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A new look worldwide book club has been launched on Twitter by Jeff Howe, following the success of his similar initiative in 2010.

The new '1book140' book club has hit the microblogging site, and the first book up for discussion is The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood.

The official @1book140 Twitter account already has more than 6500 followers, and various hashtags are also in place. Tweets are flooding through in different languages from around the globe, showing its popularity.

Howe's decision to create another Twitter book club with the main difference from the last being that making it a monthly gathering would provide the regularity that he hoped would keep the readers interested. 'One Book, One Twitter was a smash. The only problem, it disappeared, like barbecues and seersucker suits, when summer came to a close,' Howe said. 'What hasn't changed is the global, participatory nature of the affair. The crowd is still in charge.'

More than 2000 readers involved in the online club helped decide which book should be the first up for discussion, and close to 300 books were nominated. Atwood's book came out on top, and the first book club session began on Wednesday.

Atwood added humorously, 'Would it be cheating if I join in? Guess so...', after thanking those who voted for her novel via the #1book140 hashtag.

Howe's main aim was to keep the book club as relaxed as possible like last year's. No rules, no rush, adding that he wanted to keep it 'loosie goosie'. Howe tweeted: 'As always, 1book140, happy reading.'

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