Shhh! Introverts finally have their perfect book club

By Michelle Price

As 12:30 p.m. approached, people trickled into the park, carrying foldable chairs, water bottles and — surprising in this day and age — books. Over the next hour, the nearly 20 participants quietly enjoyed their own books in companionable silence. Many of the participants had never met, and they read ebooks and paperbacks, some with heavy themes and others graphic novels.

This unusual setting is typical of the Silent Book Club, founded by two friends in a San Francisco bar. Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich had no idea what they were starting that night. Initially, it was just the two of them reading in companionable silence for an hour, but friends and strangers quickly saw the appeal and asked to join.

“In 2012, everything was about the hustle and grind of startup culture. We wanted to give ourselves permission to unplug from the demands of work and technology and recapture that single-minded focus and satisfaction you get from sustained silent reading,” said de la Mare. “We imagined a different kind of book club that didn’t ask for more labor — reading an assigned book, preparing discussion topics, building a charcuterie board — but welcomed anyone who wanted to just show up, order a drink, and read among friends.”

Being a member of a book club has a certain cache. But it takes time, energy and dedication, things that put them out of reach for too many people. This movement has exploded to encompass over 1,300 registered chapters in over 50 countries. Groundfloor in San Rafael has hosted Silent Book Club events this year. Keep an eye out for potential future events at silentbook.club/blogs/events/san-rafael-ca-usa. There are also locations nearby in San Francisco.

“In 2016, a Facebook event for our monthly meetup at the Palace Hotel went viral and ended up getting something like 2,000 RSVPs. At the time, a typical meetup was usually a dozen or so attendees. We knew that only a fraction of people would show, but we had to scramble to find overflow locations. In the end, we filled three different bars in downtown San Francisco with nearly 100 readers. Since then, we’ve had a few viral moments, and a number of our chapters bring hundreds of readers together regularly. But that was the first time we realized that Silent Book Club had the potential to be much bigger than we had imagined,” said de la Mare.

What is Silent Book Club?

These gatherings offer a refreshing alternative to traditional book clubs. There’s no pressure to have a book finished on a deadline, no requirement to read the same book, no agonizing over what to say in response to prescribed reading discussion questions and no need to talk to anyone if you don’t choose to. The Silent Book Club prioritizes individual reading and reflection over group discussion, though many chapters offer an optional conversation time after the hour of quiet reading.

Hosts also don’t need to clean their homes and provide food and drink for attendees. The public locations remove the stress of organizing food and drink that a standard book club generally entails which essentially involves party planning each month.

De la Mare is also a member of a traditional book club that meets once a month and recognizes the appeal of both styles.

“Seeing the same group of women each month was a great way to build new adult friendships beyond the few people I still knew from high school. But I don’t always like the book choices. I much prefer Silent Book Club’s BYO book philosophy. There are too many good books to waste time finishing a dud. Luckily, it’s a forgiving group,” shared de la Mare.

What is the appeal of Silent Book Club?

While the concept of reading alone in public might seem counterintuitive, the Silent Book Club has its roots in historical reading rooms and libraries. These spaces were traditionally places of quiet contemplation and individual study. The modern silent book club is a revival of this tradition, adapted for contemporary life that allows low-stress socialization and interaction at the right level for introverts.

“I have social anxiety and at every meeting, I get nervous because there are new people and I’m the one leading. But everyone there is in the same boat, they just want to enjoy their books and share them with like-minded people. Everyone I have encountered, in my chapter, on social media and in our moderator group, is so kind and welcoming,” said Ariana Squires, chapter host for the Silent Book Club in Barrington, Illinois.

The appeal of silent book clubs lies in their ability to cater to introverts and others who are overwhelmed by traditional book clubs or dislike their regimented nature. Unlike traditional book clubs, where discussions can sometimes be dominated by a few vocal members, Silent Book Club offers a truly inclusive environment. People can choose any book they like, without fear of judgment or pressure to participate in conversations.

Perhaps more importantly, the shared experience of reading in silence can create a sense of camaraderie and belonging in an age where people feel more isolated than ever and interactions often happen more via phone than face to face. It’s an opportunity to connect with others who share a love of books without the obligation to engage in small talk.

“Silent Book Club creates a welcoming space to bring people together over a shared love of books. We don’t charge admission fees to read like some other groups are now doing. We empower local organizers to build community at the neighborhood level, supporting local businesses and tailoring their chapters to meet the needs of their members,” said de la Mare.

Squires became the host of the Barrington, Illinois, chapter after seeing an Instagram reel sharing a content creator’s experience with Silent Book Club and inviting others to join her. Squires researched, only to find that her local area did not have an existing chapter and quickly organized her own.

“I scheduled our first meeting at the Barrington Area Library in October of 2023. I had to bring my family and friends to that first meeting, but now we have RSVP links for our weeknight dinner meetings because the restaurants can only hold so many people,” explained Squires.

“It’s incredible. I have made a lot of great friends and connections through SBC, and I’m so glad I started my chapter. I have been a part of other traditional groups and it seemed that everyone tried to find ways to say the same thing about the book, with different words, or it got competitive about who could analyze the book better. Thankfully, we don’t have that,” she continued.

Silent Book Club now has its own website and newsletter where potential members can find a chapter nearby. The founders also provide an easy template to start a new chapter, and over 750 new chapters have registered so far in 2024.

Don’t think, just go

The silent book club movement is a testament to the enduring power of reading. By providing a space for individuals to connect with books and each other, these gatherings offer a unique and valuable experience for book lovers of all ages and backgrounds. Attendees can even listen to an audiobook for an hour instead of reading a physical book or an ebook.

“Don’t think. Just grab your book and go. You don’t need to coordinate plans with friends or bring a date or a wingwoman. You can come solo. You can talk to people or just read by yourself. ‘All readers welcome’ is literally written into our business DNA,” said de la Mare.

Michelle Price is a food and travel writer who loves books and book clubs of all kinds, especially now that her two children are both in college. She provides tips and resources for other parents who have loved ones far from home with Care Package Love, a website designed to provide both the inspiration and the confidence needed to send joy to college students and more.