Book club opens new chapter for literary lovers in Omagh

FICTION Addiction Book Club recently held its second meeting in Bogan’s Bar, Omagh, and the event was well-attended by people from all across the area.

The club was founded by two friends, Aoife McAleer and Ashleigh Taylor, who wanted to meet and talk to more people about their passion for fiction and reading in a relaxed and chilled-out way.

Ashleigh has been a huge lover of fiction her whole life and a passionate reader, and after moving from Ballymena to Omagh, she told the Ulster Herald she didn’t know where to find book-loving friends.

She convinced her friend Aoife around a year ago to try reading, and she later fell in love with the written word and was hooked.

The two women decided they wanted to create a community of book-loving people in Omagh and find somewhere to chat about their passion for fiction.

They decided to start the Fiction Addiction book club in April and said they were ‘shocked’ by the number of people who came along.

Ashleigh told the Ulster Herald, “I have not lived in Omagh that long, and I wanted to make more friends who love reading.

“I got Aoife to start reading, and we talked about books, but we wanted to start a little community of book readers who could meet up and chat about books casually and have a drink.”

She added, “With Omagh not having a bookshop and the closest fiction store being in Derry, it was hard to meet more people who love to read.”

“When we held the first meeting in April, we were completely shocked at the amount of people that came to the first meeting,” said Aoife.

“This is only our second meeting, but I am really pleased with how many people are supporting the club. We also have a group chat where we discuss what we are reading and the book of the month, and people have been really engaged.”

To learn more about Fiction Addiction, you can follow them on both Facebook and Instagram. The next meeting will be held in Bogan’s Bar Omagh on June 12.