{"id":16205,"date":"2025-10-22T10:35:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16205"},"modified":"2025-10-22T10:40:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:40:14","slug":"16205","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16205","title":{"rendered":"From The Silent To The Topless"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FROM THE SILENT TO THE TOPLESS:
\nBOOK CLUBS ON THE MARCH!<\/span><\/p>\n

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It seems that Gen Z and Millennials are catching on to what we in Wenvoe have known for ages – there\u2019s nothing quite like a good book club as an antidote to today\u2019s increasingly digital world. Free online event platform \u2018Eventbrite\u2019 report that local book club events have increased by over 40% in the last year. Even young celebrities like singer song writer Dua Lipa and model and actress Kaia Gerber are now hosting their own book clubs. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u2018The Page Turners\u2019 and \u2018Off the Shelf\u2019 regularly provide What\u2019s On readers with reviews and recommendations based on their recent reads. It all sounds like great fun. The reported reviews, though brief, show the wide range of responses to the various titles under discussion. One recently reviewed title was described as \u2018slow, unhappy and dreadful\u2019 by one member but \u2018tragic, moving and well written\u2019 by another.<\/p>\n

The book club renaissance seems to have gathered steam online during the pandemic as a way of meeting safely and filling those lock down hours. The digital boom in the book club soon found a younger audience who stayed with the idea when restrictions were lifted and a passion for books found its way into the real world. As book clubs boomed, a host of bespoke groups sprang up with a focus on everything from football to feminism.<\/p>\n

The concept of the book club began to take shape in the 18th century, particularly in Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment, with its emphasis on reason, knowledge, and education. In France, writers, philosophers, and thinkers gathered to exchange ideas and discuss the latest books, giving rise to a culture of literary salons that shared some of the hallmarks of modern book clubs. One of the earliest known book clubs was the Edinburgh Book Club, founded in 1768. This club was a forum for intellectuals to gather and discuss literature, politics, and society. London\u2019s coffeehouses, like Garrick\u2019s Coffeehouse, also became venues for book discussions. In the 19thcentury the rise of the middle class meant more people had access to books and education and so book clubs emerged that resembled those of today. Women, who had historically been excluded from intellectual discussions, began to form their own book club sharing and discussing books about everyday life. Another precursor to modern book clubs, were circulating libraries which allowed readers to borrow books for a fee. They often functioned as informal gathering places for book discussions. In the 20th century of course the expansion of public libraries and the rise of commercial publishing led to a further boom in book clubs.<\/p>\n

The latest fad is the Silent Book Club! The original, started in San Francisco in 2012with two friends – Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich – reading together at a neighbourhood wine bar. There are now 1,600 of these clubs in 54countries, including over 100 in the UK. All readers are welcome- eBooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books etc. Friends and strangers gather at a set time and location, order food or drinks, share what they’re reading, and settle in for an hour or so of sustained silent reading. At the end of the hour, attendees can socialise- or not!<\/p>\n

There are inevitably some very strange book clubs. The Peculiar Book Club focuses on strange history, medical marvels, and weird science. It has nothing it seems on the New York Topless Book Club! \u2018Burn Bras, Not Books\u2019 is the motto of this free-wheeling New York City book club. Members take advantage of little-known city laws that allow both male and female toplessness with alfresco reading sessions in public spaces. It\u2019s apparently all done with safety and decorum. Somehow one doesn\u2019t see this catching on in Wenvoe.<\/p>\n

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FROM THE SILENT TO THE TOPLESS: BOOK CLUBS ON THE MARCH! It seems that Gen Z and Millennials are catching on to what we in Wenvoe have known for ages – there\u2019s nothing quite like a good book club as an antidote to today\u2019s increasingly digital world. Free online event platform \u2018Eventbrite\u2019 report that local book club events have increased […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334,427,228],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s6cWjO-16205","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16561,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16561","url_meta":{"origin":16205,"position":0},"title":"Book Review: The Man Who Knew Too Much","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th January 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST BOOK REVIEW: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH This lavishly illustrated book published by the Welsh Academic Press was authored by Martin Shipman the Political Editor at Large of the Western Mail. It tells the life story of Gareth Jones who was born in Barry in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gareth-Jones-Journalist.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9248,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9248","url_meta":{"origin":16205,"position":1},"title":"Playing Cards Facts","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd March 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"PLAYING CARDS FACTS It is believed the first playing cards were invented in China about 1,200 years ago. Each of the four suits stands for a different group of people in society. Hearts are clergymen, spades are soldiers, diamonds are merchants and clubs are peasants. 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It has grown to a massive event and in 2016 \u00a329.5 million\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Picture6-300x269.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16334,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16334","url_meta":{"origin":16205,"position":3},"title":"New Wenvoe Author To Inspire Young Readers","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"NEW WENVOE AUTHOR TO INSPIRE YOUNG READERS My name is Belinda Batey, I live in Wenvoe and I am a newly published author of children\u2019s books, who is passionate about encouraging imagination and a love for reading among young learners. I have recently gifted copies of my published children\u2019s books,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Belinda-Batey-1-233x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12219,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12219","url_meta":{"origin":16205,"position":4},"title":"My \u201cAntiques Roadshow\u201d Moment","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd September 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"MY \u201cANTIQUES ROADSHOW\u201d MOMENT This is a tale of serendipity perseverance and self-confidence. In 1988 while rummaging around a second-hand furniture shop in Canton I came across a copy of \u201cSouth\u201d, Sir Earnest Shackleton\u2019s account of his fateful 1914 Trans Antarctica Expedition. It had a very attractive cover and having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/South.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15495,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15495","url_meta":{"origin":16205,"position":5},"title":"Tucker\u2019s Ve80 Wartime Plant Sale","author":"Alan Williams","date":"5th May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"TUCKER\u2019S VE80 WARTIME PLANT SALE On Saturday 10th May we held the Tucker\u2019s VE80 plant sale in and around the Church Hall. Whenever we hold a sale there is always a worry that attendance will be low or the weather won\u2019t be good. 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