Silent Book Clubs

Written By Alexandra Sebire

Anyone who has ever been part of a book club knows that they are a mix of hard deadlines (dreadful) mixed with an odd competitiveness (no I don’t read at 10,000mph every time) and either inverted snobbishness (‘isn’t E.L James so relatable’) or just all out snobsville (‘pardon me I thought you were reciting from Ovid’s myths’) - none of which is helped by bad reading choices.

I tried my first silent book club back in November 2025 and I have been a convert ever since.

Whenever I tell friends that I go to a Silent Book Club they snort and ask me how the hell that works. So, I will tell you:

  • Turn up with the book you’re currently reading either in physical form or on your Kindle or phone.

  • Talk for 30 mins to whoever is nearby (making an effort will bring it’s own rewards).

  • Read your book for an hour in silence.

  • Go or stay and chat some more.

The one that I go to also has a communal library which we donate books to. It’s honestly the most wholesome way to spend a Sunday morning and what I love the most is the lack of posturing and judgement. You want to read smut, you can read smut. You want to read The Odyssey in the original Greek, you can read The Odyssey in the original Greek.

No one will bat an eyelid and no one cares about proving a point, everyone’s just interested in books and wants to carve out time for their own reading habits.

Silent book clubs are the perfect experience for anyone who wants to actually read a book but also meet interesting like-minded people. I’ve met so many interesting people from so many different fields with incredible stories just through a shared love of reading and books.

You do more reading than talking and everyone abides by that rule which is what makes it such a wholesome space to be in. It’s especially good for introverts who want to be part of a community or make new friends (that’s the reason I first joined).

So; why should you look into joining or creating one of these groups?

  • Generally free entry

  • Extra activities and meet-ups during each month

  • Wholesome

  • Introverts and empaths

  • All genres welcome, no one’s trying to impress anyone

  • ‘Lending Library’ where book donations are kept and you can pick one up at a meeting then read it and return it the next month

  • Cake and biccies viewed with envy rather than bitchy side-eyes

Find your nearest Silent Book Club via this link.
Alexandra Sebire
Next

Journaling