The Silent Book Club
6.30 pm Wednesdays at The Last Supper on Cavanagh Street, Darwin.
Writing, and reading, is an insular, and sometimes lonely occupation, so when I was told of this Silent Book Club meeting at The Last Supper, I jumped at the chance. I mean, you pay ten bucks to save your place, which is redeemable on food and drink at the bar. Then, you take your book, go into the reading room, turn your phone off and read in peace for an hour.
What a concept!
The Last Supper is this quirky bar in the Air Raid Arcade on Cavanagh Street. On entering you're greeted by an angel. It's Darwin bonkers at its best.
(I've been passing by here for 18 months. The owners, Monica and Bryant, are great people who also own the coffee bar next door, 1995, a place I've purchased many a bevvy. It's also a place where I fondly remember my friend Andy. This was one of his hangouts.)
I met with the colleague who told me about this. Simone's another avid reader who doesn't find the time to read. She's a regular at these sessions. There is a wonderful luxury of giving yourself an hour to read, all for yourself. No phones. No conversation. No interruptions. Just read. In the peace and quiet. For an hour. Bliss.
Making it even nicer, the part of the bar they put the readers is gorgeous. An eclectic mix of zebra print, Botticelli prints and low chairs.
This looks like a Melbourne bar. It's also got very good air conditioning. And excellent sweet potato chips.
We were ushered into the space at 6.25 p.m. and we had the premise explained again. No talking. No phones. Just sit back and read. As the light in the room was fairly dim, there were book lights available to use if you needed them.
There's space for 14 people. There's normally at least ten there according to Simone. Today, there were four of us.
Me, I settled into Kate Mildenhall's The Hummingbird Effect. I managed to read 50 pages while I was in this cool, comfortable, gorgeous and quiet space.
It does feel rather decadent, reading in this opulent room, sipping on a drink and just reading, but it was so nice to read with others.
The time went very quickly.
At the end, Karen, our hostess, encouraged us to talk about what we were reading. We all expressed how lovely it was to give ourselves the time and space to read. I was asked what I was giggling about. Mildenhall's book reminds me a bit of Cloud Atlas. I was chuckling over what AI was saying about what things would be better for if it hadn't been invented. On this long list, along with the internet, nuclear weapons, bras and chainsaws was spam - email, and spam - tinned meat. (It's my sense of humour)
Of the others, Simone was reading Isaac Asimov. One girl was delving into Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe and struggling with it. Another was delving into Pip Williams The Dictionary of Lost Words. All great reading choices. There was a feeling of solidarity amongst the readers.
Simone and I had another drink after. We both expressed how reading had in many ways saved our lives. She only knows me as a technical writer, not as the blogger or the wannabee novelist. I read literary fiction. She reads fantasy.
The thing that binds us - we both read.
This silent book club is a wonderful thing. I've already purchased a ticket for the next time up.
I wonder if there is anything like this in Melbourne. It might just take off.
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