Honolulu Silent Book Club

If you’ve been in book clubs you know how stressful and maddening they can be. People don’t read. Or they don’t read well. Or you hurry to get the reading done and don’t get to enjoy the book. Or someone always picks that super-long book about the economic history of some country you’ve never heard of.

Silent book clubs take this bother away: just show up, say hi (or not!), and read whatever you brought, or select something from the state library's amazing collection!

Reading alone, together.

Emily (a librarian!) is our host. Meet in the Language, Literature, and History section -- first floor, left wing as you enter, straight back.

Parking. There's metered parking all around. Street parking is free after 6. The nearest lot is at Iolani Palace (metered, free after 6), which is also secure, because the palace locks the gate at 6, then opens it at 7:15 so library employees can exit. If you park there, you can exit when the librarians exit.

If you’ve been in book clubs you know how stressful and maddening they can be. People don’t read. Or they don’t read well. Or you hurry to get the reading done and don’t get to enjoy the book. Or someone always picks that super-long book about the economic history of some country you’ve never heard of.

Silent book clubs take this bother away: just show up, say hi (or not!), and read whatever you brought, or select something from the state library's amazing collection!

Reading alone, together.

Emily (a librarian!) is our host. Meet in the Language, Literature, and History section -- first floor, left wing as you enter, straight back.

Parking. There's metered parking all around. Street parking is free after 6. The nearest lot is at Iolani Palace (metered, free after 6), which is also secure, because the palace locks the gate at 6, then opens it at 7:15 so library employees can exit. If you park there, you can exit when the librarians exit.

If you’ve been in book clubs you know how stressful and maddening they can be. People don’t read. Or they don’t read well. Or you hurry to get the reading done and don’t get to enjoy the book. Or someone always picks that super-long book about the economic history of some country you’ve never heard of.

Silent book clubs take this bother away: just show up, say hi (or not!), have a drink (or not) and read whatever you brought!

6 to 8 p.m. at Kahala Mall. Meet at the enormous round table outside Whole Foods Market, if it’s available. Look for two hippos perched atop a book on the table, and you’ll know you found me.

This will be our regular spot and our regular time, second Thursday of the month, until we decide on something else.

Say hi (or not) at 6.
Get something to eat or drink (or not).

Start reading at 6:30.

Keep reading at 7:30, or call it a night, or stick around and chat!

We will have a book exchange table. Drop a couple, take a couple or whatever. There are no rules. I'd rather you take unclaimed books back, but if you don't, I'll be happy to drop them off at the Little Free Library at Makiki District Park.

RAIN PLAN: We’ll try to get the tables right by the Whole Foods door, beneath the eaves, and take a few tables inside the mall. If you usually come early and the weather is yucko, maybe we can try to claim tables inside early. I haaaaate to forgo the introductions and stuff so somebody think of how we might do it in the mall without drawing mall security’s attention.