Silent Book Club of Death
Now that we have your attention, please VOTE
Before we get to this month’s newsletter, we have a request for our U.S. readers. If you haven’t yet voted in the upcoming mid-term election, go do that. By mail right now, if you can. Or make a plan to get to the polls on November 8. Vote for local school board members who will protect students’ freedom to read. Vote for local election officials and judges who will uphold democratic elections. Vote for state representatives who will stand up for human rights and access to healthcare. Vote for national leaders who will defend the livelihood of senior citizens and people with disabilities. Vote like the lives of your children and grandchildren are worth more than a petulant white man’s tantrum over an assault rifle. Use your voice. Do not be silent. Check your voter registration at vote.org
When a longtime SBC organizer reached out to us with the idea of starting a Silent Book Club of Death, we immediately opened the email. Of course we wanted to know more. The group was formed by a collective of death positive workers who wanted to gather people interested in reflecting on their mortality, in the company of bookworms.
While there is no assigned reading in Silent Book Club, there aren’t any rules against hosting a topical club. So Stefanie Elkins of Be Present Care, Lisa Pahl and Lori LoCicero of The Death Deck, and Catherine of Death Project Manager did just that.
Silent Book Club of Death meetings are structured like any SBC gathering: you meet up with friendly, likeminded readers, and then politely ignore them for an hour. Members are encouraged to bring books related to the theme of death or mortality, but anyone who wants to just read quietly in a death positive space is welcome to join. For those not sure what to read, the hosts also bring along a stack of books to browse for inspiration. (You can also find their reading recommendations on Bookshop.org.)
If you’re in Los Angeles, you can find upcoming events on Instagram. And if you’re interested in creating a topical Silent Book Club of your own, read tips from the organizers on our blog.
Looking for something scary to read? We compiled a list of recommendations from Silent Book readers on Bookshop.org.
Bookmarks
Book-related links and other good stuff online
Happy 6th birthday to SBC Columbus!
How indie bookstores fight against book banning and why it matters NPR
The joy of finding people who love the same books you do The New York Times
8 writers made TIME’s list of the year’s 100 most influential people LitHub
Fredrik Backman dreams of reading quietly for 10 minutes The New York Times
A new bookstore in Louisville, KY specializes in horror novels NPR
Recommended reading for Filipino American History Month The Magic Word
My book is the second-most banned in the U.S. HuffPost
Indigenous-owned bookstores in the USA and Canada Libro.fm
The new classics: Required reading from the last 20 years Shondaland
How to nurture a personal library Psyche Guides
“I consider reading the greatest bargain in the world” The creator of Star Trek sent words of encouragement to a young fan Letters of Note
Overheard on Twitter:
New chapter alert in Evanston, IL!
Follow Silent Book Club on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
Books we loved this month
The Winners, by Fredrik Backman
Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout
Our Missing Hearts, by Celeste Ng
The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell
Find the SBC chapter for you
Tap the map to find a local chapter or a virtual meetup
You’re still here? GO VOTE! #wewillnotbesilent
