Silent Book Clubs

It tuns out that the new thing among avid Canadian readers is something called a Silent Book Club – although some have taken to calling them Book Clubs for Introverts.  So how does a silent book club differ from a traditional book club?  As it turns out, in a whole bunch of ways. 

It will probably not surprise any of you to learn that I have never been a member of a formal book club because very few men ever have, really. The main reason that men are not generally book club members is that there are relatively few of us in the first place.  And because male readers are generally unlikely to talk out loud about their reading amongst their peers, most of us don’t know enough interested male readers to form a book club even if we wanted to.  

Of course, a man can always join a book club that would otherwise be one hundred percent female, but for a number of reasons that is not as easy (or as wise) to do as it as first sounds.  Women tell me that having a male join their book club would negatively impact the discussions they have at the meetings, that the women would lose their sense of privacy and the feeling that anything and everything can be discussed within the confines of the group.  They say, too, that having even one man in the group would result in them having to read books they have no interest in and trying to make sure that their agreed upon selections do not look silly to their token male.  And I, as the lone male in the group, would most likely find myself often reading from genres that do not appeal to me and feeling guilty about forcing my own selection onto a less than enthusiastic group. It’s not a promising experience for either gender.

But Silent Book Clubs are a different thing altogether. They work this way:

Once or twice a month, members grab whatever they are currently reading and head to a local coffee shop or bar at a set time.  The meetings, which generally last between ninety minutes and two hours, begin with twenty or thirty minutes of having each member describe what he/she is currently reading and what they’ve been reading since everyone last met.  Next comes one hour of reading during which all members agree beforehand there will be no talking whatsoever.  About five minutes prior to the end of the hour, a designated member gives a five-minute -warning so that everyone can finish up at about the same time. Then it’s up to the individual members as to whether they stay around for more book discussion and socializing.  Some stay, some leave. And that’s it; simple as that.

Other than allowing me to finally become a book club member, there are lots of advantages to this type of club:  

·      There is no pressure to read something just because the rest of the group wants to read it.

·      Members will not be intimidated into keeping their opinions to themselves by more dominant or better-spoken members of the group.

·      There are no deadlines to meet.

·      No preparation is required – just grab what you are already reading and go.

·      Read whatever you want to read, no matter the genre or subject matter.

·      Support a local business or two without having to take a turn hosting (and all that entails) a book club meeting in your home.

·      Learn about what others are reading, what is popular and trending, and what new books are coming soon.  Discover books and authors that would have otherwise been missed or overlooked.

·      Force one solid hour of uninterrupted reading into your busy schedule, an hour away from all of life’s distractions.

The meeting guidelines I’ve described were taken from Vicki Ziegler’s interview on the CBCbooks.ca website. That website includes a five-minute audio file from CBC Radio in which Vicki (member and organizer of a Toronto silent book club) explains the concept of silent book clubs and why they are catching on in Canada. 

I like it.  Now if someone in North Houston is listening…