Author Archives: bookgaga

Feeling the presence of our fellow readers

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Whenever we send out the reminder for our next zoom meeting, our silent book club members respond swiftly and generously. Swiftly, because they’re keen to attend, share and catch up with the group and get some new bookish recommendations and insights (which, admittedly, is perhaps a euphemism for when a member is not able to make a recommendation, but can offer constructive and lively criticism). Generously, because even when members can’t attend on particular dates, they still provide their recent reading lists for inclusion in our blog posts – to share with each other and with the broader circle of readers who enjoy our posts and lists.

As we head into the autumn, we hope we can still augment our virtual book club meetings with some in-person joy. If the weather holds, we might still be able to layer up and head to Stephenson Park for some quality reading time under the trees. We still don’t know what the future holds in terms of indoor in-person meetings, at our not forgotten local, Press or other coffee/book shops. What we do know is that virtual meetings have afforded us the opportunity to enjoy elastic boundaries, where Toronto extends to Edmonton, Jersey City and Pontypridd … and we want fervently to keep up those bookish connections and friendships. We want to keep feeling the presence of our fellow readers.

Sue reading Duck Feet, Fleur supervising

Kath E read the Women's Prize shortlist

Vicki's books

Our latest combined reading list brims, once again, with variety and vibrancy. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

More book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more were offered by our members and/or came up during this meeting’s discussions and chat, including:

Fellow readers everywhere, boost your reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all here. Perhaps you’ll come across new and unexpected bookish delights!

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 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 hiatus, but many are running virtual meetings in different formats. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

Stay safe, stay well, stay inspired, stay engaged with lots of books, glorious books!

Celebrating reading in every form with our silent book club friends

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Our latest silent book club meeting report is introduced by long-time member Kim Maxwell. Kim is a retired bookkeeper/income tax preparer, widowed with 2 children and 2 grandchildren. She is a long time Toronto East Ender and a fervent fan of audiobooks. Her many interests include life enhancement learning, the arts and travel. She inherited her love of reading from her mother who always said “If you have a book to read, then you will never be bored or lonely”.

Silent book club member Kim MaxwellI have always wanted to join a book club but felt inhibited by the required book selection and the fact that I am a slow reader. When I heard about the SBC in East Toronto, I was intrigued. Not only could I read a book of my choice but would have the opportunity to read silently for an hour without guilt. I rarely sat at home alone to read due to many chores that were beckoning. Hence my love for audiobooks. I could “read” while I worked, cooked, cleaned etc. – no time wasted and boredom at bay.

I have been an audiobook fan for many years. It started with being stuck in traffic on my way to work and discovering that listening to audiobooks helped me pass the time without frustration – the only downside was that sometimes I was so engrossed in the story that I missed my exit but that just gave me more time to listen. Audiobooks are becoming more mainstream now with an abundance of titles. Almost any book in print can be downloaded as either an e-book or an audiobook. At one time there was a snobbery with regards to reading versus listening; the former being supposedly superior. It was as if “listening” to a book did not count. Fortunately, that attitude has changed.

To me, the narrator is the most important feature of the book. If the story is dull but the narrator is excellent, then the experience is ok, a decent time waster. If the story is compelling but the narrator speaks in a monotone, then the book is only good for sleep inducing and you will wonder what all the fuss is about. But if the story is interesting and/or exciting with the addition of an outstanding narrator, then the experience is absolutely joyful. Currently, the trend is to use talented, versatile and often well-known performers to narrate these audiobooks. In my opinion, the voice makes all the difference to the audio experience.

My biggest surprise in joining the SBC was not the luxury of reading silently for an hour but rather being exposed to so many different authors and types of reading material. I listen intently to the reading choices of the other members, noting their reviews, both good and bad. I certainly have expanded my reading interests and have been introduced to quite an eclectic list of authors and titles. For me this has been one of the best benefits to my belonging to this book club.

Again this month, our silent book club meetings ranged from zoom gatherings from our homes and cottages to, thankfully, the great outdoors of our favourite local park.

Catherine Xu's poetry exercise

Catherine Xu's poetry exercise

Kathryn Eastman's books, with our favourite bookish squirrel

Lyla's books<img loading=

Vicki's books

Silent book club gathering in Stephenson Park

Silent book club member Sue in Stephenson Park

Silent book club member Beth in Stephenson Park

Silent book club member Jo in Stephenson Park

Silent book club member Vicki in Stephenson Park”

Our always generous reading list is especially extensive this month because it combines discussions from two meetings, a pop-up weeknight evening meeting and our regular Saturday morning meeting. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

More book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more were offered by our members and/or came up during this meeting’s discussions and chat, including:

  • The Sealey Challenge started in 2017, when American poet Nicole Sealey challenged herself and others to read a poetry work a day for every day in the month of August. I took up the challenge again this year and am in the homestretch, after also successfully completing it in 2020. Those taking part note their progress on social media using the hashtag #TheSealeyChallenge. Take a look and, maybe, dip into some poetry yourself.
  • August is also Women in Translation Month (#WITMonth). It was initiated in 2014 by book blogger Meytal Radzinski. She grew up speaking English and Hebrew, and her multilingual family often encouraged her to read literature in translation.
  • Book festivals around the world are looking at hybrid versions of their series, with online programs and carefully mounted, social distancing compliant live events. Some recommended by our members include the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Brooklyn Book Festival.
  • As A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is much beloved by many of our book club members, it’s no wonder Towles’ latest, The Lincoln Highway, is highly anticipated.
  • Lighten your heart with selections from the Comedy Women in Print 2021 longlist. This is the UK & Ireland’s first comedy literary prize.
  • Who Said It: Pooh or Proust? Thanks to the New York Public Library for this diverting quiz.

Fellow readers, you are always welcome to boost your reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all here. Perhaps you’ll come across new and unexpected bookish delights!

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 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 hiatus, but many are running virtual meetings in different formats. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

Stay safe, stay well, stay hopeful, stay immersed in wonderful, inspiring and rejuvenating books!

More young adult (YA) reading recommendation goodness – the fifth of a series of review round-ups

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We are grateful for and delighted with Toronto silent book club member Sundus Butt’s ongoing collections of young adult (YA) titles and recommendations. Enjoy all the monthly YA installments here.

July 2021 Young Adult book recommendation

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy (9+)

I had been a horrible friend to Jeri. No one would want a friend like me back.
But the good news was, we weren’t friends.
We were brothers.
And the thing about a brother is, you don’t need words to understand each other.

This graphic novel follows Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, as they spend years in a Kenyan refugee camp. The hardships they face from lack of food to lack of medical care for Hassan (who is largely non-verbal) are heartbreaking. And although the story focuses on the interminable despair and waiting refugees face, it is also full of hope and light. What stayed with me most was the remarkable way people are able to create a sense of family and home even in the grimmest of places.

Alexandria of Africa by Eric WaltersAlexandria of Africa by Eric Walters (9–12)

“You and the other Maasai I saw on the road always wear red. Why?” I asked.
“Some people believe it is a warning to the lion. He sees the red and runs away.” Nebala explained. “Others say that the lion is attracted to the red because it looks like the blood of a fresh kill, so he goes for the warrior and leaves the cattle alone.”
[…]
“It can’t be both,” another person objected.
“One thing can be many things,” he said.

Alexandria is a spoiled rich teen who has been caught stealing (again). She and her family decide to take a deal where Alexandria must go to Africa with an international aid group rather than spend four months in juvie.

Walters does a good job of making Alexandria feel convincing. And although it’s difficult to read from the perspective of a character that you’d like to pick up and throw across a room, the impact the Kenyan people and environment have on Alexandria is satisfying. Overall, this is a light read, but it shows how a person’s perspective can shift (even if it’s slightly) when exposed to ideas and cultures outside their own.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (11–14)

“[…] the person you encounter is often more than the person you see.”

Abilene Tucker arrives in Manifest feeling abandoned by her father and counting down the days until she’s reunited with him at the end of summer. But Abilene quickly finds there’s a lot more to her father’s old town than she first thought.

This is a charming read full of the simple joys of childhood exploration and discovery. The olden setting and variety of characters feel real almost instantly. Combined with Vanderpool’s warm writing, this is an enjoyable coming-of-age story.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly HuntFish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (10–13)

My grandpa used to say to be careful with eggs and words, because neither can ever be fixed. The older I get, the more I realize how smart my grandpa was.

This story follows Ally as she struggles through school without anyone (including herself) understanding why. A new teacher is able to discover that Ally has dyslexia. With hard work and belief, Ally discovers she’s capable of more than she imagined.

Hunt does a great job of conveying Ally’s isolation and shame in being unable to read properly and ask for help. You really feel for Ally right from the start with her behavioural issues and a slew of misunderstandings that arise from her dyslexia. But as she begins to understand why she’s had so much trouble, Ally slowly gains confidence and hope, and realizes that people are built differently and learn differently, too. This story celebrates those differences between us, and also those amazing teachers that go deeper and genuinely change a child’s life.

The Giver by Lois LowryThe Giver by Lois Lowry (13+)

Of course they needed to care. It was the meaning of everything.

Set in a colourless (figuratively and literally) world of conformity, this story focuses on 12-year-old Jonas as he’s assigned to The Giver to receive memories of the past. As Jonas begins to receive these memories, he discovers experiences and ideas that cast his world in a new light.

Lowry packs a lot of social commentary into this short novel, not just by what she chose to include, but also by what she omitted. The atmosphere in the story is well crafted. The sterility of Jonas’s environment and in the people he speaks to feels tangible and it clearly communicates a world that has lost all sense of what it means to live a life and live it fully.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth AcevedoClap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (15+)

You do not call bad spirits into the room, & you do not smudge a person’s dignity by pretending they are not still alive & right in front of you, & perhaps about to receive a miracle.
You do not let your words stunt unknown possibilities.

Written in verse, this novel follows two 16-year-old girls, Camino (in the Dominican Republic) and Yahaira (in New York City), who never knew about each other, but are now connected by the tragedy of their father’s death.

Acevedo beautifully and commandingly crafts a story that covers so many different ideas including the imperfections of family, culture, identity, grief, poverty, as well as the dangers of being a young woman. This is a raw and emotional story delivered in a unique, lyrical way.

The Thief by Meghan Whalen Turner (13+)

Discretion prevented me from saying that I thought she was a fiend from the underworld and that mountain lions couldn’t force me to enter her service.

Gen, a boastful (but apparently unsuccessful) thief is plucked from a prison by the king’s scholar, the magus, to attain an ancient lost treasure. The story largely centres on their journey, revealing the history and political intrigues of the different regions along the way.

The writing in The Thief is excellent. There isn’t a lot of action, but Whalen’s descriptions and mini-myths are so enjoyable to read. On the character front, the wit and banter provided by Gen is terrific—he’s a lot of fun to follow (and I imagine he was a lot of fun to write, too). The Thief is a wonderful, old-world fantasy and kicks-off a great series.

Silent book club journeys

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Lyla and friendsOur latest silent book club meeting report is introduced by long-time member Lyla MacAulay, parent and teacher in Toronto, avid and eclectic reader, and fosterer of many kittens.

This week during Silent Book Club, I thought about journeys and how far we have come.

When I was invited to join Silent Book Club, it seemed no small thing to haul myself from west to east Toronto. To read. Silently. Which I could do in my own cozy space. But I did it, and was richly rewarded by meeting wonderful readers and the amazing variety and depth of the books they introduced me to.

Fast forward to pandemic times. Vicki and Jo were heroic in welcoming us to Zoom, and while our physical spaces got more and more restricted, our book space grew and grew! Paradoxically, shrinking to a screen opened SBC to readers from southwestern Ontario to Wales. And we shared worlds in other ways; we had glimpses of shelves and kitchens, gardens and mugs, partners and pets, tantalizing views of each others’ lives that we would not have seen with our meet-ups at Press Vinyl (still on our radar!), or in the park.

Lyla friend!It seems to me that in expanding our places and our members, we have expanded our hearts and imaginations. Our group is so supportive of the struggles we’ve had, and grateful for the time we have together, and I don’t think that would have happened as easily and inclusively if SBC was bounded by physical presence.

At SBC we all have a reading journey, and they aren’t linear! From meeting to meeting we wander through subjects and genres, we are fluid in our choices, and we are nudged into other paths by each other. Who knows where we are going? Inspired by The Sealey Challenge (a book of poetry a day in August), I started The Complete Poems of Cavafy. In “Ithaca”, Cavafy reminds us of the value in the journey itself.

When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
Then pray that the road is long,
Full of adventure, full of knowledge

This week’s journey, as Lyla has captured so beautifully, took us from our respective homes and cottages to zoom to sunny Stephenson Park.

Silent book club zoom meeting

Beth's reading spot

Jenn's books and knitting

Lyla's books

Sue R and one of her books

Sven and Jenn's books

Irina in the park

4 sbc readers in the park

Lyla in the park

Jo in the park

Ruth in the park

Sue R in the park

3 sbc readers in the park

Vicki in the park

Once again, this meeting has culminated in a positively overflowing reading list that will take you in many directions, on many wide-ranging journeys. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

More book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more were offered by our members and/or came up during this meeting’s discussions and chat, including:

  • The Sealey Challenge started in 2017, when American poet Nicole Sealey challenged herself and others to read a poetry work a day for every day in the month of August. All who take part (I’m taking up the challenge again this year, after successfully completing it in 2020) note their progress on social media using the hashtag #TheSealeyChallenge. Follow along … and, maybe, dip into some poetry yourself this upcoming month.
  • Books admired and beloved by this silent book club group have surfaced on the Booker Prize longlist – take a look!
  • The Kitchener Public Library was an important and formative part of one silent book club member’s early years as a reader … and is an important resource today for another member we were fortunate to have join us online since the start of the pandemic.
  • East end Toronto booklovers rejoice! The Scribe is a new bookstore addition (antiquarian) to the Danforth, near Chester.

Our fellow readers – don’t forget, you’re all part of a vast underground network for goodness at work in the world – are invited to boost their reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all here. Perhaps you’ll come across the unexpected!

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 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.

Stay safe, stay well, stay hopeful, stay utterly engrossed in great and rejuvenating books!

Silent book club … part of a vast underground network for goodness at work in the world

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Sometimes, our silent book club meetings are “pop-ups” – scheduled with somewhat short notice, often on a weekday evening, to mix up it a bit with our more regularly scheduled Saturday morning gatherings. Regardless of when they happen, we always have a good turn-out and a warm exchange of our latest reading enthusiasms and, er, less-than-enthusiasms, knowing we have a crowd with which we can both celebrate and comisserate.

Sometimes, the revelations pop up at us, too. After a lively and varied go-round of book recommendations and reviews, the meeting evolved wonderfully into an open discussion about the joys of rereading and how – with perhaps some concerns about rereading changing our relationship with books beloved at an earlier age – many agreed that rereading offered a path back to our books from the heartbreak and distractions of the past year and a half. And from there, we shared our gratitude for this group and its comforts and support. And from there, one of our members closed the meeting on the perfect note with this quotation from one of the books discussed earlier in the meeting:

“Over the last ten years I’ve had a chance to give readings and talks all over the world and meet thousands of dedicated readers. Their passion for literature has convinced me that there’s a vast underground network for goodness at work in the world – a web of people who’ve put reading at the center of their lives because they know from experience that reading makes them more expansive, generous people and makes their lives more interesting.”

– George Saunders, from A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life (2021 Random House)

Dawn's books

Vicki's books

Every meeting, the books we share comprise an overflowing cornucopia of subjects, formats, genres, styles, voices, perspectives and so much more. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

More book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more were offered by our members and/or came up during this meeting’s discussions and chat, including:

  • Thanks to a fortuitous connection between members of our silent book club group, YA author Faith Erin Hicks ended up with a freshly redesigned web site: www.faitherinhicks.com. Just so happens Hicks’ titles have also come up in our YA book recommendations!
  • Audiobooks or Reading? To Our Brains, It Doesn’t Matter … so observes Discover magazine. Our silent book club group feels the same way!
  • Further to that very fine George Saunders quotation, enjoy a conversation between him and fellow author Anne Lamott from earlier this year:

    •  

    George Saunders in conversation with Anne Lamott (January, 2021)

Our fellow readers – all part of that vast underground network for goodness at work in the world – are invited to boost their reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all here. Perhaps you’ll come across the unexpected!

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 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.

Stay safe, stay well, stay hopeful, stay utterly engrossed in good books!

The latest installment of our young adult (YA) reading recommendations – the fourth of a series of review round-ups

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Toronto silent book club member Sundus Butt returns with another delicious harvest of young adult (YA) titles and recommendations. Enjoy all the monthly YA installments here.

June 2021 YA book selections by Faith Erin Hicks and Laura Lee Gulledge

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks (11–16)

It’s easy to lose your soul in high school.

I love everything about this graphic novel. It follows Maggie as she starts high school after being homeschooled with her three brothers all her life. The characters are terrific, the humour is delightful, and the artwork is wonderful (as is always the case with Hicks). I could relate wholeheartedly to Maggie from her nervousness about being around so many people to her love for Alien and Ripley. This is a coming-of-age story focused on family and friends, oh, and being haunted by a ghost.

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (9–12)

Imaginary friends are like books. We’re created, we’re enjoyed, we’re dog-eared and creased, and then we’re tucked away until we’re needed again.

Jackson’s family has little money for food and rent, and Jackson bears the struggles of a difficult life like an old soul. But when things get even worse and it looks like Jackson and his family may have to live in their minivan again, Jackson’s old imaginary friend, Crenshaw, appears.

This is a lovely story focused on family, friendship, and homelessness. Jackson is a great character; his small kindnesses to his sister and his bravery in trying to be strong for his parents make him endearing and also make his trials that much more painful. His interactions with Crenshaw (an enjoyable character, too) are simple, but reveal so much about what Jackson’s trying to keep buried. The story touches on how important it is to share your burdens and heartache with the people you love.

While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown

While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown

While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown (8–12)

Three people who weren’t here with us, but actually were. Their stories, their relationships, their lives all tied together and echoing across time.

This memoir follows twelve-year-old Waka as she’s sent to Tokyo (from America) for several months by herself to improve her Japanese. Waka stays with her forbidding grandmother and she has to navigate an unfamiliar language, culture, and customs.

This is a sensitive and gentle story about the different experiences the author had in Japan. It clearly left a huge mark on her life and she explores the feeling of being an outsider, being caught between two different cultures, and also learning to love someone who can be both kind and severe.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (12+)

“Stories are important,” the monster said. “They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth.”

This illustrated story follows 13-year-old Conor as his mom battles cancer. One night, Conor wakes up and finds an ancient force/monster outside his window. The monster tells Conor three stories, but at the end Conor must reveal his own terrifying truth about a recurring dream that haunts him.

This book is so well crafted. Conor’s isolation, pain, and anger are so visceral and your heart breaks for him. And the monster is an excellent character that combines menace, wisdom, and care (and the stories he shares are wonderful dark mini-fairy tales). The balance between raw emotion, imagination, and insight makes this a great story about coping and grief.

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge (12–17)

I suppose all moms have an idea who they hope their daughters will be. Like a connect-the-dots picture where you think you know what shape it will become. But then it’s the daughter who draws the lines, and she might connect the dots you didn’t intend, making a whole different picture. So I’ve gotta trust the dots she’s given me, and she’s gotta trust me to draw the picture myself.

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that follows teenage Paige when she moves to New York City with her parents from Virginia. Paige is painfully shy and finds herself feeling isolated and lost in the big city, and she retreats into her mind and sketchbook for refuge (even though both are difficult places at times). Some of the metaphorical drawings convey Paige’s introversion and insecurity perfectly and you can understand exactly how she is feeling. Overall, the story is about actively changing your life in small ways so you can find your people and your place.

Dispatches from a silent book club outpost in the Far Eastern Reaches of Toronto

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Our latest silent book club meeting report is introduced by the easternmost member of our east end Toronto group – Kathryn Eastman of Pontypridd, Wales. Moving “in real life” gatherings online has been challenging and fraught, whether for business, personal or pleasure – but it has not been without its wonderful opportunities. We’ve discovered that we can fling the doors of our gatherings wide open to welcome guests from, well, anywhere. That’s how we and many silent book club groups have enjoyed the connections with and insights from readers far outside our physical neighbourhoods.

Because we connected first with dear Kath via her vibrant and book voracious presence online, it’s perhaps apropos to riff off her Twitter bio to present her here. She’s a … Writer. Book Squirrel. Bookblogger. Tea drinker. Chocoholic. Rugby fan. Collects Pontypool RFC supporters’ stories. Nuts about squirrels h/t @squizzey. You can learn more about Kath and Squizzey, her bookish partner in crime, and relish her book previews and reviews via Nut Press.

Kathryn Eastman, silent book club member from Far Eastern Reaches of Toronto (aka Wales)

Kathryn Eastman, silent book club member from Far Eastern Reaches of Toronto (aka Wales)

When Bookgaga (as I then knew her) invited me to join a silent book club meeting back in November 2020, I confess I had little idea what one was. I mean, I knew what a book club was, and I’d seen photos from the socially-distanced meetings held in Toronto’s Stephenson Park but the silent aspect of it? Not so much. How did that work, I wondered, and why silent?

Was Silent Book Club founded by librarians (frustrated or real, aspirational or retired) who delight in shushing its members, while spending time reorganising their book stacks? Did members play suitably muted games of charades for everyone to guess what they were reading each month? Or was this a cover, no doubt gloriously embossed with gold foil and beautiful endpapers, for some strange bookish cult? And, even if it was, how odd could that be, given it involved books?! “Count me in,” I told her. “I’d love to come along.” And shortly afterwards, I received my invitation complete with secret codes and unique password. (If you read more non-fiction than I do, you might call this a Zoom meeting invite.)

Five minutes before the meeting started, I had a fleeting moment of panic, thinking, ‘What are you doing? You’re about to go into an online meeting with complete and utter strangers, apart from Bookgaga, who you ONLY know through Twitter, by the way. What if she’s late or doesn’t show up? How awkward is this going to be?’ But before I had time to gather any momentum from chanting “They’re book people, book people are good people,” I was in. I’d zoomed across the Atlantic Ocean to the East End of Toronto from my hillside home here in South Wales and landed in my first silent book club. All while being in lockdown with a global pandemic raging around us.

I’m not sure if the first rule of silent book club is not to talk about what goes on in silent book club but, given covid travel restrictions and the miles between us, what the heck, I’ll share this little nugget with you: silent book club meetings are not as silent as I initially thought. Gently nudged by Jo, who expertly facilitates the meetings together with Vicki (aka Bookgaga on Twitter), everyone shares what they’ve been reading since the last time they met. We have about 3 or 4 minutes each, and are on mute until we’re up. And here’s your little moment of zen … There’s no pressure to do that. You can simply log on and listen while everyone else shares, if that’s what you want to do.

Silent book club is as calm and relaxed as anything because you don’t have a set book to read before each meeting (as with other book groups), so you choose what to read and report back on. Canny members refer to a book list, while others have notes jotted down about their reading choices. I really need to start doing this because I get about as excited as a new puppy when I see everyone and (enthusiastically but probably pretty incoherently) babble on about the books I’ve read when it’s my turn. Speaking of pups, pets are warmly welcomed whenever they join meetings, whether they’re on time and there from the start, drop in or out, or crash them part-way through.

Once the meeting’s over – and here’s what makes it a silent book club – everyone’s invited to spend an hour reading. And I love this: the idea that I’m curled up on my sofa, reading the book I was just talking about, while the others are all settling down with theirs and doing the same over in Toronto warms my bookish heart. Reading is usually such a solitary occupation, how wonderful to know that you’re in good company instead? In pre-Covid times, I think the club met up in a coffee shop and would stay on to read there, or head over to Stephenson Park for an open-air session. As the Canadian Autumn (or do you say Fall?) turned into Winter, it was photos of those hardy souls meeting up OUTSIDE to share their love of books and reading that first captured my admiration.

Happily, the Saturday meetings niftily side-stepped any clashes with Wales rugby matches (crucial to securing my attendance at anything during International seasons) and being a night owl means that I am (usually – sorry about missing the last one, folks!) wide awake for the mid-week meetings scheduled for 7pm Toronto time which is midnight here in Wales.

Since that first meeting back in November, I’ve joined as many of the group’s meetings as I can while they continue to be held online. And, for the first time since the pandemic began, I’ve found myself wishing for lockdown restrictions to last a little longer, so that we can have the next meeting. And maybe the one after that …?

I have loved every single minute of my initiation into silent book clubs. It’s been fascinating to meet an entirely new group of people and get to know them through their books: the way they talk about the ones they’re reading; what they choose to start, finish, abandon or avoid; as well as how they find their way to this author or why they’re interested in reading about that particular subject matter, geographical area or time period. They’ve introduced me to new authors and fiction, particularly Indigenous authors and their work, and made me even more aware of what a wealth of reading there is out there, riches simply waiting for us to discover and mine.

Bookgaga and I joke that the East end Toronto silent book club extended beyond its borders to incorporate Wales, and have even dubbed it the Far Eastern Reaches in our emails. Thanks to the internet, a global pandemic forcing events and meetings online (one of the few positives to come out of this), as well as the wonderful woman who sent that first serendipitous invite, it really feels as if it has. I’m so grateful for the warmth, wit and enthusiasm with which I’ve been welcomed and to be a part of this friendly and relaxed book club means so much to me, in what’s been a tough year for all of us.

At some point, Bookgaga (the Twitter handle by which I knew her) became Vicki, and we went from being Twitter follows to bookish friends. This phenomenon is also manifesting itself among other silent book club members and I couldn’t be happier about that. I love the way in which books bring us together, whether we’re thousands of miles apart, separated by oceans, or living just a couple of city blocks away. They help us to travel, experience lives different from our own, meet new people and make friends, even with all the limitations imposed by a global pandemic. It’s where the true magic lies in joining a book club, silent or otherwise. Call it bookish alchemy, if you will.

Thank you to Vicki, Jo, and everyone at East end Toronto silent book club for sharing that with me.

Kath's books

Jess' books

Lyla's books

Vicki's books, plus Vicki on screen

As always, the books we share comprise a veritable cornucopia of subjects, formats, genres, styles and so much more. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan, illustrated by Gary Rosen

During a recent silent book club virtual gathering, our group moderator Jo, who was zooming in from her backyard, was paid a visit by a curious possum. (They aren’t as ubiquitous as raccoons in this east end Toronto neighbourhood, but there have been more and more sightings of these somewhat scary-looking but very gentle creatures in recent years.) That visit has inspired our first list, courtesy of Awesome Possum, of non-human reading recommendations. Humans and non-humans alike are invited to explore and enjoy …

* Awesome Possum refused to recommend, must less even read this title.

As always, we invite our fellow readers to boost their reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all here. Perhaps you’ll come across the unexpected!

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 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.

Stay safe, stay well, stay hopeful … and, of course, immerse yourself in good reading as we all stay the course.

Welcoming the unexpected at silent book club

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The mark of an accomplished meeting facilitator is how they handle with aplomb the arrival of unexpected attendees. Full marks to our east end Toronto silent book club co-founder and zoom maven Jo, who was taking advantage of warmer weather hereabouts and running our latest zoom meeting while ensconced under a tree in her backyard … and who didn’t miss a beat when a possum arrived unannounced.

Possum in Jo's backyard

Possum in Jo’s backyard – Photo by Jo Nelson

Sadly, the possum departed without reporting on its latest reading, so we’ll never know if it leans towards fiction or non-fiction, or would be open to a bit of poetry. But happily, we’re left with further proof of a few things, including:

  • There’s always room for one more whenever we gather.
  • Ours is a group – like many of our peer silent book club groups around the world – that relishes the surprising and unexpected, in our reading and in our meetings.

Vicki's books, getting ready for the zoom call

Perhaps you’ll encounter the enticingly unexpected with our combined reading lists. As always, the books we share run the gamut of subjects, formats, genres, styles and much more. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

More book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more were offered by our members and/or came up during this meeting’s discussions and chat, including:

As always, we invite our fellow readers to boost their reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all here. Perhaps you’ll come across the unexpected!

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 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.

Stay safe, stay well, stay hopeful … and, of course, do your best to keep reading!

More great additions to our young adult (YA) reading – the third of a series of review round-ups

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Toronto silent book club member Sundus Butt returns again with another rich and varied installment in an ongoing series of mini-reviews and previews of young adult (YA) titles and recommendations. Enjoy all the YA installments here.

May 2021 young adult (YA) book selections

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Ann Xu (8–12)

[…] Cici, you are always ready to learn and …
… part of me will go with you.

Twelve-year-old Cici has just moved to Seattle from Taiwan and is finding it hard to fit in. She also desperately misses her grandmother, A-má, who is about to turn 70. Cici decides to enter a cooking contest in the hopes of winning some money that can help A-má visit so they can celebrate her special birthday together.

This graphic novel is a simple and gentle story that touches on a lot of different issues. The immigrant experience, microaggressions (such as Cici being referred to as Chinese or Thai when she is Taiwanese), familial pressures, acceptance, and finding your place are all explored, and the cooking contest was an interesting and fun element to help deliver the story.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (14+)

Dead to the world
but somewhere in our souls
we are both scratching at the walls
yelling to the sky
punching the air
to let everyone and everything know
that we are in here
still alive

Written in verse, this book follows Amal Shahid, a Black Muslim boy who’s wrongly incarcerated.

Yusef Salaam is one of the exonerated Central Park Five, and though Amal is not a direct representation of him, Salaam’s experiences give the book insight that makes it feel that much more concrete. Combined with Zoboi’s lyrical writing, you feel the injustice of how Amal is made a “man,” not a “boy,” and how his humanity is stripped away so he’s a “monster” and it’s easier to convict him. This story is a short, but powerful read about how the colour of your skin often determines the justice you receive, and how Amal deals with life in prison.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (9–12)

I slipped my hand into hers. A strange and unfamiliar feeling ran through me. It felt like the ocean, like sunlight, like horses. Like love. I searched my mind and found the name for it. Joy.

Ada has never left her family’s one-room apartment. Born with a clubfoot, Ada’s mother treats her horrifically and forces her to stay inside so no one can see her “ugly foot.” But when World War II breaks out and Ada’s little brother Jamie is sent away from London, Ada takes her chance to escape and joins him. In the country, they are taken in (unwillingly) by Susan Smith. These vastly different people thrown together challenge and learn from each other as they try to adapt to their new life.

This book is skillfully put together. The pacing of the story and character development make the story arc believable. There is a hard edge to what Ada experiences externally and internally, and even the characters you root for are flawed at times. The story covers a variety of issues, but it presents a clear case for how a life can change when given love and support.

The Okay Witch written and illustrated by Emma Steinkellner (8–12)

“See, Mother? This! This is the human world. Fun and free and full of life. This is the world my daughter and I love.”
“It is frightfully ordinary. And loud. And vulgar. Yes these salt blossoms are sublime.”
“It’s called ‘popcorn.’ And yes, popcorn is one of the amazing things we have […].”

Moth Hush has always been different, but she realizes how different when she discovers she’s a half-witch. Chaos ensues as Moth tries to navigate her new powers, her mom’s aversion to magic (even though she’s a witch, too), an age-old feud with witch-hunters, and how she fits into the world.

This story is really fun and lively, and that’s largely due to the enjoyable characters. Combined with fantastic artwork, this is a good coming-of-age story.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone (14+)

“You can’t change how other people think and act, but you’re in full control of you. When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is this: If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be?”

Justyce McAllister is a good kid all set for the Ivy League; but when he’s wrongly handcuffed, he’s rattled by how easily being Black can negatively override everything else about him. Justyce begins a journal, writing to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the hopes that he can follow his teachings and find some answers.

There is a lot packed into this short book. It provides a brief, but wide look at the complex emotions a young Black man feels when he encounters injustice after injustice. The protagonist also feels the temptation of becoming what people expect of him because why resist a stereotype when that’s all people will ever see? You really feel for Justyce and share his frustration with events throughout the story. And although there are some unaddressed issues in the book (such as misogyny), it is a short and impactful read.

A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese (9–12)

Because Ryan realized that for every wish he knew about, there must have been dozens that he didn’t. Maybe that was the point, in the end. You can’t fix the world. But you do your best in your own little corner of it.
And you hope.

An old wishing well has been rediscovered in Cliffs Donnelly, Ohio, a small town down on its luck. But as students from the local school start to make wishes, remarkably, they come true by the inadvertent actions of three unlikely friends. Events start to snowball and lead to even bigger consequences for the town as a whole.

The characters in this book are endearing, and they are the heart of this story about small kindnesses. Told through multiple perspectives, you discover there’s more to each character than everyone realizes as they try to protect and care for each other. This is a warm and lovely read that lives up to its title.

Even between our little zoom boxes, books still connect us

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Silent book club member Todd TyrtleTodd Tyrtle is both a steadfast Toronto silent book club member and organizer of his own international book and tea chat online gathering, as you will quickly learn from his lively introduction to the latest Toronto meeting report. Todd is a wise and observant soul whose interests and activities are so varied, eclectic and vibrant that they almost defy categorization, so I’m going to borrow from one of his social media profiles to describe them further: blogging (at Go Outside Today), cooking, eating, cycling, traveling and doing a new thing every week for a year #52adventures.

I learned about the Toronto Silent Book Club back in 2019 from about as far away as one could: a Times of India article about one that had started in Delhi. Surely, Toronto, a city of readers must have something similar. A quick search proved me right. And so it was that in January 2020, I went to my first meeting having little idea of what to expect.

Some people imagine reading in front of a fireplace with a cup of tea while it snows outside. But from now on my view of cozy reading experience will forever be sitting in a room with other book lovers, the smell of coffee in the air, a scone in front of me with us all reading together. I love how my reading habits were shaken and refreshed. People were reading things I wouldn’t normally read and speaking about them so enthusiastically that I was moved to also try them. I owe my discovery of authors like Ali Smith, and Matt Haig to our group. Likewise, I owe my discovery of flash fiction and rediscovery of poetry to them.

And then, after two in-person meetings, the pandemic hit, and we were all banished to our little Zoom boxes. Even I, a big believer in the power of technology was unsure it would work but the meetings kept going strong, often meeting twice as often as pre-pandemic. Seeing how well it worked gave me an idea. If our attendees are no longer limited by our ability to converge on the same café at the same time, what could a silent book club look like?

And so, about a year ago, the International Book Talk meetings started. This group, consisting of people I’ve met in person, through blogs, or social media meets about once a month to talk about the books we love and our lives. Friends in Canada have talked about English and French books they’ve enjoyed. Others in India have talked about reading books in English, Hindi, and Kannada. A friend in Norway, born in India talks about reading a Marathi book about a famous musician.

It wasn’t long, though, before we realized that for us, books were merely a means of connection. Even with a smaller group than our Toronto contingent, meetings sometimes go up to two hours. Of course, we talk about books, but we also talk about our families, how we’re navigating the pandemic. We’re sharing stories of our childhood experiences in the US or how one person’s father in Pakistan started writing some of the first Urdu science fiction books after he retired. And sometimes it is the simplest of side discussions – what the weather is like where we all are – that it’s raining a little early in parts of Karnataka even as Toronto is getting snow in April.

Our small regular group has enjoyed this connection so much that we started inviting people to just join us. No book talk required. Just show up and enjoy the social connection. A couple of months after starting the book club, a second monthly meeting was started. This group has no agenda at all. Just show up and relax in a virtual living room. Bring a snack or tea and connect with other humans.

There has been so much suffering and sadness during this pandemic, but this group, that started with the idea of a “silent book club” was a blessing that will surely continue well beyond the end of the pandemic.

Vicki on screen, pointing to her books

Mary's books

Dawn's book

Sue R's books

If we do say so ourselves, our combined reading lists never fail to amaze. As always, the books we shared run the gamut of subjects, formats, genres, styles and much more. The titles featured in each of our reports combine print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks (which are indicated separately, with narrator/performer information where possible).

More book-related articles, resources, recommendations and more were offered by our members and/or came up during this meeting’s discussions and chat, including:

  • Several of this silent book club’s members read with awe and enthusiasm Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe. His newest book is Empire of Pain traces three generations of the Sackler family, who pursued the American dream fueled by philanthropy and funded by the development of the painkillers that are now at the core of today’s opioid crisis. Keefe joins Toronto Star journalist Katie Daubs to discuss his book on Monday, May 31st in an online event presented by the Toronto Public Library.
  • A recommended companion to The Overstory by Richard Powers is the documentary My Passion for Trees with actor Dame Judi Dench.
  • The compelling adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad is now streaming on Amazon Prime – highly recommended.
  • The TV series based on Us by David Nicholls is now streaming on CBC Gem – also highly recommended.
  • Silent book club member Todd, who wrote this report’s introduction, also recommends the poetry of Rudy Francisco: “This poem by Rudy Francisco is excellent and got me started reading him.”

We invite our fellow readers to boost their reading with fodder from our previous silent book club meeting reports (online and in-person incarnations) and book lists – find them all 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 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.

Stay safe, stay well, keep your spirits up … and, of course, do your best to keep reading!