Book clubs, where a few people sit around and talk about the plot and themes of a work of fiction, were all the rage a while ago.
Earlier this year, however, my friend, journalist Louise Holden, asked me to join a non-fiction book club. Each of four women invited a man to join, and we didn’t all know each other.
Anyone could set one up themselves. We take on a mix of topics, including science. Aoife McLysaght, a professor of genetics in Trinity College, is among the members, as is UCD lecturer Dr Julien Mercille (I’m not sure how I snuck in).
“I like that we all bring different ideas,” says McLysaght. “We’ve developed friendships around interesting conversations.”
McLysaght's current wish list of science books includes Primo Levi's The Periodic Table, James Gleick's Chaos, and Matthew Cobb's Life's Greatest Secret.
“I have no science background whatsoever and didn’t like it much in school,” says Holden. “But there are so many readable science books around now that I’ve done a lot of catching up in the last five years.
“The book club is great because we have the prof to tell us when the popular scientists are sacrificing too much accuracy for popularity. Every book club needs a scientist.”
