Skip to content

A small Downtown book club, matched by taste.

The first readers in Downtown are signing up now. Join them and you'll be in the neighbourhood's first circle: a handful of people nearby who share your taste.

Downtown Vancouver runs from the converted rail warehouses of Yaletown to the marina and seawall of Coal Harbour, with the Central Library in between. It is busy by day and calmer by evening, and it has more quiet public places to talk about a book than most people expect.

Already on Cuento? Sign in

The first readers in Downtown are signing up now. We'll start matching as soon as a few more join.

An example. Your circle forms after the survey.

Reading in Downtown.

Downtown's anchor for readers is the Central Library at Georgia and Homer. Beyond the stacks, the Level 9 rooftop garden is open to the public during library hours, and food and drink are allowed there, which makes it one of the more civilised free places in the city to talk about a book.

In Yaletown, the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre occupies the restored railway roundhouse at Davie and Pacific, and David Lam Park and George Wainborn Park sit along the False Creek seawall nearby. The old loading-dock patios on Hamilton and Mainland get lively in the evening, so a circle that prefers quieter conversation might look to weekend mornings.

On the other side of downtown, Coal Harbour Community Centre on Broughton Street sits right on the seawall, with meeting rooms inside and Harbour Green Park stretching east along the marina. Yaletown–Roundhouse, Burrard and Waterfront stations put every corner of downtown within easy reach.

What Downtown readers love.

The most popular reading tastes among readers signed up in your neighbourhood. Tap one to see who else shares it.

See your taste up there? There's a circle forming for it. Sign up to be matched

Three steps. One intro.

  1. three minutes

    Sign up & pick your tastes

    Tell us you're in Downtown and choose what you like to read. Specific, conversational. Not a checkbox quiz.

  2. two to six weeks

    We find your circle

    We watch your neighbourhood for the rare overlaps: taste, schedule, walking distance all line up.

  3. one email

    Meet over coffee

    A few names, the books you all share, a suggested café in Downtown. We step out of the chat after that.

Three minutes, and we start watching Downtown for you.

Free to sign up. $15 once, only on the day we find your circle.

About Downtown book clubs.

Can't find it? Email [email protected].

How do I join a book club in Downtown?

Sign up on Cuento, pick Downtown as your neighbourhood, and share your reading taste. We'll match you with a handful of readers nearby. Free to sign up. You only pay $15 when we find your circle.

Where could a Downtown circle meet if cafés feel too loud?

The Central Library is the obvious answer: its Level 9 rooftop garden is public and free during library hours, and food and drink are welcome there. The Roundhouse and Coal Harbour community centres both have meeting rooms. The circle decides together after the introduction email, so members can try a few places before settling on one.

How many people are in a Downtown book club?

Each reading circle has four to eight people. Small enough that everyone talks, big enough that it still works if someone can't make it one month.

What do Downtown book clubs read?

Each circle decides together. Cuento matches you based on shared reading taste, so your group will already have common ground. Popular genres in Downtown include Philosophy, Big City, Historical.

Where do Downtown reading groups meet?

Most circles meet at a local café in Downtown. Cuento suggests a first meeting spot, but your group picks what works best. The whole point is that everyone is within walking distance.

Find your circle
in Downtown.

Free to sign up. $15 once on the day we find your circle.