the SOLEMNIKO book club

Exploring the Art of Simple Decadence through books


June/July Read

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop

Hwang Bo-Reum


Are you sitting comfortably?

What

the SOLEMNIKO Book Club is an in-person book club focused on providing a unisex list of books including both fiction and non-fiction titles from as many different voices as possible. It is also focused on growing a community of bibliophiles who want to learn, explore and connect.

How

Books are not chosen for the awards they have won, how many languages they’ve been translated into or how many other book clubs have or have not done them. They are picked purely for how much enjoyment and (hopefully) new perspectives and decadence you will get out of them.

When

Each month readers will have the opportunity to vote on which book is read by putting their preferred title in the comments of the specific Instagram post or as a reply to the monthly SOLEMNIKO newsletter.

Where

In-person meet-ups will occur once a month.

Why

The idea is to encourage individuals to explore titles outside of their usual reading lists, while also encouraging a wide range of voices to be heard and of course to build a community of bibliophiles who can share volumes, have conversations and enjoy the art of simple decadence through books.

Using libraries or second hand bookshops and indie bookshops is encouraged to support the continued independent circulation of titles to as wide a range of people as possible.

A full list of local second hand and indie bookshops is supplied below as well as ones that are only available online.

Dorset Independent & Second-Hand Bookshops

  • Gullivers Bookshop

    47 High Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1HS

    info@gulliversbookshop.co.uk

    Monday 09:00 - 17:30 || Tuesday 09:00 - 17:30 || Wednesday 09:00 - 17:30 || Thursday 09:00 - 17:30 || Friday 09:00 - 17:30 || Saturday 09:00 - 17:30 || Sunday Closed

  • Folde

    1 Gold Hill House (just down Gold Hill), 21 High Street, Shaftesbury, SP7 8JE

    hello@foldedorset.com

    Monday 10:00 - 17:00 || Tuesday 10:00 - 17:00 || Wednesday 10:00 - 17:00 || Thursday 10:00 - 17:00 || Friday 10:00 - 17:00 || Saturday 10:00 - 17:00 || Sunday Closed

  • The West Moors Bookshop

    205 Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0HX

    thewestmoorsbookshop@outlook.com

    Monday 10:00 - 18:00 || Tuesday 10:00 - 18:00 || Wednesday Closed || Thursday 10:00 - 18:00 || Friday10:00 - 18:00 || Saturday 10:00 - 18:00 || Sunday Closed

  • The Westbourne Bookshop

    65 Poole Road, Bournemouth, BH4 9BA

    books@westbournebookshop.co.uk

    Monday 10:00 - 17:00 || Tuesday 10:00 - 17:00 || Wednesday 10:00 - 17:00 || Thursday 10:00 - 17:00 || Friday 10:00 - 17:00 || Saturday 10:00 - 17:00 || Sunday Closed

  • The Bookshop

    14 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NQ

    01308 422964

    Monday 09:30 - 17:00 || Tuesday 09:30 - 17:00 || Wednesday 09:30 - 17:00 || Thursday 09:30 - 17:00 || Friday 09:30 - 17:00 || Saturday 09:30 - 17:00 || Sunday Closed

  • The Crooked Book

    725 Christchurch Road Boscombe, Bournemouth BH7 6AQ England

    thecrookedbook@hotmail.co.uk

    Monday 10:00 - 17:00 || Tuesday 10:00 - 17:00 || Wednesday 10:00 - 17:00 || Thursday 10:00 - 17:00 || Friday 10:00 - 17:00 || Saturday 10:00 - 17:00 || Sunday 11:00 - 16:00

  • Winstone

    8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3PX

    winstonebooks1@gmail.com

    Monday 09:00 - 17:30 || Tuesday 09:00 - 17:30 || Wednesday 09:00 - 17:30 || Thursday 09:00 - 17:30 || Friday 09:00 - 17:30 || Saturday 09:00 - 17:30 || Sunday Open December & Market Days

2025 Reading List

Can’t come but want to take part?

Below you will find all of the books for 2025, both the one that has been chosen as well the ones that were shortlisted for each month. If you would like to connect with other bibliophiles and read the books, as well as taking part in the discussions simply follow SOLEMNIKO on Instagram and take part there on each month’s post. Book Club questions will be posted along with the book that has been chosen for the month and all discussions are welcome.

June/July

  • The Song of Achilles || Madeleine Miller

  • Raising Hare: A Memoir || Chloe Dalton

  • Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop || Hwang Bo-Reum

August:

  • The Wild Places || Robert Macfarlane

  • In Other Words || Jhumpa Lahiri

  • The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War || Delphine Minoui & Lara Vergnaud

September:

  • The Anthropologists || Aysegül Savas

  • The Beauty of Everyday Things || Soetsu Yanagi

October:

  • First Person Singular || Haruki Murakami

  • The Hearing Test || Eliza Barry Callahan

November:

  • On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous || Ocean Vuong

  • The Ballad of the Sad Cafe || Carson McCullers

December:

  • The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World || Laura Imai Messina

  • The Uncommon Reader || Alan Bennett

Book Reviews