The phenomenon of gathering with strangers to read a book (note: not the same book) is getting more popular around the world.

📚 The big picture: There are nearly 2,000 official Silent Book Club chapters in over 60 countries, according to the organization's official website.

• Clubs meet in Columbus, Detroit, Charlotte, San Antonio, Atlanta and other cities.

📍 How it works: Participants meet regularly in public places and read any book at their own pace.

• Aside from quick introductions, chitchat is optional.
• Anyone can drop in to discover new reads and new people.

👥 Case in point: When author Mandy Shunnarah moved to Columbus from Alabama, she hoped to find friends who loved reading as much as she did — just not necessarily the same books. So she started a silent book club that meets once a month at a fast-food restaurant, Axios Columbus co-author Alissa Widman Neese writes.

• The club's headcount of regulars has grown so large — typically 25-35 people — that it's been hard to find a free space to gather that also allows food.
• The hosting restaurant has embraced their dinnertime meetings and even started turning off its overhead music during reading hour, she says.

💘 1 cute thing: Shunnarah tells Axios she met her partner of three years through her club.

What they're saying: It's fun to "nerd out about books" with others without feeling pressured to analyze what's on the pages, another enthusiast, Cassie Fulton, who started her own chapter, tells Axios.

• 🫶 "It's a place to be introverted together," Fulton says.

Go deeper: Find a chapter near you ... Learn how to start your own.

A stunning beach sunset snapped by reader Imran Cronk on the western coast of Florida.

• The backstory: "We were in Naples, Fla., on an offseason weekend in July for a joint memorial service for my wife's grandparents. My wife observed to her mom at one point during a family beach walk the night before the memorial that the sunset looked like 'the gates of heaven opening up for grandma and grandpa,'" Imran tells us.