Fall reading season is here!
Plus, a spotlight on SBC San Antonio
Crank up the audiobooks, pull out the cozy socks, and pour on the pumpkin spice… fall is here! There are enough recommendations on this list of critic picks to keep us fully booked through spring (Zadie Smith! Jesmyn Ward! Stephen King!), and the awards season is just getting started. So grab a book, find an SBC near you (or start one of your own), and get reading!
Chapter spotlight: San Antonio, Texas
We're shining a light on the people who make Silent Book Club great—our local organizers. Get to know the folks behind the scenes, and maybe get inspired to start your own chapter! First up, San Antonio, Texas.
Cidnee Le’Sure knew San Antonio had multiple youth literacy programs, so she thought adults might find the idea of a book club beneficial as well. She decided to start a Silent Book Club chapter, and organized her first meetup in July 2023.
She didn't expect so many people would be interested right off the bat. Cidnee partnered with San Antonio Parks and Rec to host the club at local community centers in parks around the city, and nearly 50 people attended the second meetup in August.Â
"Our city has so many great resources, we’re having a bit of a bidding war with partnerships!" shared Cidnee. "We have meeting places with local parks, museums, and city leaders wanting to highlight. As a host, I feel like a popular bachelorette."
Cidnee's favorite part about organizing a Silent Book Club is bringing people together in public spaces. "I love when strangers approach us to ask about the group, and then ultimately how they can join in! Building community has been such a positive outcome of hosting!"
What's the last great book you read?
Intercepted, by Alexa Martin
What's your favorite book?
My favorite book is All the Kings Men. I read it in high school and fell in love with the story, I ended up attending LSU and touring the sites mentioned in the book!
Books we loved this month
Shark Heart, by Emily Habeck
Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim
Major Labels, by Kelefa Sanneh
My Murder, by Katie Williams
Bookmarks
Book-related links and other good stuff online
Recent non-fiction picks for Hispanic Heritage Month Seattle Public Library
30 Picture Books to Celebrate the Diversity of Latinx Heritage School Library Journal
National Book Awards longlist announced National Book Foundation
In Praise of Midlife Heroines in Film and Fiction Literary Hub
Zadie Smith: ‘I get in trouble when I talk about the state of the nation’ The Guardian
Red states are pulling their public libraries out of the American Library Association, the national organization that defends books AP News
Judge blocks Texas book ban Publishers Weekly
Books we love: More than 3,000 titles curated by NPR staff and critics NPR
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Books of my life The Guardian
You’re never alone with a book Financial Times
Most anticipated LGBTQ+ books for fall Electric Literature
SBC in the news
The Road Less Traveled Women’s Wear Daily
Open books, closed mouths Signal Tribune
Bookmark Monday: Silent Book Club WSAZ
Find the SBC chapter for you
Find a local chapter near you, or join a virtual meetup.
Say hello to our newest chapters!
Honest mistake, but Stephen King spells his name this way rather than with a V.