If you are a writer that has received an email from exetercityofliterature@gmail.com or exetercityofliterature1@gmail.co in relation to Silent Book Club, please ignore their request and report the account, we have no affiliation with them and are concerned that writers may be scammed out of money and copies of their books. We are currently working to get this account removed.
Silent Book Club - Exeter
Silent Book Club is a global community of readers and introverts, with more than 2000 chapters in 60+ countries around the world led by local volunteers.
Exeter City of Literature began hosting the Exeter branch of Silent Book Club in April 2024 - this has expanded to three sessions a month in 2026 due to popular demand.
Silent Book Club Exeter
Readers at the first Silent Book Club Exeter session in April 2024 at The Hourglass Inn.
A typical Silent Book Club session spans from 6pm-8pm.
Attendees arrive and settle in from 6pm. We begin reading from 6:30pm for an hour. After an hour of communal silent reading we stick around for post-reading chats and a drink until 8pm (though there’s no pressure to stay, you are welcome to read & go!).
Silent Book Club is for everyone who wants to read. If cost is a barrier to picking up a new book, we can offer a book token to help. Simply fill out this form—numbers are limited each month.
As of January 2026, Exeter’s Silent Book Club happens three times a month.
We meet at Topsham Brewery on the First Wednesday of every month. The next session will be on Wednesday 4th February.
We meet at Topsham Brewery on the Third Monday of every month. The next session will be Monday 16th February.
We meet at 12 Bar Music & Social on the Last Thursday of every month. The first session of 2026 will be on Thursday 29th January.
All sessions take place from 6pm - 8pm and are free to attend. We hope to see you there!
Topsham Brewery
Upcoming Dates
For 2025 & 2026
Wednesday 7th January 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Monday 19th January 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Wednesday 4th February 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Monday 16th February 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Wednesday 4th March 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Monday 16th March 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Wednesday 1st April 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Monday 20th April 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
12 Bar Music & Social
Upcoming Dates
For 2026
Thursday 29th January 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Thursday 26th February 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Thursday 26th March 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Thursday 30th April 2026 | 6pm - 8pm
Valentine’s Special
Wednesday 11th February | 6pm - 9pm
The Devon and Exeter Institution | EX1 1EZ
An after-hours reading experience in one of Exeter’s most beautiful libraries
This Silent Book Club Special invites you to explore love, longing, heartbreak—and everything in between—through the quiet pleasure of reading together.
Join us for an atmospheric, after-hours evening in the historic Devon and Exeter Institution, tucked away on Cathedral Close in Exeter. With its Georgian character, towering shelves and softly lit rooms, it’s a space that feels naturally cosy and slightly magical—the sort of place where settling in with a book just feels right.
Our last Silent Book Club Special sold out quickly, so early booking is recommended.
For this special Valentine’s edition of Silent Book Club you’ll need to book a ticket in advance.
We’re hosting this one off event as Pay What You Can Afford to help support the treats that will be on offer including: themed snacks & drinks, optional writing workshop, after hours access to the library and a bookish goody bag to take home.
What do we mean by Pay What You Can Afford
At Exeter City of Literature, we know that everyone’s financial situation is different, and we want our events to be open to as many people as possible. By purchasing a higher tier of ticket, you're choosing what the event is worth to you and opening the door for people to experience an evening of culture that they might otherwise be excluded from.
Choosing to give a little extra when you can is a powerful act: it sustains Exeter’s cultural life, ensures wider access, and is that much more meaningful because you helped another person share in this experience.
Exeter City of Literature is a registered charity (1196686).
Where your money goes
Every ticket purchased above the minimum price helps us:
Keep our events free or Pay What You Can Afford so more people can take part
Stock our Book Fairies and Book Nooks in Warm Spaces with free books
Provide National Book Tokens for low-income members of Silent Book Club
Support new projects that bring literature and culture to all of us, making our communities and neighbourhoods more vibrant, fun, and inclusive
Your choice makes a real difference—not just to you, but to your whole community.
About Silent Book Club
Silent Book Club started in San Francisco in 2012 with a couple of friends—Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich—reading in companionable silence at their neighbourhood bar.
At Silent Book Club, there's no assigned reading. All readers are welcome—ebooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books... it's BYOBook.
Silent Book Club is about community. Everyone is welcome, and anyone can join or launch a chapter.
Other Silent Book Clubs in Devon
Looking to join a Silent Book Club but not near to Exeter? Here are some additional branches that meet across Devon.
Bideford - Silent Book Club Bideford
Crediton - Silent Book Club at Amapola Wine Bar
Exeter - Poltimore House, Silent Book Club
Plymouth - Plymouth Silent Book Club
Tavistock - Tavistock Silent Book Club
Torquay - Torquay Silent Book Club
Totnes - Totnes Silent Book Club
In November 2024, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature Executive Director Anna sat down with Caroline Densley from BBC Radio Devon to talk about Exeter’s Silent Book Club, stories of attendees who have joined us, and the sheer amount of silent reading and writing clubs that are available in Devon!
Silent Book Club
Case Study
Discover what we’ve accomplished with Silent Book Club in Exeter since we launched the accessible reading group in 2024 with our brand new Case Study.
Learn about the benefits of reading for pleasure, the amount of National Book Tokens we’ve provided for Silent Book Club attendees, and the fantastic feedback we’ve received from Devon-based readers.