Calming and palate cleansing … yes, with books

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Food or drink that erases previous tastes and makes a diner ready to receive new ones are known as palate cleansers. This month, one of our silent book club members posited to much agreement that books can do the same thing before one moves on to, well, other books.

Her striking example was the audiobook version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, narrated by actor Michael York. In addition to setting her reading on a new path, she described the process as very calming – something perhaps particularly welcome in our reading nowadays. She had everyone else at the meeting scribbling this title down, ready to test this idea at the earliest opportunity!

What do you think of the notion of books as palate cleansers – maybe something a little outside one’s usual tastes, or something one has not visited for a while and/or something in a different format (audio versus physical page)?

Silent book club member Jen's books: Burst Your Bubble by Joyce Grant, Rebel with a Clause by Ellen Jovin, Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Photo by Jennifer Foster)

Indigenous titles in the Museum of North Vancouver gift shop (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, including works by Marcel Proust, Ronna Bloom and Paul Vermeersch

Group book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffee and pastries - titles include Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, Volume III of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust + more

Depending on one’s personal situation and timing, just about any book could be that palate cleanser and calming influence, couldn’t it? What on our latest combined reading list might be that palate cleanser or calming influence for you?

Every title on our group’s generous lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title considered attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to a title – and that counts for so very much.


Here are some extra book-related articles, resources, news and recommendations, items and tidbits that 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 group’s previous reports and book lists are always available right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast closer and closer to 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) The SBC organization will be celebrating its 10th anniversary throughout October … and our chapter will be celebrating its 8th anniversary not long after that, thank you very much!

You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Every club is different in size, format (in-person, virtual or 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.

Whether or not your reading palate needs cleansing, may the books ahead bring you every delight!

Hilarious, horrifying, hubristic and so much more …

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Fresh from back-to-back silent book club meetings (on zoom, followed by in person at a coffee shop just down the street), I realize so much dazzles me about our gatherings, from the selections our members discuss to the enthusiasm and eloquence with which they describe the books and their reading experiences. Vibrant adjectives abound in each description, of which the ones in this report’s title are just a few – and those were applied to one book, thank you very much!

Why not give a ponder to how you would describe your reading in lively ways … maybe using alliteration the way our fellow reader did. Sweet, sentimental and sensitive? Wild, wicked and whimsical? Thorough, thoughtful and therapeutic? Dark, dazzling and dangerous?

Silent book club member Emily's magnificent bookshelves, awaiting books (Photo by Emily Petroff)

Silent book club member Emily's magnificent bookshelves, filled with books (Photo by Emily Petroff)

Silent book member Jen's books: The Little Book of Drag: Pearls of Wisdom from Your Favourite Glam Queens, The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl and Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian by Ellen Jovin (Photo by Jennifer D. Foster)

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, including works by Marcel Proust, Chloe Cooper Jones and Lorne Daniel

Books and hot beverages on the table at East Toronto Coffee Co, just before the start of the silent book club meeting - titles include The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, What is Broken Binds Us by Lorne Daniel, Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian by Ellen Jovin, Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley + more

Group book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffee - titles include Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl + more

Book club members, including Lola the chihuahua, reading at East Toronto Coffee Co

The book Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian by Ellen Jovin sits on a table at East Toronto Coffee Co during a silent book club meeting

… and oh my goodness, did our online and offline meetings this month produce another delectable combined reading list from the group!

As we always note in these reports, every title on our group’s generous lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title considered attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to a title – and that counts for so very much.


Here are some extra book-related articles, resources, news and recommendations, items and tidbits that 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 group’s previous reports and book lists are always available right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast closer and closer to 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) The SBC organization will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this fall … and our chapter will be celebrating its 8th anniversary not long after that.

You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Every club is different in size, format (in-person, virtual or 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.

Whatever adjectives your readings inspire, savour them all!

I missed the silent book club meeting … but I didn’t miss it … and you didn’t, either!

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As I’ve said before, not everyone makes it to every book club meeting, every month. But the book beat goes on, and individual members and the group as a whole keeps it going, pretty much every month of the year – now going on eight years straight!

Without further ado, here are some images from our group’s July gatherings, followed by another gorgeous combined reading list from the group.

Silent book club member Jess' book pile: Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll, Human Nature by Kate Marvel and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - Photo by Jess Bootsma

Group book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffee - titles include Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll, I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte, The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga + more - Photo by Jennifer D. Foster

Books and hot beverages and pastries on the table at East Toronto Coffee Co, just before the start of the silent book club meeting - titles include Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li, Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir by Cyndi Lauper with Jancee Dunn, Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte + more - Photo by Jennifer D. Foster

Book club member holds up the book If I Knew Then: Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging by Jann Arden - Photo by Jennifer D. Foster

The book Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir by Cyndi Lauper with Jancee Dunn sits on a table at East Toronto Coffee Co with a cup of tea. - Photo by Jennifer D. Foster

Vibrant painting of a fox on the wall of the East Toronto Coffee Co coffee shop - Photo by Jennifer D. Foster

Photo credits: Jess Bootsma, Jennifer D. Foster

Every title on our group’s generous lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title considered attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to a title – and that counts for so very much.

Our group’s previous reports and book lists never take the month off, either – they’re always available right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast closer and closer to 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) And oh, SBC will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this fall!

You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Every club is different in size, format (in-person, virtual or 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.

Happy reading till next we meet … or don’t, but that’s OK, too.

Intrigued by everyday life that seems idyllic …

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A Dark Death by Alice Fitzpatrick (Stonehouse Publishing, 2025)

reviewed by Kim Maxwell

A Dark Death by Alice FitzpatrickWhen I was given the opportunity to review the second book in the Meredith Island Mystery series, I admit to being a bit daunted by the request. I hadn’t read the first book of the series, Secrets in the Water, and wondered if I could read this book as a standalone mystery. It can be annoying when you must read a “series” book in sequence in order to get the gist of the characters. I am happy to report that this book does the task as a standalone mystery.

Whenever I am at a loss as to what book to read next, I often turn to mysteries. This genre offers a good exercise for the brain. By questioning “what, why, where, when, who and how”, the reader puts together the clues provided by the author and tries to solve the mystery. I emphasize “tries”.

A Dark Death takes place on a small island off the Welsh coast. The village is charming and the community is tight-knit. Long time residents know the history of the island and their neighbours. Due to its idyllic setting, the community often attracts many visitors from the mainland. This situation can often be an irritant for some of the inhabitants. Kate Galloway has returned to the island where she was raised and plans to spend a quiet summer working on her latest novel. The local pub is presently overrun by students from the mainland who are participating in an architectural dig. Under the direction of their professor, Dr. Simon Penhaligon, they believe that they may have discovered evidence that an ancient Roman temple existed on the island.

A flamboyant visitor arrives at the pub and announces “Drinks for everyone!” thus, initially endearing himself to punters. Later, he invites prominent residents of Meredith Island to the local historical mansion, Faraday Manor, where he will hold a séance and scientifically prove the presence of spirit persons. He plans to clandestinely film the experience and then sell the film to a television network. He is confident that this film will turn into a network series, thus ensuring his fame and fortune. Kate is invited along with a few others including the local vicar, Reverend Imogene Larkin and the grand dame of the island, Sophie Sutherland.

The following day, the students discover a body laid out in their trench in a seemingly ritualistic position. And so, the mystery begins. At first, Kate decides to not get involved in the investigation, even though she has had previous experience in sleuthing (described in the first book, Secrets in the Water). However, when a local island mechanic and an architectural student who is her friend’s son become prime suspects, she is forced to get find evidence to prove their innocence and find the true murderer. Of course, her eccentric lustful artist friend, Siobhan is keen to help in her investigation. More clues are provided as the story unfolds. At this point, I hesitated for fear that there may be too many suspects being introduced with subsequent plot twists. This tactic can often cause confusion and error on the silly side. Thankfully, my fear was unfounded and the mystery proceeded to a surprising and satisfactory conclusion.

Now I am curious to find out more about the main character, Kate Galloway and her intuitive crime solving. I found the islanders to be an interesting and complex bunch of characters and look forward to their past and future experiences. The prose was written in such a way that it is easy to imagine what life could be like in a small picturesque community on an island just off the coast of Wales.

In conclusion, A Dark Death can be read on its own but it has piqued my interest to go back and read Secrets in the Water. I recommend this series for any mystery fans who are intrigued by everyday life that seems idyllic but underneath this desired setting lurks the potential motive for murder and criminal intent.

Sparks from reader to reader

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  • We’ve discussed the 50-page rule at more than one meeting over the years of our group. Some can and will, and some can’t or won’t, set a book aside if it isn’t sparking their interest by 50 pages in. Now, 50-page proponent Mary is raising the bar, sticking with books where she “can’t wait to get back” to them. If a book isn’t softly (or not so softly) calling to her, well then …
     
  • We don’t often discuss readers returning to books they’ve set aside, for some reason. But one reader reported this month that she recently gave a book a second chance and was very, very glad she did. So, sometimes a book will still keep a wee spark burning …
     
  • Silent book club member Lisa kicked off her zoom report by showing off a lovely cross stitch bookmark. Oh, this has sparked an idea for a future meeting and discussion!

Silent book club member Ghada's book pile: Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, Living Expenses by Teri Vlassopolou, The Fun Times Brigade by Lindsay Zier-Vogel, King of Envy by Ana Huang, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Silent book club member Kathyrn's book pile: The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, The Mare by Angharad Hampshire, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, Private Rites by Julia Armfield, Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark, Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

My (Vicki's) book pile: Lost Signal by Chris Hutchinson, The Adversary by Michael Crummey, Softie by Kirby, with the audiobook What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama on my computer screen

Group book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffees, cookies and pastries

Group book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffees, cookies and pastries

Group book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffees, cookies and pastries

Our group offers another combined list of titles that will shake your reading out of the summer doldrums (if need be). It and all our lists are here, to heat up or cool down your reading (again, if need be).

Every title on our group’s generous lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title considered attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to a title – and that counts for so very much.


Here are some extra book-related articles, resources, news and recommendations, items and tidbits that 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 group’s previous reports and book lists don’t take the summer off – they’re always available right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast closer and closer to 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Every club is different in size, format (in-person, virtual or 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.

Wherever you’re taking your time off – cottage, beach, on the road, wherever – we know books are traveling with you!

The comfortable heft of light reading

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During our silent book club group’s latest go-round of what everyone has been reading lately – from which we all add new selections to our teetering tbr piles, often putting holds on titles on the library web site as the meeting progresses – the phrase “light reading” came up more than once. Used neither pejoratively or dismissively, our readers used it to describe books that delight, entertain, divert, but don’t necessarily overly demand. In doing all that, readers also observed that light reading can still teach, reveal, redeem and more. Does that make sense? Certainly, it made perfect sense to our group.

Everyone’s idea of light reading (and conversely, heavy reading) is different. When we seek or are receptive to one versus the other is different, too. Thank goodness there are so many “weights” of books out there to suit our every reading need, at any time!

Silent book club member Lyla's book pile: Curiosities by Anne Fleming, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden and Cautery by Lucía Lijtmaer, translated by Maureen Shaughnessy

My (Vicki's) book pile at East Toronto Coffee Co, accompanied by coffee and ginger cookie: Cattail Lane by Fran Kimmel, Lost Signal by Chris Hutchinson and The Adversary by Michael Crummey

Every title on our group’s generous combined reading lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title thoughtful attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. (But, of course, the lists as presented never give that away …) Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and an open attitude to each title, and that counts for a lot.
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Here are some extra book-related articles, resources, news and recommendations, items and tidbits that 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 group’s previous reports and book lists are always available right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast closer and closer to 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) You can find information on meetings happening around the world and close to where you live. Every club is different in size, format (in-person, virtual or 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.

Every time you lift a book to your eyes and/or ears, here’s hoping it lifts your mind and spirit!

Meeting with friends, old and new

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During one of our zoom meetings this month, a silent book club member revealed that she reread a long beloved book that she hadn’t revisited for many years … but she reopened its cover nervously. She likened that moment to “meeting an old friend with trepidation”, worried that time had not treated well her fond memories and connection to the book.

Happily, she reported that the reread was as rich and wonderful as the first meeting with this friend. I’ll let you guess which book it was from the capacious list that always accompanies these posts. May we all have such great experiences, with old friends old and new!

Me (Vicki), on-screen, getting ready for the silent book club zoom meeting, with my books piled next to the laptop, including The Immortal Woman by Su Chang, The Harder I Fight The More I Love You by Neko Case, The Incident Report by Martha Baillie + more

Silent book club member Kathryn's book pile - Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland and Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon - with angled bookshelves in the background

Me (Vicki) in front of the East Toronto Coffee Co - My hair is short, curly, gray and wind-tossed, I'm wearing dark blue sunglasses and I'm wearing a plaid scarf and jean jacket

Books, hot beverages and pastries on the table at East Toronto Coffee Co, just before the start of the silent book club meeting - titles include Every Summer After by Carley Fortune and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Readers around the table silently reading at East Toronto Coffee Co

Reader silently reading at East Toronto Coffee Co

The combined reading list spawned from our group’s meetings and discussions this month will positively dazzle you – trust me! It and all our lists are here to guide you down countless amazing paths. You can contemplate them, you can turn to them when/if you’re having a reading emergency or dry spell – again, trust me/us.

Every title on our group’s generous lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title considered attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to a title – and that, fair book lovers, counts for so very much.


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

All of our group’s previous reports and book lists are always available right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing, breathtaking momentum, they now boast closer and closer to 2,000 chapters … (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) 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.

May your friends old and new – books and readers – warm and buoy your days!

The Sisterhood of Sleuthing
Joylyn Chai’s guest review of
Secrets in the Water by Alice Fitzpatrick

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Secrets in the Water by Alice Fitzpatrick (Stonehouse Publishing, 2020)

reviewed by Joylyn Chai

The best remedy after a bad day, whether it be work-related or personal, is the company of some good friends. We can talk, laugh, and cry. I can only imagine the kind of support I’d need if, for example, my grandmother had just died and I suspected that my aunt had been murdered. Actually, I don’t have to imagine much because this is what happens in Secrets in the Water.

In Alice Fitzpatrick’s debut novel, one woman befriends another to help solve the murders and mysteries happening on Meredith Island.

Truth be told, I don’t normally read murder mysteries. Though I enjoy a whodunit storyline, I am easily overwhelmed by all the facts and details as they become possible clues. I sit in full admiration of authors who dedicate their lives to writing mystery novels. I often wonder what kind of organizational systems they use to keep track of everything. Do the inside of their minds look like colour-coded spreadsheets or like tangled knots of string?

Fitzpatrick’s novel is set in an imaginary island in Wales and has a cast of eccentric characters, all of whom go about their daily lives in a fashion that makes me long to visit the country. The book showcases the appeal of living in a tight-knit community in a stunning location. Take in the fresh air. Go for a walk by the beach. Have a hot cup of tea with a friendly neighbour. Visit a local art studio. Wander down to the pub for a few pints. What else can you do on Meredith Island? Well, you can go to a funeral. More than one.

For me, as a murder mystery “newbie,” Secrets in the Water was fun to read primarily because of one woman whose hair is “reminiscent of a Pre-Raphaelite painting.” Wow. This, by the way, is not our protagonist, despite having a beautiful head of flowing locks. Siobhan Fitzgerald is an artist who befriends Kate Galway. Kate is convinced the death of her aunt, fifty years ago, was in fact an act of cold-blooded murder. Spoiler alert: her hunch is right on the money.

Kate Galway, who is the main character, has got a lot on her plate. Her grandmother just died, her marriage has disintegrated, and now she’s determined to catch a killer. If I was in Kate’s shoes, I would be on the verge of a pretty ugly nervous breakdown. But she’s not. Instead she’s tenacious and focused. She’s got that “keep calm and carry on” vibe about her. Pure boss. As we know, every boss needs a good assistant. Or, every super sleuth needs a sidekick. Who better than Siobhan Fitzgerald, an attractive redhead with a Celtic knot tattoo?

My absolute favourite part of the book happens when Kate is determined to stop Siobhan from snooping around the property of an affluent family, the Sutherlands. Siobhan is literally prepared to do Kate’s “dirty work.” In their search for answers and justice, Siobhan is the one leading the charge to trespass on private property in the middle of the night and upturn a family’s garden looking for evidence. In her words, she’s ready to “break all the rules of decent, civilized behaviour.” Throwing all caution to the wind, she’s willing to lend a helping hand to a friend in need.

By the way, it’s not easy for Siobhan on Meredith Island. She’s an artist, a bit of an outsider — and she’s got a stalker. Yet still, she’ll stand up to the locals, keep her wits about her, and more importantly, she never loses her sense of humour.

For someone who’s not schooled in the genre of murder mysteries, I do know that Sherlock Holmes had an ever-present companion in John H. Watson. From what I gather, Watson is a practical and loyal man. In a similar way, Kate Galway and Siobhan Fitzgerald make a clever and brave investigating duo. But for me, it is Siobhan’s free spirit and passion that are at the heart of Secrets ..in the Water. Truth be told, if I ever had a chance to visit Wales, I’d love to meet Siobhan at the local pub. We’d order a couple of pints, have a good chat, a great laugh – and maybe, solve the next murder on Meredith Island.

Concentric circles of reading

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If the center is our love of reading – and oh, why wouldn’t it be? – how many circles ripple in and out from that essential core that can, with no exaggeration, anchor our lives?

I did enjoy some concentrated and delicious reading during today’s in-person sbc meeting. A couple of times, though, I did drift from the page to look up and around the table at the readers with me, all engrossed in their books and reading devices. What a wonderful circle to be part of, eh?

Just a couple of hours before then, I gazed around my computer screen at another group of readers sharing their insights with each other. What another wonderful circle to be part of, eh?

The fine people of both those circles are part of other book clubs, other circles, other settings in which they share their reading enthusiasms and passions, and learn from what inspires and enchants other readers. May all those circles be unbroken …

Two Little Library boxes filled with books under trees with a beach and blue skies in the background (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina photo by Jenn Ellis)

A paperback copy of The Knockout Artist by Harry Crews sits on a white table on a balcony overlooking a beach and blue skies (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina photo by Jenn Ellis)

Me (Vicki), on-screen, getting ready for the silent book club zoom meeting, with my books piled next to the laptop, including The Size of Paradise by Dale Martin Smith, The Filling Station by Leesa Dean, The Incident Report by Martha Baillie + more

Holding up the book This is Happiness by Niall Williams in front of the window and signage of East Toronto Coffee Co

Books, hot beverages and pastries on the table at East Toronto Coffee Co, just before the start of the silent book club meeting - titles include We Were Dreamers - An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Books, hot beverages and pastries on the table at East Toronto Coffee Co, just before the start of the silent book club meeting - titles include The Grey Wolf by Louis Penny and The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Readers around the table silently reading at East Toronto Coffee Co

Readers around the table silently reading at East Toronto Coffee Co

Readers around the table silently reading at East Toronto Coffee Co

Our group’s combined reading lists always dazzle, every month – guaranteed. Every title on our group’s generous lists means that at least one (but usually more) readers have given that title considered attention. That doesn’t mean that every work on our lists is expressly recommended, of course. Inclusion on this list always means that our readers have devoted time and thought to a title – and that, fellow readers, counts for so very much.


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

That book list was so bright we’re guessing you had to wear shades! Well, all our group’s previous reports and book lists – equally brilliant – are always right here!

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

Learn more about the worldwide phenomenon of silent book clubs via Guinevere and Laura’s Silent Book Club web site. In fall 2023, they welcomed their 500th chapter … and with continuing and astonishing momentum, they are now boasting over 1,500 chapters, thank you very much. (There were around 60 chapters when we joined as the first Toronto chapter in 2017.) 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.

May the concentric circles of reading envelope and make you dizzy with delight!