Have you even actually read the book if you haven’t told a room full of people what you thought of it?
December 26, 2023 2:00 pm
Book clubs are everywhere. Across the country, in cafes, living rooms and community centres, people gather together clutching their latest designated read.
I’ve been there, done that.
Different book groups have different vibes. Some are, let’s face it, just an excuse for a get-together. Myself and a group of friends would alternate hosting a monthly book group. The evening would involve drinking wine and eating crisps and generally chatting, but under the guise of a book club in order to elevate it from just drinks down the pub.
From my experience, more often than not, at least two of the group hadn’t even read a line of the nominated book. Promises were made to do better the following month but it was invariably left to the same people to actually do the talking while another glass of Merlot was being poured across the room.
Others have been far more structured, and given half a chance, some members would have an agenda to hand out at the outset to keep the discussions on point and a scorecard to brandish at the end. It can all feel a bit too much like an academic exercise – like we are there to get our homework marked.
But what they do have in common is that we are expected to have an opinion and we are expected to share it. Novels now, very often, have pages of suggested questions for book groupers. We’re being hand held and guided gently to the topics to discuss. Is reading no longer seen as a solitary pastime? Must we always proffer an opinion, dissect plots and analyse characters and themes? Have you even actually read the book if you haven’t told a room full of people what you thought of it? What if you just want to read a story and then read another without marking it out of 10?
Book clubs are a perfect way to broaden your reading horizons, I hear people say. And while I know it is good to be open to stepping out of our comfort zone and reading different genres, I’m just not interested in science fiction. Nope. I’m sorry, but you lose me at the word “dystopian”. I’m not going there.
So while I am an avid reader, I am no longer talking about books. I don’t want the pressure of voicing my thoughts. I don’t want the chat that goes with a book group.
Step up Drake Bookshop in Stockton-on-Tees. This indie gem of a store holds a weekly silent reading group offering a haven for introverts and dreamers or anyone who is quite frankly just all talked out. And I’m loving it.
This post-work book group is where you read whatever book you want and there is no discussions about plots or themes of loss and belonging. Instead it’s a relaxing literary buffer between the end of the working day and heading home to figure out what to have to eat.
It is two hours where you can give yourself permission to relax with the book of YOUR choice, not that of someone who has obviously gone through the Booker Prize longlist and chosen the most obscure title possible.
Blanket covered chairs beckon you to settle down for a read. It’s cold and dark outside, but candles and coffee offer a blissful retreat from the elements as you read among the shelves of books. Reading while being surrounded by books is like being warmly embraced with words and I am here for that.
People read together but apart, a sort of solitary companionship. Of course there is some chit chat as you glance across to see what someone else is reading, but there isn’t the obligation to debate the minutiae of a certain chapter or minor character. Just the opportunity to wind down with your current novel.
This is exactly what Mel Greenwood, co-owner of Drake Bookshop, had in mind when she started the silent book group which she describes as “a space for readers to gather together in quiet solitude”.
So I will continue my reading journey quietly. I’m reading The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce if you’re interested. Just don’t expect me to tell you about it.
Emma Chesworth is a freelance writer
