Talking about Book (Fight) Club: WORD Christchurch Festival 2025

It was Saturday evening, and I was headed into the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora for whatever ‘Book (Fight) Club’ was going to be. I didn’t know what to expect, but the vibe in town was great – it was exactly the type of Saturday afternoon you look forward to throughout winter with mild weather, longer sun, and a good number of people in town with a couple of different events going on in the CBD – so I was looking forward to the evening’s event, part of WORD Christchurch Festival 2025.

Obviously with Book (Fight) Club you can’t talk too much about it  - it is Fight Club, after all -  but I also wouldn’t want to spoil the experience for anyone else who goes to see this in the future. Instead, I’ll try to give a general, overall impression of the experience.

In the intimate setting of the Cloisters Studio, a medium-sized group of keen readers and book-lovers had gathered, and from overheard conversations I wasn’t the only person unsure of what we were walking in to.

We were warmly welcomed into the space by Arts Centre and WORD Festival staff, and by the host himself, El Jaguar, circling the tables before the show began. An ex-WWF wrestler with a flair for the dramatic, his show brought together the audience’s favourite books, his wrestling prowess, and an opportunity for the whole audience to engage in discussions about books. He is clearly well-read and passionate about books, as evidenced by his ability to improvise and ad-lib his way through the session in a humorous way.

With the obvious exception of any reference to Fight Club, the whole evening was like being in a bookclub with friends. We shared thoughts on books, agreed and disagreed with others’ opinions, and reminisced over childhood book memories. It was a great reminder that what makes a book special is different for each of us, and that while some readers remember specific details of the books they read, others (like me) just remember ‘the vibe’ of the book, and both of these are valid ways to enjoy what we read.

I suspect every audience member has added at least a book or two to their TBR list – for me, it’s Major Bricket and the Circus Corpse – but the big winner on the day was Matrix, by best-selling author Lauren Groff. With a predominantly female audience, this book about a medieval, man-free, female utopia received an immensely positive reaction, and as I left at the end of the evening this was the book on the lips of many of the attendees.

All up it was a really fun way to spend an evening, and I would be interested to see how different it might look with a different audience attending.

Find out more

• Browse our WORD Christchurch 2025 page
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