Reading bestsellers one after another in bars? Combining food and fiction? Reading science fiction in silence over Zoom? These aren’t typical book clubs, but they offer exactly the unexpected plot twist that 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 ​​shared reading is enjoying a renaissance, attracting a younger audience interested in trying new formats. That’s why some book clubs are adding a splash of alcohol, a dash of food, or even an “introvert hour” to differentiate themselves from more traditional clubs.

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

“Book clubs are places where people can talk about serious things in a serious situation,” Childress said.

“It’s an opportunity to read a book and talk about how you think about things, how you think about the world, and how you are similar or different from your friends.”

Turning pages, sipping drinks

Such conversations usually arise naturally in bars when people have a drink in their hand. And in Toronto, where Marlene Thorne’s book is based, Famous Last Words, they are a common occurrence on Tuesdays.

The bar, which opened in 2016, then hosts book-related events such as book exchanges, book trivia and – most importantly – book clubs.

“The idea of ​​a book bar seemed like a fun idea when we opened,” Thorne said, but she quickly noticed that Tuesday was the most popular night, along with Friday and Saturday, because of the book events.

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

She says it’s a “fun touch” that appeals to younger audiences – most visitors are between 20 and 40 years old.

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

Food for thought

Book clubs may give readers plenty of “food for thought,” but an Edmonton library has taken that idea literally, launching a book club that combines literature and food in January 2023.

Since the Stanley A. Milner Library was having a hard time attracting visitors to its traditional book clubs, librarians decided to combine reading with one of the library’s most popular pastimes – cooking.

At the Food for Thought: Culinary Book Club, participants prepare a dish inspired by the book of the month in the library’s kitchen, which opens in 2022. They then meet to discuss their thoughts on the reading. There are now two groups in the library with 10-15 members who meet once a month to cook and read together.

For an upcoming meeting, community librarian Victoria Reap, who is also the organizer of the book club, has decided Circe by Madaline Miller with a vegetarian pulled pork slider (actually jackfruit) and a Greek salad.

Reap says the pairing is meant to be “a little ironic” as it is inspired by the scene in which the Greek goddess Circe turns men into pigs.

“There’s something special about sharing food that brings us together,” she said. “Being able to cook and eat together before sharing thoughts really brings joy to people.”

Reading alone, together

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

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 branches in 50 countries.

The Founder of the club didn’t like the way traditional clubs required them to struggle to finish the books they were selected for, or the pressure to have something clever to say. “Wouldn’t it be great to have a book club where you could just enjoy books, friends, and drinks – no homework,” they wondered.

“It kind of piqued my interest, and when I found out that basically no one was reading the same thing … that sold me,” said Ellis, who joined a group in east Toronto where there are no required readings, no set locations (some members meet in person, others virtually) and no forced discussions.

Ellis participates in the virtual meetings, which begin with members joining a Zoom call and quietly reading a book of their choice for an hour. Afterward, people can share their thoughts on what they are reading.

“If there are times when you go to a meeting and you really don’t feel like speaking, that’s totally fine,” she said.

Common reading trend

Although the Silent Book Club breaks all the conventions of traditional book clubs, it still follows a trend of communal reading.

BookNeta non-profit organization that tracks book sales and lending from libraries in Canada, recently released a survey on Canadians’ leisure reading habits.

It found that out of 1,000 participants who read at least one book in 2023, 33 percent attended book clubs in person or online. That’s a six percent increase from 2022 and a ten percent increase from 2020.

BookNet also found that 80 percent of book club participants are between the ages of 18 and 44.

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

Ellis has been attending the Silent Book Club for six years and also appreciates receiving reading recommendations from them.

“I just love listening to people talk about books they’re really excited about. Even if they’re not necessarily my cup of tea, it can still motivate me to pick them up.”