Silent Book Club at the cottage

Silent Book Club near Collingwood—the book club with no assigned reading

Bring whatever you're already reading, claim a seat by the fire or out on the porch, and spend an unhurried hour with your book—no set title, no discussion questions, no homework.

Free to attend Bring your own book
See upcoming dates Get notified
A reader settled in with a stack of books on the porch at Nottawa Cottage Bookstore
The format Arrive. Say hello—or don't. Read. Linger if you like.
Why readers keep coming back
Read what you like A novel, a memoir, a cookbook, a comic—whatever's already on your nightstand counts.
Company, not small talk Come solo or with a friend. Conversation is always welcome and never required.
An hour that's yours A standing date with the book you keep meaning to get back to.
What is Silent Book Club?

A quiet idea that went around the world

Silent Book Club began in a San Francisco wine bar in 2012, when two friends decided a book club could simply be reading side by side. The idea has since travelled to chapters in more than thirty countries, each built on the same premise: bring your own book, read in good company, and socialize exactly as much as you'd like. No spoilers, no pretending you finished chapter twelve.

Ours is the cottage chapter—an easy, low-pressure evening for readers from Nottawa, Collingwood, Stayner, Creemore, Thornbury, and Blue Mountain. If traditional book clubs have ever felt a little too talky or a little too scheduled, this is the one for you.

About the global Silent Book Club
The Nottawa version

Cozy and curated, never pretentious. Bring your current read, pull something new from our shelves, or simply enjoy a warm room full of people who agree that reading counts as plans.

How it works

How a Silent Book Club evening unfolds

Step one

Arrive & settle in

Come as you are, with whatever you're reading. Find a seat by the fire or on the porch, and help yourself to seasonal snacks and something warm.

Step two

A little hello

The first few minutes are for easy chatter, mostly of the what-are-you-reading variety. It's the gentlest icebreaker there is.

Step three

The quiet hour

Then the room settles and everyone reads—or knits, journals, or sketches. No one calls on you. No one needs your thesis. Just shared, companionable quiet.

Step four

Linger—or don't

Afterward, trade recommendations, browse the shelves, or slip out with your social battery fully intact. All three are correct.

Two ways to join

Choose your edition

We host Silent Book Club two ways. Both are free to attend, and both follow the same easy rhythm.

Open to everyone

Community Edition

The classic evening: no membership, no strings. Bring your book, bring a friend, bring your knitting—just come as you are.

See upcoming dates
For members

Swan Society Edition

The same quiet hour, hosted for members of our Swan Society—one more cozy perk of belonging to the cottage's inner circle.

Explore the Swan Society
As featured by Silent Book Club
“There's something quietly radical about a room full of people choosing to just… read together. No agenda, no performance, no algorithm telling them what to pick up next.”

Our cottage chapter, in Silent Book Club's feature on independent bookstores.

Read the feature on silentbook.club
A stack of books and a latte at Nottawa Cottage Bookstore
Part of the cottage calendar

A soft landing into Nottawa's reading community

Silent Book Club sits alongside our author afternoons, community nights, and Swan Society gatherings on the cottage calendar—one more way to find your people, without every bookish thing turning into networking.

Open the Luma calendar Explore the Swan Society
From recent gatherings

The reviews are in

Feedback from this spring's Silent Book Club evenings—Community and Swan Society editions alike.

★★★★★

“I wish it was every week.”

Liz S. · Swan Society Edition
★★★★★

“Amazing event with an amazing group of people.”

Kelsey S. · Community Edition
★★★★★

“I loveeeee Silent Book Club. It's my happy place.”

Cindy T. · Community Edition
Good to know

Before you bring your book

Do I have to read the same book as everyone else?

No—and that's rather the point. Everyone brings their own book, whatever it happens to be.

Can I come by myself?

Please do. Most people do. A room full of readers is the easiest room in the world to walk into alone.

Do I have to talk?

Only if you'd like to. There's room for hellos and recommendations at the edges, but quiet reading is the main event.

Do e-readers and audiobooks count?

Absolutely. Ebooks, audiobooks with headphones, graphic novels, cookbooks—if you're reading it, it counts.

How much does it cost?

Nothing—Silent Book Club is free to attend, and there's nothing to buy. Bring a book from home or anywhere else. (Though if you arrive empty-handed, the shelves are right there.)

Can I knit instead of read?

Please do. The hour is about quiet company, not enforcement—knitters, journalers, and sketchers are always welcome alongside the readers.

What's the difference between the two editions?

Community Edition is open to absolutely everyone. Swan Society Edition is the same evening, hosted for members of our Swan Society. Both are free.

Where do I find the next date?

On our Luma event calendar, alongside the rest of the cottage's gatherings—or join the email list below and we'll let you know.

Get the quiet heads-up

Be first to hear about the next date

Join the cottage email list and we'll send a short note when a new Silent Book Club evening is announced—plus the occasional bookish reason to make the drive to Nottawa.

Browse the shelves while you wait Ask us a question