Hartland
But traditional book clubs don’t always meet with success, for a variety of reasons. The assigned title may not appeal to everyone. Some members may feel uncomfortable expressing their opinions. Or the discussion wanders off topic.
Or, worst of all, having a deadline to finish a book can make reading feel like homework.
The Silent Book Club, which recently started at the Hartland Public Library, aims to change all that. At a Silent Book Club meeting, members bring whatever they’re reading and … just read. As the organization’s website declares, “Welcome to introvert happy hour.”
Hartland Library director Nancy Tusinski read an article about the nationwide group, found it online (https://silentbook.club/) and decided to form a local chapter.
The Hartland Library group meets on the second Tuesday of the month — its next meeting will be Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. In an email Q&A, Tusinski discussed the attractions of the Silent Book Club. The exchange has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: What are some ways the Silent Book Club differs from a conventional book discussion group?
Answer: In a conventional book group, one title is selected for members to read. Members read the book before the meeting, then discuss the book. Often a library book group will be led by a facilitator.
The Silent Book Club is not facilitated by one person and there isn’t one chosen title to read. Instead, people come to the meeting with the book that they are currently reading.
Q: What takes place at a meeting?
A: The first half-hour is spent talking about our books we are reading. The next hour is spent reading silently, and the last half hour is for socializing (there are snacks involved), or people can continue to read silently if they want.
Q: What are the advantages over typical book groups?
A: One of the advantages is that there is no pressure to complete the book before the meeting. Another advantage is each member chooses their own book, but may get ideas for future reads from other members during the discussion part of the meeting.
Q: What might make the club a good fit for people who wouldn’t ordinarily join a book group?
A: Sometimes people don’t join book groups because they don’t like the book selections, or they feel “put on the spot” with the discussion questions — they think they might not have the right answer to a facilitator’s question.
Traditional book groups can feel like one more thing on the to-do list. But people who love reading often do like to talk about what they are reading and are always looking to carve out a bit more reading time. The Silent Book Club is a designated space and time to get together with other people who love books and love to read.
Q: Who came up with the idea for the Silent Book Club?
It was started in 2012 by Guinevere de la Mare, Laura Gluhanich and Kristin Appenbrink while sitting in a neighborhood bar reading together. They thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a book club without any homework?”
Q: What sorts of books and authors do you like to read?
A: I enjoy general fiction, cozy mysteries, travel essays, poetry, food memoir, science-related nonfiction and good books by new authors.
Right now I’m reading Musseled Out by Barbara Ross, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Radium Girls by Kate Moore and Refuge by Dina Nayeri.