Spartanburg Silent Book Club Builds Community of Readers | Spartanburg News

SPARTANBURG — Ever wanted to join a book club without being tied to the group’s choice or having to read within a time limit?

A small community that sprang up last year has just the thing: a silent book club.

The Spartanburg Silent Book Club meets several times a month at different locations, usually a small local business. Participants can expect a relaxed and generally quiet atmosphere where they can read their own book while others do the same for a few hours, with some light discussion at the beginning and end.

Holly Brooks founded the group after hearing about the idea online and realizing there wasn’t one currently in the area.

While there are plenty of traditional book clubs where members read and discuss the same book, they weren’t what Brooks wanted. She liked the idea of ​​doing her own thing, and as an introvert, she wasn’t keen on speaking in front of a group of strangers.

The silent book club fit her desire to read independently, but still within a community. She thought the group’s distinction as an “introverted happy hour” suited her perfectly.

Plus, she thought it would be a great way to meet new people, since she and her husband had recently moved upstate from western New York.

“I’ve never been part of a traditional book club, and it didn’t really seem like something that would interest me,” Brooks said. “I just wanted to read the books that I wanted to read and not feel pressured or under deadline to finish books that maybe I wasn’t interested in.”

After the first meeting in September 2023, attended by just Brooks and her husband, the group has grown to host up to 20 people in venues ranging from new restaurants to local parks.

Brooks noticed that people were eager to get out and meet new people after the pandemic. Members have developed a community of readers who may not be so keen on partying, but who also don’t want to stay inside all day reading alone.

Lynde Shaw fit that profile. At a June 27 meeting at a local coffee shop with about a dozen attendees, she said it was nice to be surrounded by other readers since she works from home most of the time.

“It’s just a great social aspect,” Shaw said.

Jenna Mewborn, another club member, said she heard about the club through someone at Hub City Bookstore. As the leader of another local book club, she was excited to meet new readers and experience the kind of “quiet reading time” students participate in at school.

“It’s nice to not have to read anything specific, to just be able to come hang out with my reading buddies,” Mewborn said.

As the group grew, so did Brooks. At first, running the club was daunting and calling local venues for club meetings seemed incredibly intimidating, but she’s glad she tried things outside of her comfort zone.

“It’s been rewarding. I have to say it’s been tough, but I had to push myself and go for it,” she said. “It’s been a learning experience for me, for sure.”

She is pleased with the current makeup of the group and the community it has fostered, and she hopes to continue meeting like-minded people in the Upstate.

“My goal is to bring together the community, people who love to read and discover local places in the Spartanburg area,” Brooks said.