Silent Book Club - Welcome to Introvert Happy Hour
Stay healthy, stay connected.
These are difficult and uncertain times that we face. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us and we each need to do our part to slow the spread of the virus, to protect vulnerable populations, and to ensure that our healthcare systems do not collapse. We have asked ALL Silent Book Club chapters to suspend in-person meetups until further notice. Read the announcement here.
But do not despair, dear readers! You can now find a directory of Virtual SBC meetups on our website. Organizers all over the world are hosting Silent Book Clubs online to stay connected, read together, and share book recommendations. As SBC founders, it has been a delight to be able to drop in on meetups around the world. In the past week we've joined readers in Genova and Torino, Italy, and popped in to meet the members of SBC Kansas City. This has been a true silver lining to the dark cloud of coronavirus that blankets the world.
Which brings us to one last request before we go. Local businesses are struggling to stay afloat and independent bookstores, which employ many hourly workers and operate on very small margins, need our help. Many stores offer online shopping, and in some areas that do not yet have shelter in place orders, bookstores are offering curbside pickup.
Our friends at Libro.fm are offering a special deal to support local bookshops (details below). You can find curated reading lists on Bookshop.org where every purchase supports the indie bookstore of your choosing. If you can, head to your favorite local shops' websites, and dig into your TBR list by making a purchase or an early pre-order of an upcoming release. Or if you aren't sure what to buy, a gift card will bring future reading joy.
Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by COVID-19, particularly the healthcare workers who are on the frontlines. Sending love and strength. We will get through this together.
Stay well,
Guinevere & Laura
Chapter Spotlight: SBC Online Abbey Lile-Taylor is a trendsetter. She's been doing the virtual Silent Book Club thing since the summer of 2019, and has been a beacon of leadership and light as we navigate these choppy waters!
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#SHOPBOOKSTORESNOW
Libro.fm is running a campaign to support local bookstores during the COVID-19 outbreak. Get two audiobooks for the price of one ($14.99) and 100% of your payment will go to your local bookstore. 📚
Read more
BOOKMARKS
A round-up of what we've been reading online and off.
Ad: When a woman is appointed senior pastor at a conservative Baptist church in rural Georgia, all hell breaks loose. A Quiet Roar
Take action: Tell Congress to include libraries in COVID-19 relief American Library Association
Feeling isolated? Join a quarantine book club SF Gate
A shop we love: "Go Away I'm Reading" 3 Fish Studios
How Britain's independent bookshops are rallying to help readers during the Coronavirus crisis Penguin
Macmillan Abandons Library E-book Embargo Publishers Weekly
An update regarding the opening of the Chamber of Secrets McSweeney's
What do Oprah, Andrew Luck and Reese Witherspoon have in common? A book club Poughkeepsie Journal
SBC members weigh in on how to calm your brain and get more reading done during this stressful time Silent Book Club on Facebook
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#BOOKSTAGRAM OF THE MONTH
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