A new survey has found that a quarter of Irish people read five or more hours per week. 93% of people agree that reading increases one's vocabulary and close to half (46%) listed reading as an extracurricular activity.

BookBind, the exciting new initiative from Eason, has been designed to bring book clubs together as an online community to share their experiences, thoughts and opinions about their favourite reads, gain access to recommended reading lists and get exclusive members benefits.

There's a strong social element, too, as thousands of people meet up throughout the year and bond due to their love of reading. One in three (31%) of those surveyed revealed that they joined a book club simply to meet new people.

Eason will be compiling regular lists of recommended book club reads covering many genres from both established and emerging authors which will be accessible on an ongoing basis through [link]easons.com/BookBind[/link].

“We are a nation that loves a good story so whether that is reading by yourself or sharing it with your friends our love for reading is as strong as ever," says Maria Dickenson, head of book-buying at Eason. "It’s fantastic to see that so many people are sharing their love of reading. While you would often associate reading with time to yourself, there is a fantastic social aspect to reading that brings people together and introduces them to books they may have never considered.

"Eason BookBind allows people from all over Ireland to share their thoughts and opinions on characters, twists and endings to books they have read. We will also keep people updated with the latest must reads and book trends opening up a whole new world of reading for many people”.

Eason will also be randomly surprising books clubs throughout the country with their Twitter #bookfairy hashtag. The first 100 people to register their book club on will receive an exclusive BookBind hamper including a tea pot, cups, and leather notepad folder from the #bookfairy.

For more information on BookBind visit [link]easons.com/BookBind[/link]