In today’s culture, celebrities like Dua Lipa and Kaia Gerber are making reading trendy again with their cool book clubs (check out @Service95 and @kaiagerberbookclub). This trend has sparked renewed interest in literature. Luxury brands like Valentino are also getting involved, partnering with ‘Internet Librarian’ Jack Edwards and recently sponsoring the International Booker Prize 2024 ceremony.
Meanwhile, Chanel hosts its Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon podcast series, where women writers and friends of the maison, such as British author Jeanette Winterson and British novelist Rachel Cusk, gather to discuss women’s empowerment through their own works or those of historical literary figures.
In this feature, we explore how Singapore has its own burgeoning book club scene, from lively literary discussions to relaxed reading gatherings, and how these clubs enrich the city’s literary landscape.
THE OTHER BOOK CLUB
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: A queer-led book club launched in October 2023 that focuses on literature and media featuring queer characters, providing a safe and inclusive space for discussions and social interactions within the diverse LGBTQIA+ community.
FOUNDERS: Ron Tan, 38, (top) involved in HR and tour guiding; Sharad Pandian, 30, (bottom) in research; and Koh An Ting, 36, from the publishing industry
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: The founders, a group of friends passionate about books and media with queer characters, started the club to meet regularly and discuss underrepresented narratives. Ron further adds that it’s important for the queer community to also have non-sexual spaces for socializing with others from the extremely diverse community. Ultimately, the founders wanted to create a safe space for those who want and need that space.
UPCOMING PLANS: Plans include a social event in June to strengthen bonds within the community and welcome new members. They aim to maintain the book club as a vital safe space for those seeking connection and comfort through books and movies.
BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS: Meetings are held once a month, typically on the fourth Thursday. The location is disclosed only a week in advance for attendees’ privacy and safety. Each session costs $5 per person to cover venue and light refreshments, exclusive of the Eventbrite fee.
BOOKWORM BANTER BY BOOK BAR
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: Bookworm Banter isn’t your traditional book club like the others on this list but an event hosted by Book Bar, an indie bookstore focused on local and Asian literature. The event encourages reading and connecting with other book lovers.
FOUNDERS: Alexander Chua (right) and Sara Ng (left), who also run Book Bar, which is barely a year old but already a well-known name in the arts and culture scene, with its focus on supporting local and Asian authors
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: Launched in February 2023, Bookworm Banter was created to offer structured time for reading followed by a social hour, allowing attendees to discuss their current reads without formal discussion facilitation.
UPCOMING PLANS: Bookworm Banter plans to possibly collaborate with distributors, publishers, and authors to enhance their sessions. The event aims to become a staple for book enthusiasts who seek to forge new connections and enjoy literary conversations.
BOOK CLUB MEETING DETAILS: Bookworm Banter takes place once a month at Book Bar, located at 57 Duxton Road. Each session costs $20 per attendee, which includes a drink and a $5 book credit for use on the day of the event.
THE SATURDAY BOOK CLUB
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: The Saturday Book Club focuses on non-fiction literature, providing a platform for enthusiasts to explore and discuss exposés, memoirs, and real-life stories, fostering Singapore’s largest non-fiction book community.
FOUNDERS: Lee Jia Li, 27, (above) a product manager in the furniture industry, who launched the club to share her passion for non-fiction and connect with like-minded individuals
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: Started in July 2022, the club was born from Jia Li’s desire for meaningful conversation during the solitude of Covid-19 lockdowns. The first meeting was an intimate gathering at a cafe with two strangers and a friend Jia Li hadn’t seen in a decade. The group shared their thoughts passionately about the books they loved, and the conversation naturally evolved to sharing more about their dreams and challenges.
UPCOMING PLANS Jia Li’s ambition is to expand the club’s activities, with a second-anniversary celebration and the establishment of a dedicated volunteer team to support ongoing growth. There might even be a potential brand refresh in the works!
BOOK CLUB MEETING DETAILS: Meets every third Saturday of the month at various locations, with a flexible “BYOB” (Bring Your Own Book) format for regular sessions, special author events, and celebratory gatherings. Something on Jia Li’s bucket list is to organize book conferences featuring international best-selling authors like Adam Grant, Ryan Holiday, James Clear, and Brene Brown. She calls it “crazy”, we call it #girlbossing.
THE SILENT BOOK CLUB
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: The Silent Book Club caters to busy professionals – looking at you, corporate types – by providing a structured yet relaxed environment where bookworms can enjoy uninterrupted reading time alongside others, with no required reading list.
FOUNDERS: Founded by Sisilia (bottom) and Jennifer (top) who started the club as a way to enjoy their own reading time and later expanded to include others seeking similar solitude in company.
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: Officially started in May 2022, the idea developed from regular personal reading sessions into a more formal setup to help others incorporate regular reading into their busy schedules.
UPCOMING PLANS: The club is looking to secure a permanent venue to accommodate its growing membership and continue promoting the habit of focused reading among its members.
BOOK CLUB MEETING DETAILS: Meets monthly on a Saturday afternoon at CIMB Plaza. Each session begins with 30 minutes for registration and casual conversation, followed by 90 minutes of quiet reading. The club is an officially registered member of the international Silent Book Club community.
BOOKWORM CLUB BY WORMHOLE
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: Bookworm Club is a subscription-based book club brought to you by Wormhole, a much-beloved online indie bookstore, initially founded in October 2021. The book club offers a unique, laid-back approach to reading, aiming to help members escape their reading slumps by engaging deeply with a few selected works each year.
FOUNDERS: Seet Siew Ling, 34, (right) and Charmaine He, 32, (left) who also run the indie bookstore Wormhole
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: Launched in 2022, the founders noticed how vocal and participative their community was. They decided to create a space for readers to connect and share their love for books, something many of them don’t often get to do in their own social circles.
UPCOMING PLANS: The next meeting will focus on Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, a novella that delves into a harrowing story of a Palestinian girl who is murdered by Israeli soldiers – and one woman’s quest to uncover the truth about it decades later. The club aims to experiment with different storytelling forms, including film, and hopes to increase the frequency of their meetings as part of their yearly subscription program.
BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS: The Bookworm Club currently meets once or twice a year in an office space provided by a friend. Meetings are part of a yearly subscription, focusing on two to four significant titles to accommodate various reading paces.
LITERASEA BOOK CLUB
* Vanessa Chan
* Sahnaz
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WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: Founded in July 2019 by a group of Bookstagrammers – Instagram slang for book bloggers – LiteraSEA Book Club (LSBC) is a collective of Southeast Asians passionate about amplifying Southeast Asian literature and culture beyond the usual tropes, engaging readers globally through in-depth thematic discussions and special events.
FOUNDERS: (Above, clockwise from top left) Sahnaz Melasandy, 26, a graduate student from Indonesia; Tam Xueh Wei, 28, working in urban rejuvenation from Malaysia; and Vanessa Chan, 24, an undergraduate from Singapore. Zune Min Latt, 35, in communications for arts and culture from Myanmar, joined the team later in 2022
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: Essentially, LSBC is Southeast Asians spreading the love for our literature. In the Anglophone Bookstagram scene, books in English often reduce Southeast Asia to war trauma or Crazy Rich Asians. The region is much more than that, but even Southeast Asians can be ignorant about each other’s contemporary culture, something the team behind LSBC wanted to change.
UPCOMING PLANS: The club is currently exploring microhistories (a genre of history that focuses on small units of research) and plans to venture into Southeast Asian theatre during ASEAN Month in August. The next session of their #DeepDiveLSBC series, a fan favourite that runs every two years, will investigate petroculture, and the group ultimately aims to continue expanding knowledge and fostering collaborations across the region.
BOOK CLUB MEETING DETAILS: LSBC meets monthly via Jitsi, a video conferencing platform, to discuss a book from a different Southeast Asian country. Selections and discussions are scheduled quarterly, and the club maintains a vibrant community through a dedicated Telegram channel.
Additionally, LSBC also hosts two special programmes. In August every year, they celebrate ASEAN Month with engaging activities centred around connecting the Southeast Asian literary scene with eager readers. From social media challenges, reading anthologies, to reverse-panels guest-hosted by translators and publishers, it’s always a blast. Their #DeepDiveLSBC series runs every two years, starting from October through March of the following year.
NO READGRETS BOOK CLUB
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT: Founded in March 2018, No Readgrets Book Club (NRBC) is a women-led book club that empowers marginalised voices and fosters meaningful discourse on societal issues through literature, primarily focusing on works by local and minority writers.
FOUNDERS: (Above, from left) Firqin Sumartono, 33, a slow book reader; Martina Moy, 35, a recovering people pleaser; and Elfarina Roszaini, 33, a community builder. Did we mention they’re hilarious too?
WHY IT WAS FOUNDED: The book club originated from casual conversations on books and life among the trio, which eventually expanded to include friends, friends of friends, and now members of the public too! Initially, they focused on reading local fiction and discussing personal experiences related to the stories. Over time, they realized there was much more to explore beyond the storylines, leading to richer discourse on society, politics, and culture.
UPCOMING PLANS: In the coming months, NRBC plans to read Singa-Pura-Pura: Malay Speculative Fiction from Singapore (Ethos Books), a collection of short stories exploring spec-fic writing, which draws from the minority Malay experience. Particularly in an Anglophone-dominated genre, little Malay speculative fiction from Singapore is known to readers here and beyond. They also intend to read Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal, a novel delving into the lives of domestic helpers and caregivers in Singapore with empathy. Especially in a fast-paced modern city like Singapore, reflecting on our relationships with the migrant workers community, the unseen heroes, is crucial in building a truly inclusive society.
NRBC hopes to grow beyond the books they discuss, to invite others to learn and appreciate unique cultural experiences. Most importantly, they hope to rekindle a sense of community among Singaporeans that book clubs can create.
BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS: The book club meets monthly from March to November, with sessions fixed at least a month in advance. Sign-ups accordingly on NRBC’s Instagram page. The book club meets at various venues, with most of its recent sessions held at Crane, a valuable venue partner.
