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
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Gullivers Bookshop
47 High Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1HS
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
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Folde
1 Gold Hill House (just down Gold Hill), 21 High Street, Shaftesbury, SP7 8JE
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
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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
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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
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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
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The Crooked Book
725 Christchurch Road Boscombe, Bournemouth BH7 6AQ England
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
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Winstone
8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3PX
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
Circus of Dreams || John Walsh
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
