Readers Say

How to read for fun, according to Boston.com readers

Plus, take a peek inside one Boston bookstore’s BYO-book event.

Trident Booksellers & Café hosts a bi-monthly "Silent Book Club & Write Night," where attendees come to read and write together in silence for an hour. (Annie Jonas/Boston.com Staff)

By Annie Jonas

February 15, 2024

6 minutes to read

On a chilly Monday evening, I’m seated at a table in a room of 80 strangers reading in complete silence. The turning of pages is the only noise to punctuate the stillness. Just thirty minutes prior, I wouldn’t have guessed that the packed room would give way to such a hushed atmosphere.

I’m at Trident Booksellers & Café’s “Silent Book Club & Write Night,” a bi-monthly BYOB gathering — the second “B” stands for book, mind you — run by the Back Bay bookstore on-and-off since 2019. Trident is one of two bookstores in Boston (the other being Porter Square Books’ Seaport location) to offer such an event. Attendees bring their own book or writing, sit down at a table with strangers or friends, and read or write in silence together for an hour.

In general, Americans are reading fewer books than in years past. In 2020, Gallup found that only 6% of U.S. adults named reading as their favorite way to spend an evening, down from 12% in 2016. But Boston.com readers have managed to make time for the activity, despite the decline.

When asked how pleasure reading fits into their lives, Boston.com readers said they enjoy reading and try to fit it in when they can.

“I have lived so many lives in so many places and in so many times because I read. I have explored the edge of space and the depths of human experience. I have shared experiences of hundreds and hundreds of people. And every new book adds to my understanding of what is possible. People who don’t read don’t grow. It really is as simple as that,” said John from Peabody.

At Trident, the room is buzzing with energy before the reading begins. I manage to snag a place at the end of a long table and overhear conversations about current reads — everything from Betty Smith’s “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” to Caleb Azumah Nelson’s “Open Water.”

The event is bookended by 30-minute show-and-tell discussions, in which a microphone is passed around the room to each guest to share, if they feel comfortable, what they’re reading or writing. Then comes an hour of uninterrupted silent reading before the microphone is passed around once again. People share what they liked or thought was interesting about their book — or, for one attendee, why they’re hate-reading their book. Laughs are shared, book recommendations are swapped, and by the end of the night, phone numbers are exchanged as new friendships bloom.

Unlike spending time reading at home alone, or at a library, Silent Book Club & Write Night offers readers the chance to discuss their book with other bibliophiles without the expectation to read a certain number of chapters as required by some standard book clubs. Think of it as a book club without the reading requirement and a library with structured discussions added.

The event has seen an uptick in attendance in recent months, according to Jordan Sahley, the bookstore’s event’s coordinator, with the numbers of attendees more than doubling, she said.

“Usually we have around 30 people coming consistently. But last week, we were helping people find seats. There’s been around 80 people recently,” Sahley said.

Part of the draw of the event is its status as a “third place,” a space that isn’t home or work where people come to find community. It’s what inspired Jack Fox to join the store a little over a year ago, where he works as an assistant bookstore manager and host of the Silent Book Club & Write Night event.

“It’s a very low pressure, low stakes environment where everyone who’s there goes in knowing that they can talk if they want to, but don’t have to do anything that they don’t feel ready for,” Fox said.

The event is also a great place to meet and make new friends, particularly for recent college graduates navigating the friend-making world outside of school, Sahley, the events coordinator, said. For her, the event has been personally impactful as a postgrad.

“It feels like a safe space for people to make friends. I just graduated college, so I’m in that weird space of ‘how do you make friends as an adult when it’s not in the classroom?’ I notice a lot of people coming into the Silent Book Club who are in that same vibe,” she said.

Trident first developed the event after a bookseller brought the idea to the store in 2018, Courtney Flynn, the bookstore’s manager told Boston.com. The idea is actually part of a global community, called “Silent Book Club” with more than 500 chapters in 50 countries around the world.

There are many different ways to read in ones free time, and our readers shared a diverse array of methods: through formal book clubs, on the train, before (or in) bed, while waiting in lines, or “only when I’m stuck on a plane for ten hours,” one reader recounted.

See below a sampling of readers sharing their preferred way to read for fun and why.

Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

What’s your preferred way to read?

“I read whenever time permits…on the train, waiting for appointments, on a bad weather day, and every evening before bedtime. Book clubs do not interest me because friends will also read the same book or one of the same genre. I have always loved to read!” – Joseph Z., Boston

“[I] enjoy visiting my brand new net-zero library. Comfortable, cozy.” – Lulu, Medford

“I am retired, so reading in my spare time at home fits as I have more time to myself. When I worked and commuted by rail, I read on the train. I have been an avid reader all my life and I am now 70. I have not attended silent book clubs or regular book clubs. I enjoy reading as a solitary activity.” – J.S., Amesbury

“I am a retired teacher. When I retired more than 10 years ago, a group of retired teachers formed a book group. Enjoy the monthly gatherings of my book club. From 2013 up to pandemic, we would gather monthly in a members home. During the pandemic, we zoomed monthly. Since the pandemic, we meet at local breweries/wineries in Western, Mass. Book club has exposed me to many different genres and now when I read for pleasure, I look beyond the usual authors I read during my work years. Love my book club and always have a couple of other books on hand from the local library to read.” – Paula B., Greenfield

“I like reading on my own as I get to choose my book/topic/genre and get to read when I want. I don’t participate in a book club however I have a few friends who like to read as I do and we are constantly passing along book suggestions and do talk about what we’ve read. Just not formally.” – Lisa, Newton

“I’ve been a reader since I could read! Mostly fiction, and some non-fiction. I don’t understand others who don’t read for fun/pleasure. I carry a book with me at all times. Makes waiting for anything so enjoyable!” – Sue C., Jamaica Plain

“I’ve heard of silent book clubs. Doesn’t appeal to me – I have a spouse with whom I often spend a quiet evening, both reading. I also have friends with whom to read, [although] less frequently. I belong to 2 regular book clubs. And I am much more likely to read e-books since developing carpal tunnel syndrome and shoulder issues.” – Jean R., Agawam

“I am retired and read a lot, it relaxes me and keeps me busy. I read on my iPad, but I don’t like audio books. I love words, even when I have to look up the meaning.” – Michael L., Mansfield

“Reading allows me to travel through time and all over the world and beyond. I can learn about any topic that interests me. I can escape from life in the 21st century.” – Terese, Gloucester

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.