Silent Book Club Growing In Popularity Across Pinellas County

GULFPORT, FL — Gemma Fountain has always been an avid reader and, as an adult, wanted to find a low-pressure way to connect with other bibliophiles.

While a traditional book club would seem like the obvious answer, she knew it wasn’t the right fit for her.

“I’m introverted, but I wanted community,” Fountain told Patch. “I’ve always thought it would be really cool to get together with people and read. But I don’t want a book club. I don’t want to be told what to read. I don’t want to be on a schedule. I don’t want to discuss a book. I just want to get together with people and read in silence. Then I Googled it and found out it was a thing.”

Fountain was pleasantly surprised to discover Silent Book Club, a global community with 2,000 chapters in more than 60 countries. (Learn more about Pinellas County chapters below.)

The club’s concept has people meeting to read together — silently — in person and discussing the books they’re reading.

Fountain learned that there is a St. Pete chapter that meets sporadically, but wanted to organize meetups a bit closer to home for her in Gulfport.

About two years ago, she connected on social media with Heather McGowan, another Gulfport resident interested in organizing local Silent Book Club meetups.

She was too busy, at first, to host any meetups, but helped organize the Facebook page and events. And for a while, McGowan met regularly with other readers on Thursdays, 4 p.m., at Gulfport Brewery, though these have petered off.

Then, Fountain’s schedule opened up and “still looking for community,” and in November, she decided to host a Sunday morning Silent Reading Club meetup at the Salty Pup in Gulfport.

The gathering “is very structured,” she said. “We meet at 8:30 [a.m.] and from 8:30 to 9, we chat, about books, about our week. At 9 a.m., the conversation ends. I set an alarm for 10 and everyone reads in silence for an hour.”

Fountain added, “It’s good for people like me who are chatty. At 9 o’clock, everyone knows it’s time to stop talking. And if you really don’t want to converse, you can arrive later.”

In the course of a few months, the group has grown, and now, she wants to spread the word about Silent Book Clubs.

“My goal is not that I necessarily want people to come to Sundays; I would love for people to be like, ‘This sounds like a really cool concept, but I can go on Fridays at 8 p.m. closer to my house. I love this idea, but Sunday doesn’t work for me,’” she said. “Then, they can host it and let me know and I can add another meetup to our calendar. I would love for people to create their own.”

Silent Book Clubs are ideal for those who are looking for something that “is not a typical book club,” Fountain said. “People have felt they wanted to have a book community, but they don’t have time to read often or have learning disabilities that make reading really slow and they couldn’t keep up with a typical book club. They felt more discouraged than included, so they find this really encouraging. They love the community without the pressure.”

Personally, the Sunday meetups are a highlight for Fountain, who also brings her 11-year-old daughter to them.

“I save my Sunday book so I have something to look forward to each week,” she said.

Learn more about Silent Book Club chapters in Pinellas County:

• Mid Pinellas Silent Book Club: next meetup is April 22 at Pee-Pa’s Garage Craft Brewery, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Mum’s the Word Silent Book Club, St. Petersburg: contact the group for upcoming meetups
• Silent Book Club Dunedin: meets Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin on North Beach from 6 to 8 p.m., April through August; 5 to 7 p.m., March, September, and October; and 4 to 6 p.m.; January, February, November, and December.
• Silent Book Club Gilded Page Bookstore, Tarpon Springs: next meetup is April 12, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
• Silent Book Club Gulfport: meets Sundays, 8:30 to 10 a.m., at the Salty Pup in Gulfport