With summer officially just around the corner, we get to enjoy yet another guest introduction to our monthly blog post! Kind fellow readers, meet Jennifer Foster, a member of the east Toronto chapter of the Silent Book Club. Jennifer is a long-time, Toronto-based freelance editor, writer and mentor, and her company is Planet Word. Outside of work, Jennifer loves yoga, tap dancing, forest bathing, gardening, photography, camping, travelling, pickleball, kayaking and, of course, reading (especially historical fiction, and kids’ and YA books)!

The Power of Silent Book Clubs
by Jennifer Foster

Several years back, I had a lively conversation with my close friend and neighbour Catherine, who’s also a member of the east Toronto chapter of the Silent Book Club (SBC), about — you guessed it — silent book clubs. I’d never heard of them and, in all honesty, I thought the concept was a wee bit, well, unusual: everyone brings their own book, discusses it briefly with the group, then settles in for one hour of undisturbed reading. But I was beyond intrigued. I’d been in traditional book clubs in the past, and they just hadn’t worked for me, for myriad reasons.

Fast-forward to one afternoon last summer, when Catherine and I ran into Vicki, the co-founder and leader extraordinaire of the east Toronto chapter of the SBC, on our way back from tending to our neighbourhood community garden plot. The conversation eventually turned to the next SBC meeting, and I decided to give it a whirl later that month. I was hooked long before that meeting ended and felt an immense sense of connection in the hush and a freedom that I’d never found with any other book club.

And I know why. SBCs are liberating havens. They offer respite from a noisy and frenetic world, a chance for the nervous system to reset and recharge. They are the perfect blend of guilt-free time to enjoy the pleasure of reading, while being surrounded by the steady companionship of other booklovers. And two of the best parts? Freedom from the often-tedious discussion of a book you could barely finish and refuge from loud talkers who like to dominate conversations.

I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, and some of my best friends have been, are and will always be books. As a freelance editor, I get paid to read all day — but it’s not always material I relish. With SBC, I know that I’m guaranteed an uninterrupted hour each month dedicated to the words and the ideas that I want to read. I’m thankful for our club’s inclusive, relaxed and diverse energy. And I adore the peaceful togetherness, the quiet camaraderie (yay, introverts!) and the opportunity to expand not only my social circle, but also my ever-growing to-be-read list. There are no deadlines and no expectations — ever.

Silent Book Clubs are a time for self-care, reflection and grounding. They are an ode to the power of books to unite and a testament to the love of the written word. And every month I look forward to being with fellow bookworms and delighting in the uncomplicated joy of reading in a shared space.

The May in-person meeting of the east Toronto chapter of the Silent Book Club was no exception. Eight of us shared our recent and current reads over apple strudel, coffee and tea at a local Hungarian restaurant, then settled in to our pages. I’m grateful for this clever and comforting, eclectic and enthusiastic group of like-minded readers who also revel in the sound of silence.

(Photos by Jessica Alex, Helen Gunnarsson and Vicki Ziegler)

Multiple readers from our group have typically given considered attention to each title appearing on our monthly group list of varied and wide-ranging reading. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended. However, rest assured that inclusion on our lists always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to each book, which counts for a great deal – don’t you agree?

• Watership Down by Richard Adams
• Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson
• Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
• The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker
• March by Geraldine Brooks
• Strangers by Belle Burden
• Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski
• Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
• Too Old For This by Samantha Downing
• Anatomy of An Alibi by Ashley Elston
• The Wedding People by Alison Espach
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• 5,000 Kilometers Per Second by Manuele Fior
• The Chambermaid’s Key by Genevieve Graham
• Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found by Andrew Graham-Dixon
• The Wager by David Grann
• Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
• Maple Sugar: From Sap to Syrup by Tim Herd
• Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
• Smoke in the Glass by Chris Humphreys
• Heart the Lover by Lily King
• Leaving Home: A Memoir in Full Colour by Mark Haddon
• The Humans by Matt Haig
• Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys
• An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Moonlight Murder: A Detective Aunty Novel by Uzma Jalaluddin
• The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
• The Tinder Sonnets by Jennifer LoveGrove
• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
• Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
• The Birth House by Ami McKay
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, narrated by Julia Whelan (audiobook)
• John Candy: A Life in Comedy by Paul Myers
• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent
• The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
• The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley
• Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, narrated by Jayne Entwistle (audiobook)
• The Lumumba Plot by Stuart A. Reid
• Public Secrets by Nora Roberts
• The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
• PTSD by Guillaume Singelin
• The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St Clair
• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
• In Praise of Shadows by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki
• The Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope
• The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar
• A False and Fatal Claim by Iona Whishaw
• The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods, narrated by Avena Mansergh-Wallace, Olivia Mace and Nick Biadon (audiobook)
• Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
• The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
• The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

We often have extra book-related articles, resources, news and recommendations to share. These items and tidbits are often companions to books on the list, or are inspired or offered by our members and/or come up during our discussions and chat.

• The Book Club podcast with Dominic Sandbrook (know from the podcast The Rest Is History) and Tabitha Syrett explores classic and contemporary books every week. They offer insights into how the books were written, along ewith interesting information about the authors.
• The short story “Torching the Dusties” from Margaret Atwood’s 2014 collection Stone Mattress was developed into a fascinating short film.

Our group’s previous reports and book lists are always available for you to enjoy and find some new reads … right here!

You can also check out links to articles, 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 the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast almost 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) The SBC organization celebrated its 10th anniversary throughout last October … and our chapter celebrated its 8th anniversary in early November, 2025.

You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Every club is different in size, format (in-person, virtual or hybrid) and vibe, so contact a club’s organizers beforehand if you have any questions or preferences. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

Are you already excited to see how tall our reading pile will be next month? Us too!