I have always found that the best way to weather the last weeks of winter is with a great beverage and a good book. Fortunately, several local bars, breweries and taprooms have embraced the literary spirit, offering spaces that encourage book clubs and special activities for readers.
Whether you’re looking for a quiet spot to read in solitude, or a community to discuss your latest book with, here’s where to go — along with some book and beverage pairings to see you through the rest of the season.
Book clubs
Ponderosa Beer + Books
1225 Roeder Ave., Ste. 101, Bellingham
Silent book club every Monday.
Reading hour from 6–7 p.m., social hour from 7–8 p.m.
More than just a taproom, Ponderosa Beer + Books is a sanctuary for bibliophiles. You can buy or borrow a book from the many bookshelves lining the walls while browsing their carefully curated tap list of ales, lagers, saisons and ciders. For those who enjoy a sense of community, Ponderosa hosts a Silent Book Club, frequently lauded as “introvert happy hour.”
The concept is simple: come with a book, grab a drink and read quietly alongside others. Get ready to receive some excellent book recommendations, but there’s no obligation to stick around and chat if the social aspect of book club doesn’t speak to you. There’s no assigned reading, no pressure — just shared appreciation for good books and good beer. As a regular of Silent Book Club, it has become one of my favorite community events where the post-reading conversation is lively and the beers are always exceptional.
Book pairing: “The Golden Apples of the Sun” by Ray Bradbury + Finnriver Black Currant Cider
Welcome Road Winery
300 W. Champion St., Bellingham
Silent Book Club on the last Tuesday of the month.
Social hour at 6 p.m., and reading hour from 7–8 p.m.
Wine and words pair beautifully at Welcome Road Winery, where the relaxed tasting room doubles as a literary haven. Their Silent Book Club follows the same easygoing format — no required reading lists, just a chance to sip on handcrafted wines and lose yourself in a story among fellow readers.
Whether you’re a lover of bold reds or crisp whites, this unpretentious urban boutique winery will provide the perfect pour to accompany your next chapter. You can also enjoy Welcome Road’s serene and comfortable cafe in the daylight hours with a cup of coffee, as well as its full menu of wines and light snacks.
Book pairing: “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf + a tasting flight of Welcome Road wine
Terramar Brewstillery and Speakeasy
5712 Gilkey Ave., Bow
Next Bookshucker Book Club at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 19
Anyone who hasn’t yet visited Terramar’s hidden gem speakeasy is in for a happy surprise. The dark and cozy space transports you to a bygone era of silent movies and steampunk-inspired cocktails that feature an impressive array of Terramar’s house-made whiskey, gin and vodka.
The Speakeasy is home to a bi-monthly book club hosted by Bookshucker, “Edison’s biggest little bookstore,” and the nostalgic setting makes this event well worth driving the extra mile(s) to attend. The next meeting is on Wednesday, March 19 discussing “I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness” by Claire Vaye Watkins.
And for solitary readers, I would be remiss in not mentioning the delight of sipping some of Terramar’s exceptional whiskey while watching murmurations of snow geese in the fields outside.
Book pairing: “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” by Haruki Murakami + a Johnny Black Bird cocktail (whiskey, cherry spirit, lemon and orange juice, egg white and cocoa)
Other venues for readers
If you’re simply looking for a venue to read in solitude in a quiet setting with an excellent beverage, we have a roundup of recommendations for locales, drinks and books to inspire your next solo reading excursion.
Aslan Depot
The low lighting, squishy seats and vintage vibes at Aslan Depot make it a perfect spot for readers and beer drinkers alike. I recommend sinking into one of their red leather couches with a dark winter beer like the Czech Dark Lager by Structures currently on tap, while diving into a dark academia-adjacent tome such as “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke.
Otherlands Beer
If you’re drawn to intelligent and fantastical stories in far-flung places, Heather Fawcett’s recent “Emily Wilde” trilogy will feel very at-home among the mushroom paraphernalia festooning Otherlands’ upstairs bar and dining room. Pair “Map of the Otherlands” with a pint of Otherlands’ kellerbier, Household Gods, for an immersive night of reading.
Bantam Kitchen & Bar
Bantam’s Bookhouse Bar features a literary aesthetic with studious green library lights that may help you imagine yourself in a speculative alternative history of Oxford, as depicted in R.F. Kuang’s “Babel, or the Necessity of Violence.” Mocktail lovers will enjoy their zero-proof Blue Velvet cocktail with Lustre N/A spirit, Lynden concord grape, lemon and aquafaba.
Annie Wylde is a writer and book editor based in Bellingham. She lives on a pre-Prohibition era apple orchard, and when she's not reading and foraging at home, she's out prowling the corners of Whatcom and Skagit counties for creative beverages and interesting stories to share.
