‘Girlie’ Book Club Launches in Sunderland
Written by Laila Holliday on 21st November 2025
A book club has launched in Sunderland, celebrating girlie energy while encouraging a love of reading.
Girlie Book Club is held at Port Independent in Sunderland city centre on the last Sunday of every month. The first meeting took place on Sunday 28th September from 12–2pm. The club is hosted by Jess, an avid reader, who said: “I have always been a reader. Reading is my safe space, and that’s what I want this book club to be – a safe space for everyone who wants to join.”
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Book choices are made collaboratively and are open to all genres. Jess said: “No genres are off limits. In our first two meetings, people said they wanted to explore genres they don’t normally read. We meet to discuss the previous month’s book and then choose the next one together, with everyone suggesting ideas and deciding as a group.”
Jess said she was inspired to start the club by her own experiences online. She said: “I had wanted to join a book club for a while but couldn’t find one that felt right, so I created my own. At the time, I was seeing a lot of hate online about women who read, especially ‘girlie’ things, and it made me feel ashamed. But I saw a video from a creator shutting down that negativity, and it pushed me to start the club.”
Port Independent is a store offering apparel, lifestyle products and a coffee shop, and regularly hosts community events. It has become a popular space in the heart of Sunderland.
Gerard Purvis, owner of Port Independent, said: “Port is the ideal home, because the feedback we consistently get is that the space feels welcoming and cosy. We want our customers to feel safe and included, so Girlie Book Club fits perfectly. It isn’t just a women’s book club – it’s for anyone who feels the girlie energy.”
