A book club where you don’t have to finish a prescribed book in a set amount of time. A place where you can read at your own pace, surrounded by like-minded people. Everyone loves books, and everyone enjoys reading alongside fellow book lovers. Sign me up!
Welcome to The Silent Book Club.
I came across The Silent Book Club on Instagram ‘by accident,’ and I wanted to go so badly. Every time I planned to join one of these sessions, something came up. It was also always held in the Southern Suburbs, which made attending a bit challenging, but still doable. So when I saw a North Chapter, I told my husband, “Enough is enough—I’m going to one of these gatherings!”
And so, we attended our first event. I loved it so much! It was a completely new and different experience for me. I’m still planning to join another session, and then another, but you know how it goes… life happens.
I met Jessica and Siobhan, such lovely ladies and wonderful hosts, and I asked them a few questions to learn more about where it all began.
1. How, where, why did the Silent Book Club start?
SN: Silent Book Club (SBC) is a global community of readers with over 1,500 chapters in 54 countries. It began in San Francisco in 2012. Unlike traditional book clubs, SBC doesn’t require assigned reading or discussions—attendees simply bring their own books (e-books, audiobooks, comics, etc.) and enjoy an hour of quiet reading in a public space, such as a café or library. After reading, participants are welcome to socialize if they wish.
For more information visit https://silentbook.club/pages/about-us
JB: Silent Book Club was founded by two friends in the U.S. in 2012, and since then, “chapters” have been popping up all over the world. Shawn, originally from the U.S. but living in South Africa for several years, started the Cape Town Chapter in 2024.
I came across SBC and was immediately intrigued. I attended my first gathering in late 2024, where Shawn mentioned he was looking for someone to help set up a chapter in the Northern Suburbs, as his gatherings were mostly held in the Southern Suburbs, CBD, and Deep South.
Siobhan and I—strangers at the time—both volunteered and decided to start the Cape Town North Chapter, specifically focused on the Northern Suburbs to help make SBC more accessible to book lovers on this side of the boerewors curtain.
We held our first gathering in November 2024 at Col’Cacchio in Durbanville and have since been meeting once or twice a month. The community continues to grow!
2. How did you get involved?
JB: My personal “why” is simple, I love books! I have been reading since I was a young child and it has brought me so much joy. I absolutely love the idea of being able to bring people together over a shared love of books, and that is what SBC represents for me!
SN: Shawn launched the Cape Town Chapter in May 2024, and the gatherings were drawing around 150 people each month. Jess and I met at one of these events, held in the Northern Suburbs, in October 2024. It was my first SBC gathering, and I was immediately hooked. During the event, Shawn mentioned that, due to the chapter’s growth, he was looking for volunteers to assist with the Northern Suburbs—and that’s when Jess and I decided we’d love to help!
3. Apart from running this chapter, what do you do for a living?
JB: I am an occupational therapist by profession, working with adults in in-patient rehabilitation. I also teach children’s yoga.
SN: I’ve been a travel agent for 10 years, and now I run my own business as an Independent Travel Manager. This is my true passion! I love traveling and enjoy helping people turn their dream trips into reality, being a part of their travel journey every step of the way.
4. How did you get into reading?
JB: My parents both loved reading, so there was always some sort of reading material around! My dad read whatever he could put his hands on, and my mom loved audiobooks – so it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
As a child, my dad had a subscription to the Readers Digest magazine, and he always used to keep these on his bedside. I used to love reading the short stories in the Readers Digest and I remember reciting them to my parents as well.
I was a shy, conservative child and books offered a new world of imagination for me, and a bit of respite from the crazy world around me.
SN: I guess you could say I was quite the bookworm growing up. I loved getting lost in different stories—those kinds of books that pull you in from the very first page and never let go. Every new story was an adventure, and I couldn’t wait to see where each one would take me!
5. What is your favourite book to recommend, and why?
JB: One of my favourite books to recommend is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
SN: When it comes to authors, Jodi Picoult is at the top of my list! But my favourite book of all time is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. The book captivated the timeless themes of hope, sacrifice and courage. And who doesn’t enjoy a little bit of Magic!
6. Favourite bookish quote?
JB: Favourite bookish quote? I am unashamedly a massive Harry Potter fan, as this was the first series of books I read as a child. I love the messages and the life lessons these books hold, but one of my favourites has to be:
“It is our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
SN:
“I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way.” – Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austin.
7. Where can we find you (the book club)? (Facebook/Instagram etc.)
SN: https://www.instagram.com/cptnorthsilentbookclub/
8. What is one bookish thing you do (dog-earing pages, looking at how long the chapter is, reading the end of the book before starting etc.)?
JB: I keep a note page in my phone with my favourite quotes from all the books I read! I have also gotten into the habit of listening to an audiobook and reading a physical book at the same time-haha. One for my drives and one for home.
SN: I definitely tend to first look at how long a chapter is before starting!
We’ll see you at the next one! Be sure to follow them on Instagram so you don’t miss anything
For those in the Southern Subarbs: cptsilentbookclub.
E xx
The Travellingmind 