Reader Review Groups

  • Any club member can propose a book to read and review.

  • The proposing member recruits (through this website and with the assistance of the club admin team) two or three (four at the most) other Club members to form a readers review group (RRG)

  • The RRG chooses a name for their group and decides on their own schedule.

  • Once the group members have read the book they meet online for a discussion.

  • The discussion is recorded, edited and presented as a podcast for both Club members and the public to listen to free of charge.

  • The club admin will appoint a podcast producer to handle all the technology and manage and moderate the process.

  • The online discussion and podcast recording process is handled by the Club at no charge to members of the reader’s review group.

  • Each podcast includes a forum (club members only) to widen and continue the discussion about the chosen book.

Click the + sign on the list to the right for further details about the book proposed. Read about the book under review. If you are interested click here to find the join a Reader Review Group Form

  • Wikipedia says: The Woman in the Dunes is a 1962 novel by Kōbō Abe, often described as an existentialist work and one of the major Japanese novels of the twentieth century. A schoolteacher and amateur entomologist misses the bus home when on a bug collecting holiday near a remote coastal village. He finds lodgings for the night in the home of a young widow. Her house is in a deep hole in the sand dunes and can only be reached by a long ladder. In the morning the ladder has been removed and he is trapped.

    The Woman in the Dunes offers a critical commentary on post-WWII Japanese society, including conformity, alienation, and self abnegation. The Guardian newspaper says: The novel is frequently read as an existential allegory about confinement, labour, and the search for meaning within inescapable circumstances.​

    Joe Tibbetts founder of the Gokaido Readers Group says: This is one of my favourite books of all time. The world of The Woman in the Dunes is created on the page with astonishing deftness, truth and simplicity. I don’t want to say too much. I want GRC members to read it so that I can have the pleasure of hearing other readers reactions to it.

  • Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form or schedule a call—we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.

  • We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.