Halfway through the lively reading recap during our almost standing-room-only silent book club gathering, someone remarked that as a group, we sure do seem to read a lot of bleak books. A scan of any of our recent book lists might indeed bear this observation out … but that doesn’t seem to deter us from gathering so eagerly every month (and in fact, even more frequently, since this was a bonus holiday gathering), does it? Somehow, the sometimes challenging and yes, regularly troubling or solemn subject matter is transcended and made very worthwhile by the thoughtfulness, passion, good humour and collegiality with which this ever blossoming group shares their reading enthusiasms.

And hey, there was nothing bleak about the latest beautiful bouquet of books spread before us for consideration and consumption today!

In addition to the bright cornucopia of books, today’s gathering welcomed several new voices to our booklovers’ chorus. As the group grows, so do the opportunities for each member to broaden reading horizons and gain new insights and revelations.

What follows, as always, is the list of the books we read and discussed at our latest silent book club meeting. Each title is presented and discussed within the group with readers’ capsule positive, negative or mixed – always refreshingly constructive – reviews. Our list as I present it here has no rating system, just a link to either publisher information or generally positive reviews or informational pieces. The list is not inherently a list of recommendations, just a record of what we discussed. Still, I think you’ll agree it’s an eclectic and intriguing selection that might spark the interest of anyone keeping up with our club.

• Purple Hibicus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Amish romance novels
• I Have Something to Tell You by Natalie Appleton
• Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
• Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb
• Living Up to a Legend by Diana Bishop
• A Darkness of the Heart by Gail Bowen
• French Exit by Patrick deWitt
• Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
• Fur, Fortune and Empire by Eric Jay Dolin
• American War by Omar El Akkad
• 26a by Diana Evans
• The Witch Elm + more by Tana French
• A Forger’s Tale by Shaun Greenhalgh
• Take Us to Your Chief by Drew Hayden Taylor
• The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
• They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson
• No Good Asking by Fran Kimmel
• O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King
• The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
• Independent People by Halldor Laxness
• A Book of Silence by Sara Maitland
• All We Leave Behind by Carol Off
• Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
• There There by Tommy Orange
• The Library Book by Susan Orlean
• Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
• The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
• Melmoth by Sarah Perry
• Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
• Year One by Nora Roberts
• The End of Imagination by Arundhati Roy
• Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama
• Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
• Autumn by Ali Smith
• Harry’s Last Stand by Harry Leslie Smith
• Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
• Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
• Liminal by Jordan Tannahill
• Educated by Tara Westover

As always, you can enjoy our previous silent book club meeting reports and book lists here.

Our silent book club was also included in a recent feature about silent book clubs in the international news publication The Christian Science Monitor. Enjoy the article here.

If you’re interested in starting your own silent book club or are in the Toronto area and perhaps interested in checking ours out, please feel free to contact me for more information.