A Fleeting Fad or Are Reading Parties Here to Stay?
Since May 2023, the Big Apple has welcomed reading parties as the new, socially acceptable and popular alternative to a night out at the club.
The founders of Reading Rhythms, Ben Bradbury, Charlotte Jackson, John Lifrieri and Tom Worcester, have achieved their goal of inspiring New Yorkers to try reading a book instead of dancing the night away at a party. Their concept revolves around ditching a quiet spot alone and embracing being surrounded by other curious participants for a reading party.
The goal is simple: read a book of your choosing while listening to live music or a curated playlist, then talk!
Partygoers will converse about what they read and make various connections with those around them. Books can be whatever the reader is interested in, and even audiobooks are welcomed.
While the Reading Rhythms founders believed only a few dozen would be influenced by their fresh idea, a recent open space event at Hudson Yards attracted over 700 book lovers and people revisiting their passion for reading. They RSVP’d in advance and socialized at this new take on a night out.
Partygoers commented on how great the event was and how easy it was to make new friends. One person even mentioned possibly meeting their prospective husband at an event. Capturing the attention of a popular sports and pop culture blog, Barstool Sports called the event “A Millennial Library.”
While this idea may be new to an average New Yorker, similar events have taken place around the globe.
Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich, the founders of the Silent Book Club, started the idea of reading at an unusual place, a bar, to read and discuss with strangers or friends back in 2012. Their reading events can also be found at libraries or private homes. This organization has spread worldwide with chapters opened by writers and book lovers in countries like Paris, France; Guanajuato, Mexico; Hong Kong, China and more. With the help of the Silent Book Club’s chapter tracker, anyone can find their nearest chapter and indulge in a reading party.
“It’s a community-driven movement to get people out in public and switch out their phones for a book,” said De la Mare.
Just like Reading Rhythms, Silent Book Club also emphasizes they are BYOBook (bring your own book), whether that be an ebook, audiobook, textbook, or comic book, it’s the reader’s choice.
Since 2011, ebooks or other non-traditional books have increased, with a 17% to 28% increase in 2020. Reading events like Reading Rhythms and Silent Book Club welcome anyone who prefers a non-printed option.
The creator of the first silent reading party, Christopher Frizzelle, began the innovation in 2009 by hosting a monthly reading event at the Sorrento Hotel in Seattle, Washington. He has continued the events even during the pandemic, operating as a Zoom party instead.
Frizzelle, the editor-in-chief of The Stranger, Seattle’s Pulitzer Prize-winning weekly newspaper, has inspired many to start their own events by bringing strangers together through their love and newfound interest in reading.
“The beauty of the parties is that they’re so easy,” Frizzelle said. “People just get together and read… keep it simple.”
