Introverts find community in silent book clubs

No assigned reading. No forced discussion. Just you, your book and a roomful of fellow introverts quietly reading.

Why it matters: That's the idea behind "silent book clubs," gatherings popping up in cafés, restaurants, breweries and other places across the country.

Catch up quick: Co-founders Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich launched the Silent Book Club in San Francisco more than a decade ago.

• What began as two friends reading at a bar has grown into more than 2,000 chapters in 62 countries. (Find your local chapter here.)

By the numbers: Eventbrite says silent book club events in the U.S. are up 44% from last year.

What they're saying: "It became this really lovely little escape pod where you could put down your devices, and you could focus on books and human interaction," de la Mare tells Axios.

• She likes to call it "introvert happy hour."

How it works: BYO book.

• Usually, there's about an hour of quiet reading. Then you can stick around to chat and swap books — or not.
• The format can vary: from hiking with audiobooks to filling the beach with quiet readers.
• And a number of similar orgs — like Reading Rhythms — have their own twists on quiet group reading.

What's next: Silent Book Club just held its first readers' retreat in Costa Rica, with more planned for next year.