Estepona Library Launches New Reading Clubs for Residents

Estepona's Municipal Library is launching a new initiative to help residents form their own reading clubs, providing books, space, and support

For Estepona residents looking to deepen their connection with literature and meet like-minded people, the Municipal Library is launching a new initiative. The programme aims to foster the creation of reading clubs, directly organised by the users themselves.

This initiative is open to groups of friends, associations, AMPAs, and other collectives, as well as individuals who wish to join an existing reading group. The aim is to make it easy for any interested citizen to participate in a regular cultural activity, removing the need to source books, find a meeting space, or have prior experience in organising such gatherings.

The campaign is part of the Municipal Library’s commitment to expanding its services and fostering more active participation in reading. Operating under the slogan ‘Crea tu club de lectura con la Biblioteca’ (Create your reading club with the Library), its philosophy is simple: the Municipal Library provides the books, the space, and the support, while readers bring the conversation.

The Library at the Centro Cultural Padre Manuel holds a collection of over 56,000 books. It maintains a busy lending and consultation service, with 7,328 loans recorded in the past year. In 2025, the library registered approximately 50,000 visits, highlighting its role as a daily cultural and study space within the municipality.

How the Clubs Will Work

To support the new clubs, the Municipal Library will provide participants with sets of copies of the same work, rooms for holding meetings, and technical and librarian assistance to facilitate organisation and operation.

Available works include titles especially suited for shared reading and discussion, such as ‘La casa de los espíritus’ by Isabel Allende; ‘Crónica de una muerte anunciada’ and ‘Cien años de soledad’ by Gabriel García Márquez; ‘El extranjero’ by Albert Camus; ‘Rebelión en la granja’ by George Orwell; ‘El señor de las moscas’ by William Golding; ‘Nada’ by Carmen Laforet; ‘La sonrisa etrusca’ by José Luis Sampedro; ‘El perfume’ by Patrick Süskind; ‘Los girasoles ciegos’ by Alberto Méndez; and ‘El viejo y el mar’ by Ernest Hemingway, among many others.

The approach will be flexible. Each club can organise its meetings with the frequency it deems most suitable and select its readings from the available sets. The Library will act as a support, providing copies, spaces, and necessary advice.

Getting Involved

With this initiative, the Municipal Library aims to extend the reading experience beyond individual loans, transforming the Library into a place where books foster conversation, connection, and community.

Interested individuals and groups can request information directly from the Municipal Library (biblioteca@estepona.es). They can express their interest in either creating their own reading club or joining one of those being established.