📖 ☕️ Silent Book Club: A Cozy Hour of Quiet Reading Together

1
00:00:02,029 --> 00:00:07,560
Welcome to The Slow Life.
I'm Jennifer Vino and I create,

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00:00:07,610 --> 00:00:12,020
narrate, and design the
soundscape of this village of

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00:00:12,030 --> 00:00:15,780
cozy stories to relax and
unwind.

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00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:20,170
Each week I share an original
story.

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00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,310
Read 2 times so you can relax
even more during the second

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00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:29,010
reading.
I'm happy to announce my

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00:00:29,020 --> 00:00:36,230
website, theslowlife.ca.
It provides a space where we can

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00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,600
connect and I can bring you all
things cozy.

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00:00:43,010 --> 00:00:47,640
Let's settle in with some easy
breathing at your own pace.

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00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:53,800
With each inhale, let fresh air
fill the space around your

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00:00:53,810 --> 00:00:58,800
heart.
With each exhale, feel the calm

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00:00:58,810 --> 00:01:04,400
air spread through your body and
flow out through your arms and

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00:01:04,410 --> 00:01:09,030
legs, gently in through your
heart.

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00:01:10,970 --> 00:01:21,500
Gently out through your body, in
through your heart, out through

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00:01:21,510 --> 00:01:27,250
your body.
And now let's begin.

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00:01:31,150 --> 00:01:36,800
This story is called Silent Book
Club and it's about hashed

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00:01:36,810 --> 00:01:42,120
company companionship.
Without pressure and creating

18
00:01:42,130 --> 00:01:51,140
quiet together, I step into the
hashed company of the Cafe on

19
00:01:51,150 --> 00:01:54,970
the square.
The warmth, the smell of ground

20
00:01:54,980 --> 00:01:59,890
coffee and pastries, and the
gentle Ding of the doors bell

21
00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:07,090
all greet me in the same moment.
Wiping my shoes on the mat, my

22
00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:10,710
eyes graze over the bulletin
board, which they keep

23
00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:17,380
impressively tidy to my liking.
A poster for a community choir

24
00:02:17,390 --> 00:02:21,760
that meets once a week, Noah.
Auditions required, they assure

25
00:02:21,770 --> 00:02:29,140
us, a found mitten pinned up so
early in the season and a simple

26
00:02:29,150 --> 00:02:35,890
sheet printed in soft green ink
that reads Silent Book Club to

27
00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:41,370
night at six underneath.
Smaller writing promises

28
00:02:41,380 --> 00:02:45,020
community and an hour of quiet
reading together.

29
00:02:46,590 --> 00:02:50,740
Something in me tilts towards
the idea immediately.

30
00:02:51,250 --> 00:02:55,460
It's so close to home that I
won't mind coming back later to

31
00:02:55,470 --> 00:02:59,590
day.
I'm already holding a book in my

32
00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:04,550
bag as I carry one everywhere.
Should I have the opportunity to

33
00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:09,840
spend some time with it?
I stand for a moment letting the

34
00:03:09,850 --> 00:03:14,870
notion take root, reading in the
company of strangers and

35
00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:19,210
acquaintances, an echo of
earlier times when people

36
00:03:19,220 --> 00:03:24,690
gathered to knit, do needlepoint
or pour over books in the same

37
00:03:24,700 --> 00:03:28,150
room.
Comfortable and shared silence.

38
00:03:29,700 --> 00:03:34,220
It sounds like a kind of refuge.
I decide I'll come back.

39
00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,910
The rest of the day revolves
around this plan.

40
00:03:39,420 --> 00:03:44,040
Every time I glance at the
clock, a warm spark ignites me.

41
00:03:44,940 --> 00:03:50,350
Soon I'll be sitting in a quiet
space, book open, surrounded by

42
00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:55,500
others doing the same.
When evening arrives, the sky

43
00:03:55,510 --> 00:03:59,920
has deepened into a soft Navy
that has the street lights

44
00:03:59,930 --> 00:04:06,490
welcoming me back to the cafe.
I took my chosen novel into my

45
00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:11,750
bag, pull on a sweater with deep
pockets, and walk the short way

46
00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,880
to the square.
As I come up to the door,

47
00:04:15,930 --> 00:04:20,209
someone with their book directly
in hand opens it for me.

48
00:04:21,570 --> 00:04:25,180
We find out right away that
we're both there for the same

49
00:04:25,190 --> 00:04:28,720
reason.
She looks familiar, but neither

50
00:04:28,730 --> 00:04:34,280
of us is sure where we've met.
A group of tables have been

51
00:04:34,290 --> 00:04:39,100
rearranged slightly.
Folks who might not be here for

52
00:04:39,110 --> 00:04:43,180
this event are scattered at the
remaining places.

53
00:04:43,570 --> 00:04:50,390
The cafe still open as usual,
people drift in their coats,

54
00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,550
unzipped books tucked under
their arms or sticking out of

55
00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,810
bags.
Soft chatter forms as everyone

56
00:04:58,820 --> 00:05:04,190
finds a spot to sit.
I slip into a chair near the

57
00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,720
window, setting my book on the
table with a smile to those

58
00:05:08,730 --> 00:05:13,550
closest to me.
The chairs around me fill 1 by

59
00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:18,200
1.
Informal introductions ripple

60
00:05:18,210 --> 00:05:22,730
around the tables, small
exchanges of what someone is

61
00:05:22,740 --> 00:05:26,050
reading or where they usually
like to read.

62
00:05:27,670 --> 00:05:31,180
I tell them about my reading
nook that I recently put

63
00:05:31,190 --> 00:05:35,380
together.
The area by the upstairs window

64
00:05:35,390 --> 00:05:39,680
at the end of the hall
transformed beautifully into my

65
00:05:39,690 --> 00:05:45,420
new favorite spot to curl up.
A couple of others say they've

66
00:05:45,430 --> 00:05:50,860
done the same themselves.
Another likes to drive somewhere

67
00:05:50,870 --> 00:05:55,540
not too far away and sit in
their car with the outdoor

68
00:05:55,550 --> 00:06:01,100
sounds muffled.
But close across from me,

69
00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:06,000
someone has spread out a
crossword book, yellow pencil in

70
00:06:06,010 --> 00:06:10,110
hand, square smudged from
earlier guesses.

71
00:06:11,940 --> 00:06:15,970
Beside them, a person has a
short stack of cooking

72
00:06:15,980 --> 00:06:21,970
magazines, pausing now and then
to copy a recipe into a spiral

73
00:06:21,980 --> 00:06:27,810
bound notepad.
Most cradle thick novels or slim

74
00:06:27,820 --> 00:06:33,490
poetry collections, everyone
seems comfortable and comforted

75
00:06:33,500 --> 00:06:35,690
by the materials in front of
them.

76
00:06:37,090 --> 00:06:41,640
As the clerk reaches the hour,
our group needs no leader to

77
00:06:41,650 --> 00:06:46,940
tell us to settle down.
A few people take sips of tea or

78
00:06:46,950 --> 00:06:50,460
coffee.
Someone shrugs off their coat.

79
00:06:51,250 --> 00:06:56,040
Then a stillness gathers as one
by one, we open our books.

80
00:06:57,660 --> 00:07:02,430
The first few minutes feel like
easing into a new workshop of

81
00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:07,260
your new hobby.
A bit unsure, but happy to be

82
00:07:07,270 --> 00:07:11,940
here.
I read a paragraph, then drift a

83
00:07:11,950 --> 00:07:15,260
little, listening to the sounds
around me.

84
00:07:16,020 --> 00:07:20,990
The turning of pages, the
gliding of a pencil, the

85
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:25,530
espresso machines occasional
size in the background, but

86
00:07:25,540 --> 00:07:31,690
everything is unhurried.
I hear cars pass on the wet St.,

87
00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,700
a sound I love when I'm cozy
indoors.

88
00:07:37,140 --> 00:07:42,470
I sink deeper into the story in
front of me, feeling the room

89
00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:48,240
fade but not disappear.
It's as though we've all stepped

90
00:07:48,250 --> 00:07:52,920
into our individual worlds while
staying tethered to the same

91
00:07:52,930 --> 00:07:57,540
spot of Earth.
I like that about reading with

92
00:07:57,550 --> 00:08:00,420
others.
The companionship without

93
00:08:00,430 --> 00:08:03,520
pressure.
A book club for the shared

94
00:08:03,530 --> 00:08:07,080
interest without needing to
share the same book.

95
00:08:08,740 --> 00:08:14,450
As with any time I read, I lose
track of the hour, seldomly

96
00:08:14,460 --> 00:08:18,240
resurfacing to stretch my legs
and glance around.

97
00:08:19,890 --> 00:08:24,100
The person doing the puzzles has
switched from crosswords to

98
00:08:24,110 --> 00:08:30,060
Sudoku, the magazine readers
copying a sauce recipe with

99
00:08:30,070 --> 00:08:34,200
careful handwriting,
occasionally underlining

100
00:08:34,210 --> 00:08:39,750
something for emphasis.
Nearby, someone leans back in

101
00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:43,549
their chair with eyes closed
between chapters.

102
00:08:44,930 --> 00:08:47,960
Everyone is existing in a quiet
way.

103
00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:55,250
I turn back to my book, keeping
one hand around my mug as it

104
00:08:55,260 --> 00:08:59,810
warms my palm.
The story I'm reading has

105
00:08:59,820 --> 00:09:04,530
reached a turning point, and I
sink into it for a while longer

106
00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:10,020
without distraction.
When I look up, the hour is

107
00:09:10,030 --> 00:09:14,020
nearly done.
A gradual stirring begins

108
00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:19,080
straightening up in our seats,
taking our last sips of cool

109
00:09:19,090 --> 00:09:22,660
tea.
A few more pages turn.

110
00:09:23,220 --> 00:09:28,420
People quietly mark their places
with old receipts, bits of paper

111
00:09:28,430 --> 00:09:33,580
saved for the purpose, or pretty
bookmarks usually received as a

112
00:09:33,590 --> 00:09:37,950
gift.
Eventually, the silence fades

113
00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:43,490
naturally, not abruptly, like
the end of a song that trails

114
00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:50,040
off rather than stops.
Soft conversation returns.

115
00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:56,380
Gentle and unforced people share
how far they got in their books

116
00:09:56,610 --> 00:09:59,700
or what they thought of the
chapter they just finished.

117
00:10:01,190 --> 00:10:05,740
The puzzle solver holds up their
page triumphantly showing a

118
00:10:05,750 --> 00:10:10,360
complete grid.
The magazine reader vows to make

119
00:10:10,370 --> 00:10:14,180
one of the recipes they copied
for their supper to Morrow

120
00:10:14,190 --> 00:10:18,770
evening.
I take a moment to look around

121
00:10:19,020 --> 00:10:25,050
as we gather our things, smiling
in appreciation of the quiet we

122
00:10:25,060 --> 00:10:33,040
created together.
Silent Book Club.

123
00:10:36,700 --> 00:10:41,440
I step into the hushed company
of the Cafe on the Square.

124
00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:47,010
The warmth, the smell of ground
coffee and pastries, and the

125
00:10:47,020 --> 00:10:52,190
gentle Ding of the doors bell
all greet me in the same moment.

126
00:10:53,950 --> 00:10:58,640
Wiping my shoes on the mat, my
eyes graze over the bulletin

127
00:10:58,650 --> 00:11:02,830
board, which they keep
impressively tidy to my liking.

128
00:11:04,340 --> 00:11:09,120
A poster for a community choir
that meets once a week now.

129
00:11:09,130 --> 00:11:11,630
Auditions required, they assure
us.

130
00:11:12,900 --> 00:11:18,700
I found Mitten pinned up so
early in the season and a simple

131
00:11:18,710 --> 00:11:25,440
sheet printed in soft green ink
that reads Silent Book Club to

132
00:11:25,450 --> 00:11:30,930
night at six underneath.
Smaller writing promises

133
00:11:30,940 --> 00:11:34,570
community and an hour of quiet
reading together.

134
00:11:36,140 --> 00:11:40,290
Something in me tilts towards
the idea immediately.

135
00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:45,020
It's so close to home that I
won't mind coming back later to

136
00:11:45,030 --> 00:11:49,150
day.
I'm already holding a book in my

137
00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:54,090
bag as I carry one everywhere.
Should I have the opportunity to

138
00:11:54,100 --> 00:11:59,380
spend some time with it?
I stand for a moment letting the

139
00:11:59,390 --> 00:12:04,410
notion take root, reading in the
company of strangers and

140
00:12:04,420 --> 00:12:08,760
acquaintances, an echo of
earlier times when people

141
00:12:08,770 --> 00:12:14,240
gathered to knit, do needlepoint
or pour over books in the same

142
00:12:14,250 --> 00:12:17,700
room.
Comfortable and shared silence.

143
00:12:19,260 --> 00:12:23,780
It sounds like a kind of refuge.
I decide I'll come back.

144
00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:28,470
The rest of the day revolves
around this plan.

145
00:12:28,980 --> 00:12:33,590
Every time I glance at the
clock, a warm spark ignites me.

146
00:12:34,500 --> 00:12:39,910
Soon I'll be sitting in a quiet
space, book open, surrounded by

147
00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:45,050
others doing the same.
When evening arrives, the sky

148
00:12:45,060 --> 00:12:49,470
has deepened into a soft Navy
that has the street lights

149
00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:56,040
welcoming me back to the cafe.
I tuck my chosen novel into my

150
00:12:56,050 --> 00:13:01,310
bag, pull on a sweater with deep
pockets, and walk the short way

151
00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,430
to the square.
As I come up to the door,

152
00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:09,760
someone with their book directly
in hand opens it for me.

153
00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,730
We find out right away that
we're both there for the same

154
00:13:14,740 --> 00:13:18,270
reason.
She looks familiar, but neither

155
00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:23,830
of us is sure where we've met.
A group of tables have been

156
00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:28,660
rearranged slightly.
Folks who might not be here for

157
00:13:28,670 --> 00:13:32,730
this event are scattered at the
remaining places.

158
00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:39,940
The cafe still open as usual,
people drift in their coats,

159
00:13:39,950 --> 00:13:44,100
unzipped books tucked under
their arms or sticking out of

160
00:13:44,110 --> 00:13:48,350
bags.
Soft chatter forms as everyone

161
00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:53,740
finds a spot to sit.
I slip into a chair near the

162
00:13:53,750 --> 00:13:58,270
window, setting my book on the
table with a smile to those

163
00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:03,100
closest to me.
The chairs around me fill 1 by

164
00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:07,750
1.
Informal introductions ripple

165
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:12,290
around the tables, small
exchanges of what someone is

166
00:14:12,300 --> 00:14:15,600
reading or where they usually
like to read.

167
00:14:17,220 --> 00:14:20,730
I tell them about my reading
nook that I recently put

168
00:14:20,740 --> 00:14:24,930
together.
The area by the upstairs window

169
00:14:24,940 --> 00:14:29,230
at the end of the hall
transformed beautifully into my

170
00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:34,970
new favorite spot to curl up.
A couple of others say they've

171
00:14:34,980 --> 00:14:40,400
done the same themselves.
Another likes to drive somewhere

172
00:14:40,410 --> 00:14:45,100
not too far away and sit in
their car with the outdoor

173
00:14:45,110 --> 00:14:50,660
sounds muffled.
But close across from me,

174
00:14:50,710 --> 00:14:55,560
someone has spread out a
crossword book, yellow pencil in

175
00:14:55,570 --> 00:14:59,660
hand, square smudged from
earlier guesses.

176
00:15:01,490 --> 00:15:05,520
Beside them, a person has a
short stack of cooking

177
00:15:05,530 --> 00:15:11,520
magazines, pausing now and then
to copy a recipe into a spiral

178
00:15:11,530 --> 00:15:17,350
bound notepad.
Most cradle thick novels or slim

179
00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:23,040
poetry collections, everyone
seems comfortable and comforted

180
00:15:23,050 --> 00:15:25,240
by the materials in front of
them.

181
00:15:26,630 --> 00:15:31,200
As the clock reaches the hour,
our group needs no leader to

182
00:15:31,210 --> 00:15:36,490
tell us to settle down.
A few people take sips of tea or

183
00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:40,020
coffee.
Someone shrugs off their coat.

184
00:15:40,820 --> 00:15:45,590
Then a stillness gathers as one
by one, we open our books.

185
00:15:47,210 --> 00:15:51,980
The first few minutes feel like
easing into a new workshop of

186
00:15:51,990 --> 00:15:56,810
your new hobby.
A bit unsure, but happy to be

187
00:15:56,820 --> 00:16:01,490
here.
I read a paragraph, then drift a

188
00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:04,810
little, listening to the sounds
around me.

189
00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:10,530
The turning of pages, the
gliding of a pencil, the

190
00:16:10,540 --> 00:16:15,080
espresso machines occasional
size in the background, but

191
00:16:15,090 --> 00:16:21,240
everything is unhurried.
I hear cars pass on the wet St.,

192
00:16:21,750 --> 00:16:25,250
a sound I love when I'm cozy
indoors.

193
00:16:26,690 --> 00:16:32,030
I think deeper into the story in
front of me, feeling the room

194
00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:37,800
fade but not disappear.
It's as though we've all stepped

195
00:16:37,810 --> 00:16:42,460
into our individual worlds while
staying tethered to the same

196
00:16:42,470 --> 00:16:47,090
spot of Earth.
I like that about reading with

197
00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:49,970
others.
The companionship without

198
00:16:49,980 --> 00:16:53,060
pressure.
A book club for the shared

199
00:16:53,070 --> 00:16:56,640
interest without needing to
share the same book.

200
00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:03,990
As with any time I read, I lose
track of the hour, seldomly

201
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,800
resurfacing to stretch my legs
and glance around.

202
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,650
The person doing the puzzles has
switched from crosswords to

203
00:17:13,660 --> 00:17:19,609
Sudoku, the magazine readers
copying a sauce recipe with

204
00:17:19,619 --> 00:17:23,750
careful handwriting,
occasionally underlining

205
00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:29,300
something for emphasis.
Nearby, someone leans back in

206
00:17:29,310 --> 00:17:33,100
their chair with eyes closed
between chapters.

207
00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,510
Everyone is existing in a quiet
way.

208
00:17:39,220 --> 00:17:44,810
I turn back to my book, keeping
one hand around my mug as it

209
00:17:44,820 --> 00:17:49,360
warms my palm.
The story I'm reading has

210
00:17:49,370 --> 00:17:54,080
reached a turning point, and I
sink into it for a while longer

211
00:17:54,150 --> 00:17:59,580
without distraction.
When I look up, the hour is

212
00:17:59,590 --> 00:18:03,570
nearly done.
A gradual stirring begins

213
00:18:03,860 --> 00:18:08,630
straightening up in our seats,
taking our last sips of cool

214
00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,210
tea.
A few more pages turn.

215
00:18:12,780 --> 00:18:17,970
People quietly mark their places
with old receipts, bits of paper

216
00:18:17,980 --> 00:18:23,130
saved for the purpose, or pretty
bookmarks usually received as a

217
00:18:23,140 --> 00:18:27,500
gift.
Eventually, the silence fades

218
00:18:27,510 --> 00:18:33,040
naturally, not abruptly, like
the end of a song that trails

219
00:18:33,050 --> 00:18:39,590
off rather than stops.
Soft conversation returns.

220
00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:45,930
Gentle and unforced people share
how far they good in their books

221
00:18:46,180 --> 00:18:49,260
or what they thought of the
chapter they just finished.

222
00:18:50,740 --> 00:18:55,290
The puzzle solver holds up their
page triumphantly showing a

223
00:18:55,300 --> 00:18:59,910
complete grid.
The magazine reader vows to make

224
00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,730
one of the recipes they copied
for their supper to Morrow

225
00:19:03,740 --> 00:19:08,310
evening.
I take a moment to look around

226
00:19:08,580 --> 00:19:14,600
as we gather our things, smiling
in appreciation of the quiet we

227
00:19:14,610 --> 00:19:21,380
created together.
I wish you sweet dreams.