction. The Storm being her debut novel, published in June 2025.
As a student in the middle of a Creative Writing degree, the opportunity to chat to a published author was not to be missed. I was itching to find out more about breaking into the world of writing. After all, many short stories and a full-length novel are sat cluttering up the hard drive on my computer, with nowhere else to go. How does an unpublished writer become published? Where do you go? What do you do?
All these questions were answered by Gemma, as well as providing many writing tips: from gaining inspiration, researching and marketing, to making notes on shopping bags – Gemma had done it all. My ambition to become an author was reignited!
The book club meet on the first Monday of each month, where we spend two hours chatting and laughing in the lovely Age UK Syston Bookshop. The evening is primarily focused on the genre/author of choice. A new genre is chosen at each meeting, and members read a copy from the store throughout the month, ready to discuss our thoughts at the next meeting.
Last month, the genre was classics, giving us a chance to discover a title we’ve perhaps always wanted to read but haven’t found the time. In my case, I decided to re-live my school days and picked To Kill a Mockingbird – a book I studied for my GCSEs back in the 90s, yet life experience has changed the way I read and interpret the important messages within the story.
Discussion is always insightful as it creates an opportunity to consider different viewpoints and gain inspiration to leave our comfort zones and try something new. We are always open to suggestions, usually by members who recommend their own favourites.
Since the book club opened earlier this year we have covered many genres: fantasy, romance, crime, with many more to come. Members are welcome to bring in their favourite reads to discuss, and, of course, we have enjoyed visits from local authors.
One of the many things I love about book club is the variety of people who attend. The book club welcomes everyone – all ages and reading abilities. We understand life gets busy. You can whizz through three books a week or one per month, it doesn’t matter; even if you don’t get the chance to finish reading, there is no pressure. There are always people to chat to and delicious homemade cakes to devour.
Now, I’m off to relax with a cuppa and find out whodunnit in The Storm.
