This month, SBC co-founders Laura and Guinevere made a pilgrimage to Hanapepe, Kauai, to visit Talk Story Bookstore, the westernmost bookstore in the U.S. We also took a vacation from writing the newsletter. Many thanks to guest author and longtime SBC Rockville organizer, Liza Achilles, for taking the reins!
August is the loneliest month.
That is, if you’re a Silent Book Club organizer like me who’s hoping for a big crowd at events.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that each month has its own character, when it comes to Silent Book Club events. And some months have particularly big character.
January always draws the largest crowds. Coming off the holiday season, everyone is ready to swap family time for friend time. A lot of people make New Year’s resolutions that involve reading more or making new friends. I have seen dozens of people brave snowstorms and icy roads just for the privilege of attending a Silent Book Club event in January.
On the other hand, few people want to attend a Silent Book Club event in December. There are too many holiday festivities to plan for and attend, and most people don’t have time for anything else. I usually host only one SBC event in December, instead of my usual two per month, and I try to schedule it as far from major holidays as I can.
And then there’s August. August is for vacations, outdoor parties, end-of-summer activities, and back-to-school preparations. My SBC numbers are always way down in August, lower even than December. The same is true this year. The pandemic sure doesn’t help.
I was looking forward to a rebound this coming September . . . but look what I just did. I accidentally scheduled my first September event during Labor Day weekend. Oops. It will be another lonely event. Or, I should say, another small, intimate event. Which is beautiful in its own way.
Liza Achilles is a writer and Silent Book Club organizer in Rockville, Maryland. She blogs about seeking wisdom through books and elsewhere at lizaachilles.com.
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Bookmarks
Book-related links and other good stuff online
School librarian fights back in court against conservative activists NBC
How to fight back against school and library bans The Washington Post
Authors like Susan Orlean and Min-Jin Lee break down their writing in a new must-listen podcast Book Exploder
The Swedish philosophy of “just enough” The Big Think
What we gain from a good bookstore The New Yorker
Oakland librarian collects all the things left in books — from love letters to old photos NPR
“One destination. Five books we love.” The Strong Sense of Place podcast combines travel with book reviews.
The agony of an author reading his own audiobook The Guardian
Um, Twitter, you do know Holden Caulfield isn’t real, right? Vulture
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Books we loved this month
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M. Johnson
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, by Annie Lyons
Meet Me in Another Life, by Catriona Silvey
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