The chance to fling our virtual doors wide open

We miss our in-person silent book club meetings, at Press and in the park …

Silent book club in the park ... with a new friend

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist …)

but as I observed in our last report, gathering around a zoom screen can sometimes be just like gathering around a warm fire in good company. It felt exactly like that again, as we enjoyed a mid-week, evening “pop-up” silent book club meeting this week.

Although it was an evening gathering for most of the attendees, from our local east end Toronto neighbourhood and from other locations around the greater Toronto area, it was a very late evening for one of our newest members, who was joining us from Wales. It was particularly lovely to hear her voice, see her smile and view her cozy, book-lined office … and to realize that an actually very wonderful aspect of how our group has adapted and moved online is that it has given us the opportunity to fling our virtual doors open in this fashion.

Live meetings and the warmth of literally reading together are not in the immediate future, but they’re in all our dreams. At the same time, I hope this extended book club format will still be part of our meeting mix. We’ve made new friends, we’ve expanded our discussions and reading lists … and we’ve used the online realm (and, notably this week, it feels like we’ve reclaimed and redeemed it) to do it.

Books from Rosanne

Toronto library entrance, covid style, from Todd

Lyla's reading

Lyla's reading

Lyla's reading

Philippa's reading

Vicki's reading

Without further ado, here is another generous combined reading list from our group. As always, the titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately)

Our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists are here.

You can also check out links to articles, CBC Radio interviews and more here – some with San Francisco-based Silent Book Club founders Guinevere de La Mare and Laura Gluhanich, and some with us here in east end Toronto.

Learn more about silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Some clubs are currently on haitus, but many are running virtual meetings in different formats. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

It’s possible things are going to get darker for a time. We can light our way and our spirits for now with reading and continued connections to our fellow readers.

5 thoughts on “The chance to fling our virtual doors wide open

  1. Kath

    I love the photo which goes with this – it made me smile. And part of me is not hoping for an early exit from lockdown because I’m so enjoying being a part of your #silentbookclub, so yes, please to you keeping a virtual element going even after we’re all out of lockdown. That would be brilliant! And tide us over until we can do a #silentbookclub from Wales, or I can join you in the Park in East Toronto, both of which are going to happen.

    Reply
    1. bookgaga Post author

      Kath, our Toronto silent book club will always extend to Wales! And oh my, am I ever holding on to the dream of live sbc meetings where Toronto comes to Wales, and Wales comes to Toronto.

      Reply

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