Book lovers unite

As The National’s Book Club initiative kicks off, we encourage you to take an active part

The Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Library at the General Women's Union, which offers books specialising in women, children and community issues. Delores Johnson / The National

Reading may be regarded as a solitary activity, but that need not be the case. One of the aims of The National's Book Club, launched yesterday, is to provide our readers with a platform to get together and share their passion for books. The aim extends well beyond the idea of a group of people reading the same thing. The initiative includes discussions about well-known and influential books, interviews with remarkable authors and reviews of the latest works.

We hope to open doors for the assimilation of different viewpoints, and encourage readers to try types of books that they may not have otherwise chosen. A good book is a cheap ticket to travel to distant lands and to appreciate other cultures. And if you have aspirations to write, a book club can be a place to incubate the ideas you will need to create your own literary masterpiece.

We invite you to "like" our Facebook page to follow the latest activities, and be active in suggesting books and voicing your valuable opinions about them. Let us all share our love of reading.