Top author McQueer pops up in Forth Valley College book club

Organised by FVC’s learning resource centres funded by SLIC ((Scottish Library and Information Council) the book club’s motto is “The first rule of Book

Club is ... you do talk about Book Club” and it aims to bring back the joy of reading to students, providing a welcome break from academic texts.

Students who took part in the event were offered copies of Chris McQueer’s books, a selection of stationery items and lunch and snack during the meetings.

Chris, a good friend of FVC, was only too happy to discuss his darkly funny and unabashedly Scottish books, which include Hings (2017), which won the Best Short Story Collection at the 2018 Saboteur Awards, and HWFG (2018).

He said: “It was great fun meeting everyone at the book club. Great questions from the group and I had a brilliant time. Thanks for the questions and for

making me laugh.”

The Book Club, has been a great success with the initial target of 30 being easily surpassed and reaching a total of 51 students taking part in the group over the three

campuses.

David Gentles, of the learning skills and resource centre, said: “The book club has been great fun and the students have really engaged with the stories by Chris

McQueer. It’s been wonderful seeing the joy in the students’ faces as we read the humorous tales.

"It’s also been a joy to see students come out of their shell, engaging with the group and sharing their thoughts. Thanks to the support of staff and students who

have promoted the groups and taken part.

Learning skills and resource assistant Chris Duff added: “There have been so many positives for everyone attending the Book Club. Some students who did not have

the confidence to read aloud in the first week, were reading in front of the group using actions and accents by week two.

"The stories have sparked discussions regarding the Scottish dialect, characters having authentic voices and even why situational swearing is a necessity at times. I hope that this is just the opening chapter of The LRC Book Club.”