Calling all Riviera Readers! A book club with a difference – or two – is starting up in Monaco, in partnership with the Princess Grace Irish Library (PGIL), and the person behind the project is also surprising in more ways than one.
Tanuj Sondhi is just 16, and a pupil at the Lycée Albert Ier. While we might expect the founder of a book club to be aiming for a ‘bac littéraire’, Tanuj is in fact studying Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and intends to be a Chemical Engineer with an MBA.
Far from the clichéd image of the teenager who spends hours on social media, he also has a passion for reading, which he wants to share with his peers, and others.
His idea is a silent book club, “a gathering of avid readers exploring literary gems” as Riviera Readers’ Instagram account puts it, where people can come to hang out and read whatever they want, for pleasure. There’s no ‘book of the month’ that people feel obligated to plough through so they can discuss it at the next meeting, because as Tanuj says “people don’t always have the same taste in books, the idea is for it to be fun.” The aim is to “create a serene and inclusive environment where readers of all backgrounds can come together, enjoy some uninterrupted reading time, and optionally discuss their literary experiences afterward.”
With its ‘opening chapter’ due to take place next Wednesday, 19 February, the format for the club is a weekly 2-hour meet-up, hosted by the PGIL, within which people can stay for as long as they want. There will be an ‘epilogue’ with refreshments “to keep it social” says Tanuj. Keen to make it accessible, he is polling interested parties via the Instagram account to find the ideal time slot, somewhere between 2 and 5 pm. There is no membership fee, and even the snacks are free!
He hopes it will be “a place where everyone can rediscover the joy of reading” and envisages collaborating, ‘further into the story’, with other literary groups through the different bookshops and libraries in Monaco. A website is in the pipeline as ‘the plot thickens’ and membership expands.
Tanuj told us it’s very much a personal venture, not an idea an adult suggested he pursue. His Lycée is unaware of the project, for example. He did, however, receive some design assistance with the club’s logo from his 11-year-old sister, who “wanted to help.”
The choice of the PGIL as a venue was inspired by the “variety of books, from Joseph Conrad to Oscar Wilde.” Tanuj also appreciates the “serenity” of the Library and says the staff there are very supportive of his idea. The Library’s Director, Paula Farquharson, confirms:“We are delighted that Tanuj has chosen the Princess Grace Irish Library as “home” for his book club. He has been visiting since he was a boy so, I think we can claim partial credit for his love of reading! At different times of the day a group from the lycée pops in to relax and chat over lunchboxes or to do homework or hide in a corner to cram for exams! I love that his initiative will facilitate inter-generational exchange – no doubt the lycée students will form the core of the club but he wants all ages to join. Libraries are perfect for that – there is no age limit!”
And it’s true that readers of high school age have shown interest, but so too have other generations, ranging from single digits to 80+ ! So why not DM and follow @riviera_readers or email tanujsondhi2008@gmail.com for an invite and take some time out midweek with a good read? Tell Tanuj you read about it here first!