Two first-time thingies this weekend.

Saturday. The Hawaii State Library is celebrating the 250th birthday of our nation from 9 to 1 with games, live music, and a scavenger hunt.

From 11 to 1, Mitchell will be showing Revolutionary Youth, a set of clips from Ken Burns’s excellent documentary, The American Revolution. A short discussion of the video will follow.

Then, the bookish part. We’ll discuss any books you’ve read about the American Revolution. It will be a great chance to compare our own understanding with Ken Burns’s vision, and to pick up recommendations for new reads!

Sunday. We are very excited to have a Silent Book Club meetup at Vintage Books, a great speakeasy in Kaimuki, in the old 3660 on the Rise space.

We’ll start at 4 with (optional!) socializing and some (also optional!) photos. Then we’ll settle in with our drinks and bites, enjoying an hour or so of quiet reading.

Here is a quick overview of menu prices.

🍹 Craft cocktails ($16-18)
🥂 Spirit-free cocktails ($14-15)
🍺 Beer ($9)
🍷 Wine glass ($13-16)
🍽️ Cold plates ($14-24)
🔥 Hot plates ($23-42)
🍙 Rice cakes + rice dishes ($4-24)
🥗 Salads ($16-18)
🌮 ʻUlu Taco Flight ($27)
🍰 Desserts ($10-14)

In addition, the Lounge offers special half apps/bar bites:

✨ Half Apps ($8–14)
✨ Bar Bites ($6–10)

Curious about the menu? You can browse the full food and beverage offerings on the Vintage Books website before the event.

“Proudly cashless.” Major credit/debit cards and contactless payments accepted.

Don’t forget to bring something to read!

Parking info in the second slide.

Wednesday night at Proof Social Club (where Fort Street Mall meets Chaplain Lane). We kick off at 6 and hang out until whenever.

The agenda is simple: there isn’t one. Show up and read, or chat with fellow book dragons. We are here for great pages, great company, great pasta, and great drinks (mocktails fully included).

The Books: Bring your current read, or grab something fresh from our book exchange table. Drop a couple of books off, take a couple home. 🟥

The Fuel: Excellent food by @pastaboys.proof, plus cocktails, mocktails, and brews.

The Vibe: Find a corner and get lost in a chapter. Pull up a chair and talk shop. Or just exist in a room full of people who get it. Your crowd is here. 🖤

Text Mitchell at 830-255-7423 if you want a ride home or need someone to walk you to your car or bus stop. Serious offer! 🚖

Add your name and email to our mailing list so we can keep you in the loop for future chapters. 🏢
We cannot wait to read with you. 🟦

Looking for the perfect way to spend a cozy Saturday afternoon? Join us for a special Silent Book Club gathering at the hidden speakeasy, Vintage Books, in Kaimuki!

✨ What to expect

📖 Bring whatever you’re currently reading

💬 Time to mingle and chat with fellow book lovers before and after reading—or simply enjoy the company without the conversation.

🤫 Dedicated silent reading time in one of Honolulu’s unique and atmospheric book spaces.

🍸 Delicious craft cocktails, spirit-free beverages, and food available for purchase throughout the event.

We’ll be gathering in the Vintage Books Lounge, a cozy space tucked within the bookstore’s speakeasy.

Here is a quick overview of menu prices:

🍹 Craft cocktails ($16-18)
🥂 Spirit-free cocktails ($14-15)
🍺Beer ($9)
🍷Wine glass ($13-16)
🍽️ Cold plates ($14-24)
🔥 Hot plates ($23-42)
🍙 Rice cakes + rice dishes ($4-24)
🥗 Salads ($16-18)
🌮 ʻUlu Taco Flight ($27)
🍰Desserts ($10-14)

In addition, the Lounge offers special half apps/bar bites:
✨ Half Apps ($8–14)
✨ Bar Bites ($6–10)

Curious about the menu? You can browse the full food and beverage offerings on the Vintage Books website before the event.

Nikki (our host!) recommends the Legend of Nearest Green and the Mushroom Rice Cakes. Mitchell (who will probably have to miss this one) recommends the Tennessee Surf Club and the Chocolate Crème Brûlée.

Whether you’re a longtime Silent Book Club member or joining for the first time, this event is all about enjoying books at your own pace—no assigned reading, no required discussion, and no pressure. Read quietly, chat with fellow readers, or simply soak in the atmosphere. This is your time to enjoy books however you like.

📍 Vintage Books Lounge, Kaimukī
📅 June 28
⏰ 4:00–6:00 PM

Parking: Validated parking inside 3660 Waialae Building. Ask the book clerk to validate.

Payments: “Proudly cashless.” Major credit/debit cards and contactless payments accepted.

Grab your current read, invite a fellow book lover, and join us for an afternoon of books, good company, and a little literary escape! See you there!

We’re heading back to one of our favorite places: the enormous Friends of the Library of Hawaii Annual Book Sale! Thousands of bargain books and rare finds waiting to be rescued and given a good home.

If you’re hunting down a specific gem or just want to geek out over book covers with fellow enthusiasts, this is where the magic happens. DVDs, CDs, Blu-Rays, cassettes, and VHS tapes are also plentiful.

🆕 First time joining us?
Look for Mitchell in the black tee that says Support Your Local Library.

Timeline (sorta)

⏰ 5:30 — The Hunt Begins. Meet us at the entrance (Ward Centre, inside the old Famous Footwear/Roger Dunn space). Look for the group of people looking way too excited about paper and ink. Browse and shop at your own pace. No rush and no pressure. Just treasure hunting!

⏰ 7 (ish) — The Trek. We’ll walk across the street together to South Shore Market.

⏰ 7:15 — Silent Reading Sesh. We’re grabbing the long communal table on the ground floor (look for the STOKED wall!) for some classic silent reading and chitchat with our new hauls.

👉 Bites & Vibes: There are food and drink options nearby, but there is zero pressure to spend money. Feel free to just bring your new finds and enjoy the energy!

👉 Flexibility. Not a shopper? Skip the sale and just meet us at South Shore Market at 7! Don’t feel like reading? Come for the hunt and head out after. Join us for any part of it or stick around for the whole thing!

📍 Logistical Goodies:

Where to look: Slide 2 shows the space (the pinkish-red storefront), but you’ll want to enter from the back on Auahi St.

Parking: Free in the nearby parking garages! I park in the TJ Maxx garage, which is in the same building as South Shore Market.

Lost or need a lift? Text Mitchell at 830-255-7423 if you get turned around, if you have questions, or if you need a ride home afterward! 🚗

Let’s clear some shelf space and find some new favorites. Who’s in? 🙋‍♂️🏽📖

Kahala Mall! Thursday, June 11! 6 to 8!

In front of the Whole Foods Market. Look for two hippos perched atop a book on the big round table. Not the table in this photo, which is where we will try to sit if it rains, as it did last month.

BUT AGAIN, I DARE IT TO RAIN!

There are many food and drink options nearby. There is no pressure to spend money.

Lots of free parking. Decent bathrooms.

We’ll have a book exchange table (if no rain). Take some. Leave some. Whatever. No rules!

Bring something to read! Physical books, ebooks, audiobooks, or even textbooks!

It can get a little noisy, so bring noise-canceling ear things if that bothers you. Baron donated foam earplugs, which I’ll bring if I can find them.

We’ll say hi and chat for a while at 6, then take a voluntary group photo (someone remind Mitchell to do the group book photo this time). Then we’ll read quietly for an hour. At 7:30, stick around and chat, keep reading, or call it a night!

Your people can’t wait to read with you!

If your Saturday plans involve books (or if you want them to), here’s the plan for today: we’re hanging out at Lanikai Brewing Co. starting at 4:00 PM. Nikki is hosting!

We’ll be there from 4 to 6 (ish), but come whenever you can and leave whenever you must.

This meetup is the pre-game. We’ll be reading for a bit, and then a bunch of us are heading to Volcanic Rock Gym for the Oahu Indie Book Festival’s YA and Adult pop-up event.

If you saw our post yesterday, you know what we’re up to—but if not, just bring whatever you’re currently reading and come sit with us. Or don’t say hi and just go straight to reading. This is also completely allowed.

And if you can’t make the meetup but are planning to head straight to the pop-up event later, please find us over there and say hi!

See you there, and check yesterday’s post for details! 📖✨

Ready for having a book in one hand and a refreshing brew in the other? 🍻📚

Join us on June 6th from 4-6 pm for a very special read-up at Lanikai Brewing Company!

Whether you’re reading the latest bestseller romance novel, listening to a thriller audiobook, or scrolling through a fantasy book on your e-reader, all formats of reading and all types of genres are accepted! Just come and read something you love!

We will have a dedicated time for reading and optional socializing throughout the night (it is a silent book club after all, haha!).

We have one special twist to this SBC! After our silent reading time, we will walk over to the Oahu Indie Book Festival YA and Adult Pop-Up event at Volcanic Rock Hawaii! Why go alone when you can go with a community of book lovers?!

We’d love for everyone to join, but no worries if you can’t go; just know you’ll be missed! 😭

📌 Tentative Plan:

4-4:15ish
Optional socializing, talking about what you’re reading, ordering food/drinks

4:15-5:45
Silent reading (or talking about books; there’s no real agenda, haha!)

5:45
Start slowly, heading over to the YA pop-up event!

6-8
Hanging out at the Oahu Indie Book Festival’s YA and Adult Pop-Up.
Come for part of it or come for the whole thing!

Pro Tips:

Sign the rock gym’s waiver (it’s on their website) ahead of time so you can quickly check in & get started on the Scavenger Hunt!

No shoes are allowed on the mats in the gyms, so if you don’t like to have your dogs out, plan to bring a pair of socks!

See you there! Nikki is our host!

We have added Vintage Books at the end of the month, hosted by Nikki.

Some of you know we’ve been hoping to have an event here since almost a year and a half ago, when some of us gathered to celebrate Gianni’s birthday. 🙂

Different readups for different vibes!

Details forthcoming!

#hotbookssummer

Ready to escape the noise? We’re heading back to the Hawaii State Library for another round of glorious, uninterrupted reading. Whether you’re tackling that thick classic or a breezy beach read, there’s a chair (and a vibe) waiting for you!

Thursday, June 4
5:00 PM – 6:50 PM

The Hawaii State Library (First floor, Language, Literature, and History section).

Once you walk in, head to the left wing and go straight back. You’ll find Emily the Librarian holding down the fort for us!

Sort-of schedule (we’re flexible and may not stick to it exactly):

5:00 – 5:30: Mix, mingle, and flex those book covers! We’ll do some quick voluntary photos to show off what everyone is reading.

5:30 – 6:30: The “Quiet” part of the Silent Book Club. One solid hour of pure literary bliss.

6:30 – 6:50: Wrap up, final thoughts, or a little more chatting before the library closes its doors at 7:00.

Parking:

Metered spots are available all around the library.

Street parking becomes free at 6:00 PM.

The Iolani Palace lot is super close and secure. It also becomes free at 6:00, but they lock the gates then! Don’t panic—if you need to bail before 7:00, just flag down a security guard and they’ll let you out.

Forget your book? No sweat! You’re literally in a giant building filled with them. Grab something off the shelf and maybe even take a new friend home with your library card.

Let’s get those pages turning! See you there?

Bring a friend! The more the merrier!

We have added Bottleheads Hawaii on June 14, hosted by Jen! More info soon, or check out the already updated Meetup.com page (search Honolulu Silent Book Club).

It’s going to be a great #hotbookssummer, and keep an eye on us, because we may not be finished planning for June!