Category Archives: Reviews

A Masterclass in silent reading

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We’re very pleased to have Toronto silent book club member Tom Kennedy take over the “introduction to our latest meeting blog post” reins this month. Tom is Edmonton-born and raised in Toronto. He is a consultant. Tom loves sailing and squash and pretending to be a Michelin chef. Tom’s companion is a husky-mix named Aspen who takes him for unending walks around the countryside. With reading, Tom doesn’t have a favourite genre, but is constantly looking to inhabit meaningful, well-crafted storylines or experience emotionally complex events.

Toronto silent book club member Tom Kennedy

I propose we reclassify this humble book club into Non-Thesis MFA (Creative Writing) status. We exceed the criteria of several reputable entities, and I think are on our way to graduation.

We have accomplished educators from around the world, who come prepared to deliver important lessons. Professorial as they are chic, they are equipped with dramatic delivery and lessons in humility.

We study a range of periods, from prehistoric to Ancient Greece and Rome to 2050 Toronto. We exhaustively receive lectures on subjects from infants and children with their simple complexities and adult egos, from tribal leaders and heroes, to expansive adventurers. We have pondered the undead and have wondered at the dead’s current presence. The cultural diversity abounds, covered by our unwritten code of respect, with every race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and spirituality carefully considered. There are moments too where we appear to discuss beautiful nothings, posing as a verdant, peaceful vista in the countryside or solemn consideration of blurbs.

With our bi-monthly supplemental study groups we meet the 20-period 600-level credit requirement for training in research methodologies and scholarship assessment. I find the coursework challenging and rewarding, thanks to preparation.

Our monthly lessons consist of crisp thoughtful journeys through dozens of “new” books, which become recommendations and harsh critique too. Sometimes it is as valuable to eviscerate the fish as it is to enjoy the canape.

As a Degree Program I will not speak of the cumbersome student debt necessary to keep up with the program, except to say regardless of recent interest rate activity, the education has been immensely worth it. Let’s call it priceless.

The point I’m making is that I know I’m learning when I absorb our sessions. This sensation keeps beating quite a while after meetings end. I look at text, whether newspaper, a blog, a cookbook, or a new read I’m diving headfirst into – and I have this energy. Every couple of weeks, it’s wonderful to see the emotions and familiarity of our teachers … er, clubmates!

Some more of silent book club member Emily's gorgeous new bookshelves

Some of silent book club member Emily's gorgeous new bookshelves

Silent book club member Kristina's wonderful bookshelves

Some of silent book club member Lyla's recent readings, including a short story collection by Kate Atkinson

Silent book club member Vicki on-screen, getting ready for a zoom meeting, with a stack of books, including The Fraud by Zadie Smith, next to her computer

Here is our group’s latest combined book list, gathering up books mentioned and discussed by the end of our October 2023 meeting. Each list reflects the reading of many of our members, so dedicated to the group that they regularly provide their reading lists even when they can’t attend a meeting. The titles featured in each of our reports encompass print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks.

Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title some consideration. That’s encouragement for you and other readers checking out our reports and lists to consider it, too. Is that a recommendation? It might be, but not exactly or necessarily. Inclusion on this list always means that a title has been given thoughtful consideration and attention by our readers, which you can be assured counts for a lot.

Did we mention that the worldwide Silent Book Club network recently welcomed its 500th chapter?!? It had around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.

You can always find our previous reports and book lists right here, growing every month.

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. Every club is a different size, format (in-person, virtual or combinations) 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.

If you’re in our silent book club group, if you’re in a silent book club group elsewhere in the world, if you’re in any kind of a book club, if you’re a book club unto yourself … or hey, if you’re thinking about starting a book club to welcome more readers into your reading life … however you celebrate books and reading … Happy reading!!!

Silent book club group as perpetual motion great reading machine

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On the verge of its sixth anniversary (yes!), our silent book club group does this amazing and wonderful thing more and more, with every meeting. One by one, as readers share updates on their recent reading, almost to a person, that recent reading includes a recommendation from another reader in the group. And that recommendation blossoms into other discoveries. And then the reader that offered that recommendation reveals that the previous reader inspired them with recommendations (backatcha!), and then that recommendation led down other intriguing paths, either deeper into a particular subject or an author’s body of work … and on and on it goes, around our virtual silent book club table. And it’s connected and enmeshed but, importantly, not spinning in on itself (meaning we’d all eventually be reading the same book, like, er, the kinds of book clubs we left to join this group …) It keeps spinning larger and larger concentric circles, drops on a pond that extend further and further out. It’s perpetually in motion in fascinating ways that has this reader looking forward to how it will all keep spinning when next we meet.

In addition to our monthly go-round (spinning!) meetings, we continue to devote a second meeting every month to a bookish topic of discussion. The topic of this month’s themed discussion meeting was:

Looking things up while you’re reading – If you encounter a reference or word or something you don’t recognize while you’re reading – and it’s not explained or discernible from the text – do you stop and look it up or do you keep going with the flow of what you’re reading?

While fairly evenly divided between stopping to look things up (even risking getting distracted by invariable online rabbit holes) and going with the flow, the assembled readers for this discussion learned a lot from those on one or the other side of this dilemma. Thoughts and revelations included:

  • One reader who goes with the flow marks pages with scraps of paper that she circles back to later to look things up.
  • The group debated whether or not cryptic words that one has to look up could or should be “solved” by the writer by either employing simpler prose or incorporating obvious clues, descriptions or explanations. In other words, should the text be self-contained and explanatory?
  • Some readers confessed to being made to feel lazy if they just forged ahead and didn’t either stop at the time or look things up later. Others suggested a bit of mistrust of the author if things weren’t fully explained in context.
  • Footnotes … ah, yes … the pros, the cons, even the quirky delights of …

Silent book club member Anne-Louise's recent and current reading, including 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph, Truth Telling by Michelle Good and The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman e-book, accompanied by a white polar bear toy wearing an orange ribbon and holding a plush pumpkin (Photo by Anne-Louise Gould)

Silent book club member Vicki (that's me, with my signature messy hair and glasses), on screen getting ready for our zoom meeting, with books stacked next to my computer

Here is our group’s latest combined book list, gathering up books mentioned and discussed at our end of September 2023 meeting. Each list reflects the reading of many of our members. Many provide their reading lists even when they can’t attend a meeting. The titles featured in each of our reports encompass print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks.

Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title some consideration. That’s encouragement for you and other readers checking out our reports and lists to consider it, too. Is that a recommendation? It might be, but not exactly or necessarily. Inclusion on this list always means that a title has been given thoughtful consideration and attention by our readers, which you can be assured counts for a lot.


Here are some extra book-related articles, resources, news and recommendations. 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.

  • Last month, I blended the poetry works I read for the 2023 Sealey Challenge (reading 31 works in 31 days) into our group’s combined reading list. I’ve since created a separate blog post of my Sealey Challenge reading here.
  • “Something happened when we shifted to digital formats that created a loss of rights for readers. Pulling back the curtain on the evolution of ebooks offers some clarity to how the shift to digital left ownership behind in the analog world.” Read more in The Anti-Ownership Ebook Economy.
  • Did we mention footnotes? Poet Ross Gay praises them!
  • The reader who discussed the book Reimagining Chinatown: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction, edited by Linda Zhang at today’s meeting also recommended the documentary Big Fight in Little Chinatown as an interesting complement to the book.
  • Another group member strongly recommends the Read the North Podcast. Season 1 is an engaging history of (mostly Toronto focused) CanLit.

Looking back almost six years,here’s a report from the very first meeting of the east end Toronto silent book club group.

You can always find our previous reports and book lists right here, growing every month.

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. Every club is a different size, format (in-person, virtual or combinations) 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.

And if you explore some of the books here or on our other combined lists, our group will help you and your reading friends to keep that perpetual motion great reading machine rolling on and on and on …

Busy, but never too busy to pick up a book …

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… or to assemble a list of my and my book club friends’ discerning and eclectic reading!

Stack of books (with more rows and shelves of books in the background) from March 2023 silent book club meeting, including titles by Claire Keegan, Leslie Greentree and more

Here is our group’s latest combined book list, reflecting books mentioned and discussed at our meetings in March. As I’ve mentioned before, each list reflects the reading of many of our members, whether or not they attended the meetings in question. The titles featured in each of our reports encompass print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks.

Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (often more) readers have given that title some consideration. That is encouragement, I’d say, for other readers reading our reports and lists to consider it, too. Is that a recommendation? It might be, but not exactly or necessarily. It always means that a title has been given thoughtful consideration and attention by our readers, which counts for a lot.

At mid-month, we enjoyed another meeting focused on themes rather than on our specific books read in the last month. This time, our main topic of discussion focused on authors and lived experience – that is, to what extent must an author have lived the experiences of their characters? As a reader, are you concerned or do you even check first to find out if an author knows firsthand about the socio-economic status, race, functional abilities, credos and so on of their characters? Or can an author achieve convincing authenticity with research, imagination and sympathy?

It was another rich, varied discussion. The overall discussion leaned towards authors having at least some exposure to the subject matter/circumstances/lived experience for believability/authenticity. As a counterpoint, we also explored the notion that any author worth their salt, imagination and research should be able to convincingly depict a character or experience – because, for example, what if it is a sphere in which no one could possibly have experienced it (e.g. science fiction, fantasy, etc.)? What we concluded is that this is a question that provokes much great and interesting debate, and one that cannot be sewed up neatly, can it? I sense this and other such questions will keep our group fueled for lots of future such meetings and discussions.

The happy blur of another year (2022) in reading

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Looking back on my years in reading in 2020 and 2021 was challenging because those were uniquely challenging years for all of us, in all ways. Enough said.

Looking back on my year in reading in 2022 is also proving challenging. The third year into whatever-we’re-calling-this-stage-of-yes-it’s-still-a-pandemic, we’re all coping, semi-resuming pre-pandemic activities and practices and forging new versions of normal. Some of the challenges I’m finding are actually not so bad, like, say, this challenge to this bookish household:

Mavis the Airedale puppy sits on a black leather ottoman, surrounded by books

Actually, Mavis (named after Staples, Gallant and Wilton) joined this household late in 2022, so she didn’t so much distract my reading as distract me from assembling my customary “year in reading” post this month. After work, playing with puppy, reading and hanging out virtually with book friends, writing about my reading feels kind of further down the list these days. And in all fairness to Mavis and her mentor, Tilly, our dogs are generally conducive to our reading, not a distraction. I am still feeling sharply the loss of a very dear reading companion, Jake, who was also a silent but influential presence at many of our silent book club zoom meetings.

Vicki's stack of recent reading, with dearly missed Jake the beagle-basset under the desk

Here are the books I read, reread and read aloud in 2022.
For each book on this year’s list, I’ve sought out links to reviews – not my own, but ones with which I concur – author interviews and/or publisher information. Hope this is helpful if you want to learn more about any of these titles.

I’ve remarked on the following in reference to our silent book club combined reading lists. I realize more and more that the same thing applies to me as a reader, one with a penchant for finishing all or most of what I start: Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (often more) readers have given that title some consideration. That is encouragement, I’d say, for other readers reading our reports and lists to consider it, too. Is that a recommendation? It might be, but not exactly or necessarily. It always means that a title has been given attention and thought by our readers, which counts for a lot. So, that I have devoted my precious time as a reader to every book from the first page to the last means – at least to me, I hope to you too – that everything on my reading lists every year have been fully considered and overall, at least appreciated, often much more than that.

I’m also incorporating a feature in this year’s list that is perhaps as close as I’ll ever get to a “top x reads of the year” kind of distinction. As I was laying out this list of titles, some of them just glowed with memories of particularly satisfying or striking reads, likely paired with good settings, ideal company (or not), perfect timing and more. So, I’ve bolded those glowing titles. That’s it.

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the poetry collection Hell Light Flesh by Klara du Plessis

January 2022

1. Hell Light Flesh by Klara du Plessis
2. Undersong by Kathleen Winter
3. The Art of Falling by Danielle McLaughlin
4. Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
5. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the poetry collection Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz

February 2022

6. Strange Things by Margaret Atwood
7. Some Integrity by Padraig Regan
8. Emma by Jane Austen

March 2022

9. Reacher: Killing Floor by Lee Childs
10. Next Time There’s a Pandemic by Vivek Shraya
11. Such Color by Tracy K. Smith
12. Infinity Network by Jim Johnstone
13. Hail, the Invisible Watchman by Alexandra Oliver

April 2022

14. H of H Playbook, Euripides translated by Anne Carson
15. Gabriel by Edward Hirsch
16. Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah
17. Mad Shadows by Marie-Claire Blais, translated by Merloyd Lawrence

May 2022

18. O Cidadan by Erin Moure
19. Suit by Samarth
20. Cluster by Souvankham Thammavongsa
21. A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
22. Shaheen Bagh by Ita Mehrotra
23. Say This by Elise Levine
24. Chhotu by Varud Gupta and Ayushi Rastogi
25. Still Point by E. Martin Nolan

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the graphic novel Chhotu by Varud Gupta and Ayushi Rastogi

June 2022

26. Erebus: The Story of a Ship by Michael Palin
27. Almost Visible by Michelle Sinclair
28. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
29. The Space a Name Makes by Rosemary Sullivan

July 2022

30. The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft
31. The Worst Truth by John Metcalf
32. Blue Portugal and Other Essays by Theresa Kishkan
33. State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton, narrated by Joan Allen (audiobook)
34. Poguemahone by Patrick McCabe
35. None of This Belongs to Me by Ellie Sawatzky

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the novel-length poem Poguemahone by Patrick McCabe

August 2022

36. Swelles by Sina Queyras
37. Personals by Ian Williams
38. Who is your mercy contact? by Ronna Bloom

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the poetry chapbook Who is your mercy contact? by Ronna Bloom

39. Romantic by Mark Callanan
40. Third State of Being by Cassidy McFadzean
41. The Day-Breakers by Michael Fraser
42. The Bannisters by Paul Muldoon
43. Mother Muse by Lorna Goodison
44. Patient Frame by Steven Heighton
45. The Junta of Happenstance by by Tolu Oloruntoba
46. These Are Not the Potatoes of My Youth by Matthew Walsh
47. Starting With the Roof of My Mouth by Claren Grosz
48. Deepfake Serenade by Chris Banks
49. I’ll Fly Away by Rudy Francisco
50. The War Works Hard by Dunya Mikhail, translated by Elizabeth Winslow
51. Skin & Meat Sky by Klara du Plessis & Kadie Salmon
52. Palaces for the People – How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg
53. Answer to Blue by Russell Thornton
54. DC Poems by Joe Neubert
55. Pebble Swing by Isabella Wang
56. Durable Goods by James Pollock

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the poetry collection Durable Goods by James Pollock

57. Paper Radio by Damian Rogers
58. The Lost Time Accidents by Sile Englert
59. Guest 16 [A Journal of Guest Editors], edited by Kirby
60. Letters in a Bruised Cosmos by Liz Howard
61. Pilgrim’s Flower by Rachael Boast
62. The Affirmations by Luke Hathaway
63. The Deleted World by Tomas Transtromer, versions by Robin Robertson
64. Blue Sonoma by Jane Munro
65. Selected Poems [1926-1956] by Dorothy Livesay
66. The Alphabet in the Park by Adelia Prado, translated by Ellen Watson

September 2022

67. Be Ready for the Lightning by Grace O’Connell
68. On the Trail of the Jackalope by Michael P. Branch
69. Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For by Leslie Greentree
70. Intruder by Bardia Sinaee
71. Sweet Home by Wendy Erskine
72. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the short story collection Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For by Leslie Greentree

October 2022

73. The Story by Michael Ondaatje, drawings by David Bolduc
74. Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles
75. Dubliners by James Joyce
76. The Whole Singing Ocean by Jessica Moore

November 2022

77. Straggle – Adventures in Walking While Female by Tanis MacDonald
78. My Grief, the Sun by Sanna Wani
79. The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the essay and poetry collection Straggle by Tanis MacDonald

December 2022

80. But the sun, and the ships, and the fish, and the waves. by Conyer Clayton
81. Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell
82. Shimmer by Alex Pugsley
83. The Year of the Puppy by Alexandra Horowitz
84. Foster by Claire Keegan
85. To float, to drown, to close up, to open by E. Alex Pierce

My 2022 year in reading, reflected in a page of my handwritten Book of Books, next to the short story collection Shimmer by Alex Pugsley

In 2022, I read a total of 85 works. That’s down from the dramatic-for-me total of 102 works in 2021, but it’s still darned good. That total broke out as:

  • 26 works of fiction (novels and short story collections)
  • 49 poetry collections and
  • 10 works of non-fiction.

I reread 13 books. (I’ll blog about it next – our silent book club inaugurated its new themed format meetings with a discussion about delights and pitfalls of rereading.) I read 7 works in translation, read 3 graphic works and read 52 works by Canadian authors. My husband and I read 5 books aloud to each other this year, a lively and intriguing cross section of subjects and authors:

  • The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
  • Erebus: The Story of a Ship by Michael Palin
  • Palaces for the People – How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg
  • On the Trail of the Jackalope by Michael P. Branch
  • The Year of the Puppy by Alexandra Horowitz

I also kept track again this year of the publication dates of the books I read. In 2022, the oldest book I read was published in 1816 (Emma by Jane Austen), and I read 8 books before 2000, improving on my intention in recent years to read more older books. More than half of the books I read this year were published in 2021 or 2022.

So far in 2022, I’ve read or have in progress:

  • The Descendants by Robert Chursinoff
  • The Thinking Heart: The Etty Drawings (1983-1984) Claire Wilks by Jessica Hiemstra
  • Towards a General Theory of Love by Clare Shaw
  • Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan
  • Lessons by Ian McEwan
  • Young Skins by Colin Barrett

To wrap it up in consistently Groundhog Day-ish fashion (just barely before Groundhog Day, actually), here are my observations from the last couple of years, which are still very applicable again this year:

For yet another year, I’m looking back with quiet satisfaction (and with gratitude to the practices and people who helped and inspired) on my reading during an extraordinarily difficult year, and looking forward with quiet optimism to where my reading this new year will take me. I’m grateful to the writers, publishers, reviewers and fellow readers who have spurred on and broadened my reading. I’m thankful as always for the bounty of beautiful words that came to me via so many conduits, evoking such an array of ideas, trains of thought, memories and associations, providing so much off the page, too.

I’ll simply conclude, once again …

It’s not how many books or works you read (in whatever form) that counts. It’s that you read that counts – and it counts so very much.

And I might add … If you can read in good company, be it a partner, a four-legged reading companion and/or a group of trusted bookish friends, your reading will always be imbued with a special, warm glow.

Books, booklovers and the delicious questions they pose

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Our latest silent book club meeting once again pushed the boundaries of what we define as “east end Toronto”. We have our splendid bookish stalwarts from Jersey City, New Jersey and Pontypridd, Wales, attendees and contributors throughout the pandemic we now cannot imagine not being part of this group.

Today, they were joined by a first-time visitor from Paris, France. Inspired by the silent book club concept, he was initially disappointed to discover that France was silentbookclubless when he checked the Silent Book Club international chapters map. However, he has hastened to fill that void with not one, but two groups: English-Speaking and en ligne (français). Both groups have already met, and we asked their leader to report back on how it unfolds.

Today’s bookish bounty was generous and diverse, as always, sparking some intriguing questions we need a whole other meeting to explore.

  • When a book features a preternaturally gifted artist, particularly musicians, is it the case that they have always made a deal with the devil?
  • If a book is not speaking to you, the reader, should you stop reading it and move on to something else?
    This question and variations on it come up periodically in our and, I imagine, many book clubs. It’s a complex and agree-to-disagree kind of question, with contentions that “life is too short” as valid as “but what if you miss something?” and so on. I sometimes use the verb “abandon” instead of “stop reading”, but really, I’m not editorializing about my own stance on this question.
  • So, if we agree to disagree on abandoning books, is there a set point at which one gives a book a chance? One of our readers has a 50-page rule, although she admits to applying that rule flexibly at times.
  • And, as we agree to disagree on abandoning books, what is the rule for audiobooks? Some set number of hours of listening?
  • And, are the criteria for abandoning audiobooks different than for print books? One key distinguisher that comes up regularly with our readers who are particular audiobook fans and aficionados is the critical role of the narrator (whether it is the author, an actor or voice professional, or a cast) in making or breaking the book’s readability.
  • We have so many amazing ways to find books, from groups like this and lots of online resources and places to interact, to Little Free Library boxes and more. So, isn’t it even more amazing when … a book finds us, just when we need it most?

Silent book club members Jenn and Sven's books

Silent book club member Catherine from Jersey City shows park installation featuring poems

Silent book club member Sue reads Anne Sexton poetry collection

Silent book club member Vicki, on screen, with her books piled next to her computer

Squizzey the squirrel shows off silent book club member Kathryn's books

East end Toronto silent book club zoom screen

Here is our group’s latest combined book list. As I’ve mentioned before, each list reflects the reading of many of our members, whether or not they attended the meeting. The titles featured in each of our reports encompass print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks.

I’m regularly asked if our group recommends specific books. My answer? Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (often more) readers have given that title some consideration. That is encouragement, I’d say, for other readers reading our reports and lists to consider it, too. Is that a recommendation? It might be, but not exactly or necessarily. It always means, though, that a title has been given attention and thought by our readers, which counts for a lot.

Here are some additional book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more. 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.

Our previous reports and book lists are always available to inform, delight, inspire and add to your tbr pile … 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 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 or modified schedules, many are running virtual meetings in different formats, and some are carefully running in-person gatherings again. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

Are you asking questions prompted by your books? Or are your books asking you questions? Don’t be afraid to ask, and don’t hesitate to answer.

It’s OK to be a mood reader

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… and when you’re in a mood reading patch, a silent book club group is perfect to see you through!

Here’s part of what independent book review web site and podcast Book Riot has to say about what it means to be a mood reader:

“A mood reader is a person who reads according to their mood. This means that their feelings and emotions often dictate what they’ll read. If they’re feeling happy and want to bask in that happiness, they choose a book or genre that will tie in with that feeling. If they’re feeling upset or angry, they may opt for a heart wrenching period drama or a dystopian thriller. The books could serve to expand an emotion or to comfort the reader. Either way, a mood reader selects and reads books based on how they are feeling at any given moment.”

One could argue that mood reading is even more complicated and granular than that. Feeling upset or angry, a mood reader might then opt for the cheery read, and avoid the subject matter or tone that deepens an unhappy feeling. Feeling distracted, not so much tone as simplicity of expression might be the only way to sustain any kind of reading. Perhaps an intense combination of factors might cause the mood reader to abandon reading altogether – we’ve explored the whole loss and regaining of one’s reading mojo throughout the pandemic.

At any rate, one of our readers made this very confession during today’s meeting. She said she had at least four books on the go currently, each differently suited to how focused, energetic, happy (or not) she was at any given time. Of course, characterizing what she said as a confession suggests that saying you’re a mood reader or in a mood reading phase is something to be ashamed of – which it is not! Our group of readers rallied round, more such so-called confessions emerged. The conclusion seemed to be that in fact, mood reading is realistically attuned to our different feelings and energy levels, as well as focus, environment (don’t you read differently on the subway than you do in your favourite reading chair?) and more. Having multiple books on the go, for all those different moods and settings, etc., etc.? Nothing to be worried about at all! And if you need more ideas for more books to fit all those moods? We’re here to help.

Without further ado, here is our latest combined book list. As I’ve mentioned before, each list reflects the reading of many of our members, whether or not they attended the meeting. The titles featured in each of our reports encompass print and digital versions of books, along with audiobooks.

I’m regularly asked if our group recommends specific books. My answer? Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (often more) readers have given that title some consideration. That is encouragement, I’d say, for other readers reading our reports and lists to consider it, too. Is that a recommendation? It might, but not exactly or necessarily. It always means, though, that a title has been given attention and thought by our readers, which counts for a lot.

Here are some additional book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more. 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.

  • If you enjoyed Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz, there is a good chance you will also enjoy the new television series of the same name.
  • The Long Term Care Trilogy recently brought together actors, activists, authors, public figures and caregivers to perform readings of plays by Sophocles and Shakespeare as a catalyst for engaging diverse audiences – both in-person and on Zoom – in conversations about the challenges of caring for those our society has marginalized and left behind, especially elders. Presented by the Toronto Festival of Authors, it featured performances by Margaret Atwood, David Strathairn, The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, Vanessa Sears, Jani Lauzon, Deena Aziz, Araya Mengesha, Evan Buliung, R.H. Thomson, Daren A. Herbert, Laura Condlln and a Chorus of Caregivers: Dee Hope, Michael Booth and Carol Lemen. It’s now past, but let’s be on the lookout for either a replay of the event, or new such presentations in future.
  • The Pursuit of Love is an excellent 3-part television miniseries based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Nancy Mitford.

Oh, and by the way … Happy 5th anniversary to our silent book club group! Here’s a report from the very first meeting.

Our previous reports and book lists are always available to inform, delight, inspire and add to your tbr pile … 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 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 or modified schedules, many are running virtual meetings in different formats, and some are carefully running in-person gatherings again. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

Sometimes our readers show up at our silent book club meetings to just listen, to gather reading inspiration when the reading energy or focus is flagging, and to be in very good bookish company. If you can’t join us to listen, we still hope these posts and lists help satisfy the many moods in which you might be reading or striving to read.

Talking (enthusing, rhapsodizing, giggling nervously) with The Small Machine Talks

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The Small Machine Talks is a lively and informative podcast about Canadian creators, those who write, publish and perform poetry and other literary and imaginative works. How generous and visionary of podcast creator and host Amanda Earl to consider the perspectives of those of us who read and consume what others create. I was so honoured (and also very nervous) to be invited for a warm chat with Amanda about silent book clubs and the joy of reading, sharing poetry discoveries on social media (with the #todayspoem hashtag) and more. I want to particularly thank my fellow silent book club readers and friends, who are inspirations in fueling the enthusiasm you’ll hear here in my voice.

Reading with intent, whatever you’re reading

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Since the start of the pandemic, our silent book club group has met – mostly virtually, but in person when we could, safely and in glorious settings – twice a month. We’ve sustained that tempo for over two years now, and I think it’s safe to say that tempo has sustained many of us. Certainly, it has sustained us through the ups and downs of our reading, our focus and ability to read at all at times. Most of us are coming to the end of the summer reading happily and with intent, whatever we’re reading.

How wonderful that the same silent book club member who praised the virtues and delights of reading with intent also declared in the next breath, “All hail the beach read!” All assembled agreed with their own variations of “huzzah!” … as all kinds of reads have a home in a silent book club, as those who attend them and follow these reports well know.

Anne Louise's books, placed in a reading chair with trees in the background

Catherine, reading Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, in Italy

Vicki's books on a table on the porch of her cottage bunkie

Our latest combined book list – which combines lists from many of our members, as well as titles discussed in two meetings in the month of August, so it is truly vast! – gathers the recent reading of many of our members, whether they attended the meeting in question or not. When I send out meeting notifications to the group, I get prompt and generous replies back. Whether or not someone is joining the meeting, they regularly send their recent reading to share with the rest of the group and everyone who reads our blog posts.

And there is more combining going on, as 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). Any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (often more) readers have given that title some consideration. That is enough, to my mind, to say that another reader reading our reports and lists might consider it, too. Is that an out-and-out recommendation? Not necessarily, but it means a title has been given attention and thought, which always counts for a lot.

Along with this voluminous book list, we have lots more book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more. 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. Here are the latest:

Our previous reports and book lists are always available for you to enjoy and get some reading inspiration 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 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 or modified schedules, many are running virtual meetings in different formats, and some are carefully running in-person gatherings again. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

Give your reading the attention it deserves, and it will repay you richly.

Comforting routines and rejuvenating surprises in our meetings and reading

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Another silent book club zoom meeting popped up last week and it was, as it always is, a warm and joyous thing. (Well, not too warm. In fact, it was also pretty cool.)

We’ve all developed coping mechanisms and methods of resilience to get through the particular demands and challenges of the last couple of years, haven’t we? We’ve often turned to the comfort of the predictable and familiar routines, leavened from time to time with measures of spontaneity and surprise.

That describes well how our silent book club group members have gathered, largely virtually, since early 2020. We settled pretty quickly and adaptably in a twice-monthly pattern: one predictably scheduled Saturday morning zoom (and occasional careful in-person) meeting, and one not-so-predictably anticipated weekday evening meeting, deemed a “pop-up” meeting only announced shortly before its date.

Not surprisingly, the more predictably scheduled meeting typically welcomes more attendees. The more spur-of-the-moment meeting, less so in terms of numbers, is decidedly not lesser in terms of liveliness and range of discussion. At our latest meeting, for example, my comments on the brisk essay/review The Worst Truth by John Metcalf (Biblioasis) has us all sharing thoughts on what constitutes a Canadian “classic” work, maybe even questioning what we previously revered.

The alternating rhythms of routine and surprise – in our meetings and our reading – have served us all well.

Me, on screen, getting ready for a silent book club zoom meeting, with my stack of books and a glass of wine next to the computer

Our latest combined book list gathers the recent reading of many of our members, whether they are in attendance or not. 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). As I observed in another recent report from our group, any title on any of our group’s lists means that at least one (often more) readers have given that title some consideration – and that is enough, to my mind, to say that another reader reading our reports and lists might consider it, too.

More book-related articles, resources, news, recommendations and more are often inspired or offered by our members and/or come up during our discussions and chat. Here are the latest:

  • Perhaps we’re a bit biased, but we think silent book club groups and meetings and reading lists are good for what ails you when you’re in a reading slump. But if you need a few more tips, here are some from the Washington Post.
  • Some of us did not know that cozy mysteries are a thing. Not only do we know that now, but we’re totally up on cozy mysteries by themes. You will be amazed!
  • In Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, the English writer, broadcaster, classicist, and comedian takes a fresh look at the ancient world, creating stand-up routines about figures from ancient Greece and Rome.

Our previous silent book club reports (for online and in-person meetings) and book lists are always available for you to enjoy and get some reading inspiration 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 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 or modified schedules, many are running virtual meetings in different formats, and some are re-emerging carefully with in-person gatherings. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.

May your reading afford you the perfect balance of routine and surprise, comfort and spontaneity you so desire!

How our silent book club has opened up our (sometimes locked down) world

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Toronto silent book club member Catherine Xu introduces our latest silent book club meeting report with singular style and perspectives. She joined our group during the pandemic and has become a steadfast presence in the year (happy anniversary!) she’s been with us. As we’ve observed in the last couple of years, meeting virtually means that we’ve been able to fling our doors open wider and extend the boundaries of what constitutes east end Toronto, which includes both Pontypridd in Wales and Catherine’s home, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.

Silent book club member Catherine XuGreetings from Catherine in New Jersey, USA. Reflecting on my past year attending regular Toronto silent book club meetings, I found myself much more immersed in the world of books, audiobooks, poetry, and more. I am truly thankful to Vicki and Jo for welcoming me into this circle and everyone’s recommendations. Below are just a few new activities I have enjoyed.

  • Listen to more audiobooks and seek out favorite narrators.
  • Bring reading outdoors. Nature offers the best reading soundtrack.
  • Attend poetry events, including Bryant Park poetry readings and Governors Island Poetry Festival.
  • Try more non-fiction, especially related to natural sciences.
  • Learn to talk about a book and formulate my thoughts around it, beyond just “I liked/hated it”.
  • Research and select book reviews, author interviews, and book club discussion guides.
  • Enjoy poetry read out loud (in forms of podcasts and audiobooks). And then read it on my own and share it with a group.
  • Discover and share New York Public Library events, resources, and exhibitions.
  • Join more book clubs! While we don’t have assigned reading in Silent Book Club, I do enjoy expanding genre/medium with various book clubs that offer assigned reading. I have joined a few different ones through work, hobby groups, the library, and the local bookstore.

As the world opens up, I would love to welcome silent book club visitors who find themselves heading to New York City. Jersey City is just across the Hudson River. Check out:

  • Jersey City Waterfront: Walk along the waterfront to take in the Manhattan skyline
  • Van Vorst Park – beautiful park and garden situated across the street from one of the Jersey City libraries. Wonderful flowers all year around and a weekly Farmers Market
  • Word bookstore – My very first book club experience (in-person) was hosted by this bookstore. They have since moved to online book club meetings so anyone can join the book club discussions.

Catherine likes to read in parks

Reader Profile / Ice breakers

Reader Name: Catherine

Professional field: Financial Services

Location: New Jersey, USA

Reading Format: Digital ebooks and audiobooks on Libby library app (New York Public Library)

Favorite Reading Nook: any outdoor park (non-winter). Couch with virtual fireplace (winter)

Most memorable book from the past year: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. I appreciated the quiet and introspective part of this book, while the world was slowly opening up. The narrator offers a good balance of snail facts with her own personal interactions with her pet snail.

Best bookstore for visitors: Toss up between the NY Library shop and the Strand.

Recent booklish accessory: bookshelf themed iphone case

A bookstore discovery from your travels: Powell’s bookstore in Portland, Oregon. I spent quite a few hours here!

Non-reading related hobby: dance

Non-traditional reading?

  • Podcast interview transcripts/show notes: See Tim Ferris show or How to Save a Planet call to action
  • Department of Salad newsletter
  • Hand-written notes in public places. Examples include Letters to Trees at Madison Square Park and Questionnaires at the Rubin Museum “How do you start healing?”. I enjoy reading handwriting and also ruminating on the Q’s and responses that people provide. A cafe I visited in Seattle a few years ago also had large guest books where people wrote love notes, doodled, and their reviews of the cafe/surrounding area. It was really great reading through it and adding my own words to the collection.

Tell Me the Truth About Love by W.H. Auden - part of Philippa's reading

Born in Blackness by Howard French - part of Lyla's reading

Jo's reading chair

Vicki's stack of books, including The Books of Jacob, with Jake the beagle-basset under the table

Lyla, Sue and Jo with their books in Stephenson Park

Jo with her reading in Stephenson Park

Lyla with her reading in Stephenson Park

Sue with her reading in Stephenson Park

Vicki with her reading and Jake the beagle-basset in Stephenson Park

Our combined reading list gathers the recent reading of many of our members, whether they are in attendance or not. 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 are often inspired or offered by our members and/or come up during our discussions and chat, including:

Poet Raymond Antrobus reads the poem “Dear Hearing World” from his poetry collection The Perseverance (on this month’s reading list)

Our previous silent book club reports (for online and in-person meetings) and book lists are always available for you to enjoy and get some reading inspiration 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 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 or modified schedules, many are running virtual meetings in different formats, and some are re-emerging carefully with in-person gatherings. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our club and its offerings.