ICYMI: The New Ateneo Press Just Launched a Free Book Club—Here's How to Join
You can join from anywhere.
Published on Jun 5, 2026
(SPOT.ph) Sometimes we read for much-needed (and well-deserved) escapism. It’s not unusual for introverted readers to use a thick hardcover as armor to avoid unwanted small talk at coffee shops or on vacations. But still, there are times when a thought-provoking plot point or a jaw-dropping twist simply deserves a good conversation.
Well, if you’ve got no one who shares your passion for local reads, now you do: the Ateneo de Manila University Press just launched a virtual book club, and everyone is invited to join. Here's what you need to know.
What to know about the new Ateneo Press Book Club
The newly launched Ateneo Press Book Club is an initiative by the Ateneo de Manila University Press. It's the publisher behind books such as the 2017 Palanca Grand Prize winner, The Quiet Ones, Gideon Lasco's The Philippines Is Not A Small Country, and many other Philippine literary greats. Generally, the Ateneo Press is for bookworms who are always on the hunt for fresh local reads and engaging literary conversations.
Hosted on the reading app Fable, the community operates entirely online. Books of the month can be discussed section by section in the dedicated chapter threads—just don’t look ahead if you want to avoid spoilers. Alternatively, there are scheduled club meetings for more in-depth, real-time discussions. These live online events are a major perk, offering a rare opportunity to chat directly with the authors and other industry experts.
Best of all, since the setup is completely digital, absolutely anyone can be a part of the Ateneo Press Book Club. It’s not reserved for students or even readers in the Philippines. Instead, anyone can join in, from anywhere in the world.
How to join the Ateneo Press Book Club
Book lovers who want to join in on the next club meeting can jump in right now. All you have to do is download the Fable app (available on iOS and Android), then search for the Ateneo Press Book Club under the “Clubs” section.
Every month, the club will select a new title from the extensive Ateneo Press catalog. For June 2026, the group is cracking open Isabela: A Novel, the debut novel by Kaisa Aquino. It's a decades-spanning saga set against the backdrop of the countryside insurgency. Isabela follows the lives of women navigating the many complex roles given to them by a society in the midst of revolution.
Sound interesting? Under the Fable setup, you can read the book entirely at your own pace. If, in between chapters, you get the urge to react, you can jump onto the app’s dedicated threads to share your thoughts with fellow members.
For global readers joining from outside the Philippines (or local bookworms who simply prefer handy e-books versus bulkier physical copies), you don’t have to worry about shipping Ateneo Press books to wherever you are. Instead, it’s easy to purchase the digital version on Kindle and other major e-book platforms. Direct links are available right on Fable, making it a breeze to grab a copy of every month’s pick. Print copies are also on Shopee, Lazada, and Amazon.
For more information, visit the Ateneo University Press Facebook page.
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Celia Nachura writes to pay for plane tickets, tennis classes, and a pile of books she’ll never have the time to read. She is also the emotional support human to two dogs, Daisy and Nacho.