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Camilla has launched an online book club

Photo credit: Clarence House
Photo credit: Clarence House

From Red Online

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is an avid reader. So much so that during the first two lockdowns last year, she shared her isolation reading lists in the hope of providing comfort and inspiration to people stuck at home.

'In these challenging times when we are isolated from the ones we love, many of us are finding comfort in reading, to fire up our imaginations, to take us on journeys and to make us laugh,' she said in a post to Clarence House's Instagram, before sharing 'a list of my dearest "friends"…'

They included books by her favourite authors, including Charles Dickens, Elif Shafak, Susan Hill and her late brother Mark Shand.

Now, Camilla has gone a step further for the third lockdown by launching her own virtual book club on Instagram called The Reading Room. The bio reads: 'Join The Duchess of Cornwall in The Reading Room; discover new books each season & meet the extraordinary people who create them'.

Her hope for the Reading Room, she said in a video posted to the page, was to build a community of book lovers and 'be something that everybody could delve into and find something that suited them'.

So far the Duchess of Cornwall has picked four novels, with each one highlighted for a fortnight in the Reading Room. During this time there will be special Q&As with the author and a book club kit, with questions and ideas readers can use to explore the key themes.

The four books Camilla has chosen are:

HILARY MANTEL'S THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT

The Duchess of Cornwall says the third part in the 'brilliant' Wolf Hall trilogy is 'well worth the wait for the stunning conclusion'. Mantel has also shared her tips for writing historical fiction in the Reading Room, along with her favourite books.

DELIA OWENS' WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

This coming-of-age story, set in the American south in the 50s and 60s, was a 2020 bestseller as millions, including Camilla, fell for protagonist Kya. It's already being adapted for the big screen by Reese Witherspoon.

WILLIAM BOYD'S RESTLESS

Both William Boyd's Restless and Elif Shafak's The Architect's Apprentice (below) were in Camilla's list of previous recommendations, as books she has re-read several times and loves.

ELIF SHAFAK'S THE ARCHITECT'S APPRENTICE

Find out more about Camilla's Reading Room on Instagram.

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