A Silent Book Club is growing in popularity in Melbourne as an antidote to the social pressure of group discussionsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIt’s commuter hour on a late-summer morning and the sun is still stretching through the leafy canopy of Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens. In the cool, concrete sanctuary of MPavilion – the city’s annual architecture installation/event space/public shelter – a small group of people sit reading. Some recline on beanbags, some perch on stools; others lean against the fluted concrete wall, breeze running through their hair. For close to an hour, nobody speaks; they just read.This is Silent Book Club, where there is no required book list, no entry fee, no organised discussion. Just reading, quietly, in company. Continue reading...
Silent Book Clubs, started in 2012 in San Francisco as an alternative to traditional book clubs, have expanded globally. The Melbourne chapter offers a low-pressure environment for busy people to prioritize reading and form connections. Participants gather to read silently, fostering a sense of community and individual reflection.
