Book clubs are experiencing a comeback — but modern readers are adding their own twists

Binge-reading bestsellers in bars? Fusing food with fiction? Silently skimming sci-fi over Zoom? These aren’t your typical book clubs, but they’re just the plot twist modern readers are looking for. 

With the rise of celebrity book clubs and the popularity of #BookTok, a hashtag used on TikTok to discuss books, the idea of communal reading is experiencing a renaissance and attracting a younger crowd that’s interested in trying out new formats. That’s why some book clubs are adding a splash of alcohol, a sprinkle of food or even an “introvert hour” to stand out from more traditional clubs.  

However, this doesn’t mean the role of book clubs in society has changed, according to Clayton Childress, an associate professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia. He says this growing interest in book clubs is “good for people and good for society.”  

“Book clubs are places for people to talk about serious stuff in an unserious situation,” Childress said. 

“It’s an avenue to read a book and talk about figure out how you feel about things, and how you feel about the world and how you’re similar or different from your friends.” 

Flipping pages, sipping drinks

These types of conversations tend to flow naturally at bars when people have a drink in hand. And they’re a common occurrence on Tuesdays at Marlene Thorne’s book-themed Toronto bar Famous Last Words. 

That’s when the bar, which opened in 2016, hosts book-related events, like a book exchange, book trivia and, most importantly, book clubs.

“The idea of a book bar seemed like a funny idea when we launched,” Thorne said, but she noticed very quickly that the book events made Tuesdays their most popular night, aside from Fridays and Saturdays.  

Once a month, Thorne hosts an in-house book club and designs a custom cocktail based on the book they’re reading. July’s cocktail, the “Fifteen Dogs” was based on a Toronto Sour and celebrated that month’s book, André Alexis’s Giller Prize-winning novel of the same name. 

She says it’s a “fun touch” that appeals to the younger audience — most attendees are in their 20s to 40s.

“It’s so nice when almost everybody in the bar is either reading, talking about books, or is somehow enjoying literature. It makes my heart sing,” Thorne said with a big grin. 

Food for thought

Book clubs may give readers lots of “food for thought,” but a library in Edmonton took this idea literally, creating a book club in January 2023 that mixes literature with food. 

Stanley A. Milner Library was struggling to attract people to their traditional book clubs, so librarians decided to merge reading with one of the most popular events at the library — cooking. 

At the Food for Thought: Culinary Book Club, attendees make a dish inspired by the book of the month in the library’s kitchen, which opened in 2022. They then gather to discuss their thoughts about the reading. Now, the library has two groups with 10-15 members who meet once a month to cook and read together. 

For an upcoming session, community librarian Victoria Reap, also the book club’s organizer, has decided to pair Circe by Madaline Miller with a vegetarian pulled “pork” slider (it’s actually jackfruit) and a Greek salad. 

Reap says the pairing is “a little bit tongue in cheek” as it’s inspired by the scene where the Greek goddess Circe turns men into pigs. 

“There’s something in sharing food and how that connects us,” she said. “So being able to cook and eat together before sharing thoughts really pleases people.” 

Reading alone, together 

Sometimes, even with food and alcohol in hand, it still takes a lot of courage to speak in front of strangers. 

That’s why Jennifer Ellis, a 44-year-old book lover from Toronto, decided to join a book club for introverts. The Silent Book Club, founded in San Francisco in 2012, has more than 1,000 chapters across 50 countries. 

The club’s founders didn’t like the way they had to scramble to finish the selected books at traditional clubs, or the pressure to have something smart to say. “Wouldn’t it be great to have a book club where you could just enjoy books, friends, and drinks — without any homework,” they wondered.  

“It kind of piqued my interest, and when I found out basically nobody was reading the same stuff … that’s what sold me,” said Ellis, who joined a chapter in Toronto’s east end, where there are no mandatory readings, no set locations (some members choose to meet in person, some virtually) and no forced discussions. 

Ellis takes part in the virtual meetings, which begin with members joining a Zoom call and quietly reading a book of their choice for one hour. After, people can share their thoughts on whatever they’re reading. 

“If there are times that you go to the meeting and you really don’t feel like speaking, that is completely fine as well,” she said. 

Communal reading trend

Though the Silent Book Club breaks all the conventions of traditional book clubs, it does follow a trend in communal reading. 

BookNet, a non-profit organization that tracks Canadian book sales and library circulation, recently released a survey on the leisure reading habits of Canadians. 

It found that of 1,000 participants who have read at least one book in 2023, 33 per cent attended book clubs in person or online. That’s a six per cent increase compared to 2022 and a 10 per cent increase compared to 2020. 

BookNet also noted that 80 per cent of book club attendees are between the ages of 18 and 44. 

Silent Book Club co-founder Laura Gluhanich says that of 1,244 members who responded to a recent survey, 64 per cent are between the ages of 18 and 44. 

Ellis has been attending the Silent Book Club for six years and also appreciates that it can provide her with reading recommendations. 

“I just really love hearing people talk about books that they’re really enthusiastic about, even though they might not necessarily be my cup of tea, it kind of might sway me to pick them up.”