Silent book clubs are happy hour for introverts
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No assigned reading. No forced discussion. Just you, your book and a room full of fellow introverts quietly reading.
Why it matters: That's the idea behind "silent book clubs," gatherings popping up in cafés, parks and breweries that are taking off in San Diego and across the country.
Catch up quick: Co-founders Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich launched the inaugural 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 hosting "introvert happy hours."
- "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 told Axios.
Driving the news: The San Diego chapter popped up in 2017, and the club has grown locally with other groups meeting around Escondido, Carlsbad and Oceanside.
- The Fletcher Hills Library in El Cajon also hosts a monthly silent reading book club.
Zoom in: The San Diego Silent Book Club hosts monthly meetups in person on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and on Zoom every Sunday.
- The members vote on where to meet, including local coffee shops, breweries, wineries and parks.
- About 15–20 consistently attend and it's mostly a millennial crowd, local host Krystle Johnson told Axios.
- They also host retreats in Temecula, and go to bookish events together.
How it works: BYO book.
- Any format — audio, e-book, magazines — any genre.
- 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.
What they're saying: "People love that they get to read uninterrupted, and it feels like they were able to prioritize themselves," Johnson said. "You can't get distracted by your phone or people needing you to go do something."
- "It's structured in a way that allows me to interact for a little bit and recharge my social battery while I'm reading," Johnson said.
- It's also a safe space to read smut in public — Johnson said she probably will be.
A warning if you join: Your "to-be-read" pile is going to explode, Johnson said, but it's a good problem to have.