For Ottawa residents who want a quiet place to read and meet other book lovers, Silent Book Club may be the answer.
Originally founded in San Francisco in 2012, Silent Book Club is an opportunity for readers to gather in a public space to read with like-minded people. Members get out of their houses, order food and drink, mingle, and then begin reading books of their own choosing. At the end of the allotted time, attendees can socialize and share with others what they’ve been reading. The program now has more than 500 chapters in 50 countries.
Nicole Colbeck is the founder of the Ottawa chapter. She says she had been looking for this kind of alternative to a book club for years, but found no such options in the capital. When she stumbled on the group’s website in the early 2020s, the pandemic made gathering difficult, so she shelved the idea until April 2023. The Ottawa chapter’s Facebook group now has over 1,200 members.
“People are thirsty for [this] community,” Colbeck says. “The people who are looking for this are wanting a book club, but they don’t want to be told what to read.”
Like herself, Colbeck says many people in the group are looking to get through their “to-read piles” instead of following along with assigned readings. One of the books she brings to meetings is the romantic fantasy series A Court of Thorns and Roses, which she couldn’t finish for a separate book club.
Over the last year, Colbeck has noticed many club attendees prefer reading similar fantasy series. She speculates that the genre appeals to “people who might consider themselves introverts.” As such, she calls the club an “introvert’s happy hour.” Although socializing is allowed, it’s not mandatory, so the room is often silent.
“If you happen to walk in about 45 minutes into a meet-up, you can hear a pin drop because everyone’s reading,” Colbeck says.
The group meets twice monthly at pubs around Ottawa. On the first Monday of the month, they read at Little Italy’s Beyond the Pale. Their meetings in Kanata on the third Tuesday of the month were once at Graffiti’s Italian Eatery but have since moved to Les 3 Brasseurs. Colbeck says this is because Graffiti’s reservation limit of 10 to 12 people wasn’t enough for their group members.
“People were booking months ahead of time. On Dec. 4, there were 21 of us at Beyond the Pale, and I expect that to be a normal number,” she says.
Each meeting lasts from 7-9pm, with an optional social event starting at 8:30pm. This lets readers talk about their books and why they like to read, and provides an opportunity to share more about themselves outside their love of literature.
Colbeck plans to set up a third monthly meeting at a coffee shop in the capital, though she hasn’t decided on a location. She’s also working on an online meeting at the request of some members.
“The current meetings are far for those in the west end and in Orleans,” Colbeck says. “I won’t continue to be the host for all meetings, but I’m happy to help kickstart them.”
To learn more about Ottawa’s Silent Book Club visit their Facebook group. The club meets twice monthly at pubs around Ottawa: on the first Monday of the month in Little Italy at Beyond the Pale and in Kanata at The Three Brewers. The meet-ups run from 7-9pm.
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