Going All In: How UK Silent Book Club Chapters Celebrated the National Year of Reading
How UK SBC Chapters Celebrated the National Year of Reading
We're celebrating seven UK chapters who went all in for the UK National Year of Reading—here's a look at how they made space for books, community, and quiet camaraderie on July 25th.
Hi friends! Jazmyn here, Programs Manager for SBC—and we're so excited to uplift a group of chapters who did something pretty amazing this summer. On July 25th, seven of our UK chapters came together for a shared Day of Reading, and we're here to tell you all about it.
ICYMI: 2026 is officially the UK National Year of Reading––a nationwide movement celebrating the power of books, literacy, and the connections they create. Their rallying cry? It’s Time to Go All In. As the UK Year of Reading site reads, “Everyone knows reading expands worlds, sharpens minds, and fuels creativity; but fewer of us are making time for it.” At Silent Book Club, we couldn’t agree more!
This is why, on July 25th, we were so excited to highlight and uplift chapters across the UK that have continuously shown up for their reading community by making the time and space to read in quiet camaraderie.
We are proud of our Silent Book Club chapters and the hard work they put in year-round to prioritize books, literacy, and human connection.
Here’s a look at how a few of our chapters spent their Day of Reading:
SBC Exeter: A Silent Book Club Summer Special
SBC Exeter, hosted by Exeter UNESCO City of Literature and host Jordan, has welcomed more than 2,500 readers since launching in April 2024. Incredible!
For the UK Day of Reading, they went all out with a Summer Special at The Italian Garden at Great Ambrook, a hidden extraordinary garden tucked into the Devon countryside, rich with local history.
The afternoon brought alfresco reading, ice cream, a pop-up LGBTQ+ bookshop, live music, poetry readings, and author talks from Lucy Holland and Jasmine Elmer. As Exeter organizer Jordan put it, the lush garden made for the perfect quiet space, though some very vocal nearby sheep had other ideas about “silent.” A little countryside chaos, fully earning its place in the day’s charm.
SBC Basingstoke: Old Faces, New Faces, and The Odyssey
Hosted by Liam and Julie, SBC Basingstoke’s Day of Reading meetup drew a great mix of longtime members and new readers. True to the introvert spirit that makes this community what it is, the group kept things low-key, but the post-reading social session was anything but quiet, with plenty of lively discussion around the recent release of The Odyssey.
We loved hearing from the hosts that the feedback since has been overwhelmingly positive, with a wave of new sign-ups already rolling in. This is perfect timing, as SBC Basingstoke gears up for its first anniversary celebration in August, returning to the very venue where the first chapter met. Congratulations, Liam and Julie!
SBC Bath: A Bookish Day Out
SBC Bath tried something new for the occasion: A Bookish Day Out, their first slower-paced social spin on a SBC event, built around three of their favorite things––books, coffee, and community.
The afternoon began with a wander between some of Bath’s beloved independent bookshops, trading recommendations and enabling each other’s book-buying habits, before settling into a silent reading session at one of their regular spots. Unsurprisingly, most readers went home with more books than they arrived with.
As host Giverney shared, reading is often thought of as a solitary hobby, but afternoons like this are a reminder that books can bring people together in the best possible way.
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A Huge Thank You to All of the Participating UK SBC Chapters:
Thank you to every organizer who showed up, planned and rallied their community around this day and beyond. Our hosts volunteer their time and energy to not only amazing community days like this, but to their readers year round. These are our modern day heroes!
We also want to send a thank you to the wider community that makes days like these possible––the venues that open their doors, the cafes and bookshops that welcome our readers in, the artists, poets, and musicians who shared their craft, and the vendors who kept folks fed and inspired. Silent Book Club has a way of bringing folks together who might otherwise not have found each other, and that is something we are reminded of every time a meetup takes place.
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Interested in starting a chapter? Learn more here.