Silent book club in the park

This edition of our warmly anticipated silent book club took to the outdoors, thanks to the weather for permitting. We gathered in a shaded corner of a neighbourhood park (not far from the coffeeshop where we usually meet), toting blankets and folding chairs along with our reading material. The hour before silent book club, some of us enjoyed an invigorating yoga class under the trees. After the class, our instructor, who is visiting Canada from Bangalore, India, joined us for the book gathering. (I’m not-so-secretly hoping she’ll plant some silent book club seeds when she returns home …!) All in all, it was a wonderful way to kick off the weekend.

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Truth be told, our time in the park was also a restorative antidote to a trying week of tragedy and upheaval in Toronto. People everywhere face challenges – individually and collectively – every day. The nature and often relentless tempo of those challenges demand that we find ways to recharge and regain strength and focus to head back into what the world throws at us – as neighbours, friends, family members, employers and employees, citizens. For me, I hope for the friends with whom I gathered in the park today, there was solace, rejuvenation, joy and fellowship with our yoga mats, our books and our contemplative silence together under the trees, with other neighbours nearby.

Again, there are some repeats on our book list, because the group continues to actively share and pass along books among the members.

Here is this month’s list of books read and discussed.

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

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

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