Rinn Ramcke reads at Till Dawn during one of the gatherings of The Silent Book Club in West Seattle, Washington on Dec. 7, 2023.
Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times/TNS
SEATTLE — Outside of C & P Coffee in West Seattle, a couple sits cocooned in their winter coats. A gentleman is wearing a gray fedora, black spectacles midway down his nose, eyebrows bunched together. A woman to his right is wearing a blue knit hat, a curtain of silver hair peeking out beneath, gloved fingers clutching a book called “The Origins of You.”
Down the road, Till Dawn, an arcade bar, turns quiet as lights from the pinball machines and video games twinkle on. Dozens of people sit, necks crooked over literature, drinks and snacks scattered about.
A woman walks into The Nook, a motorcycle helmet tucked in her arm and a book bag in tow.
“Is there room left?” she asks, eyeing where she can squeeze in among the two crowded floors of the cocktail bar.
Up and down California Avenue, this is the scene on a Thursday at 7 p.m. This is the so-called introvert happy hour of the Silent Book Club of West Seattle where people get together on the first Thursday of every month to simply and — you guessed it — silently read.
The chapter started last summer, “on the heels of the pandemic, which left a lot of folks feeling especially isolated,” Hannah Nieman, one of three co-founders of the group, explained.
To add salt to the wound, the West Seattle community became somewhat of an island when the bridge connecting it to the rest of the city closed for two years.
After years of Zoom calls and virtual events, the idea of socializing in a loud bar or large crowd felt overwhelming for some. Still, the yearning for connection remained.
Reading together in local bars and coffee shops felt like a perfect antidote — part social, part personal, friendly but low stakes. Nieman first heard about the idea from her sister in Athens, Georgia. That’s when she and her two conspirators launched a similar effort via Instagram, asking local businesses to host dozens of bibliophiles once a month. It quickly gained traction.
“It really resonated with a lot of neighbors,” Nieman said. “In just a year, we’ve seen now 350-plus folks [who] were here for the November gathering.”
The club is part of an international organization that leads these voluntary efforts to bring people together to read in real time. It was originally started in 2012 in San Francisco by two friends who similarly wanted the pleasure of a book club and its social aspect without the stress of keeping up with reading “homework.”
The Puget Sound region actually has 10 chapters, including Capitol Hill, Renton, and Shoreline, some of which recently launched after the success of the West Seattle branch.
It’s largely women in attendance (and women read more than men, period), but that’s starting to change. More men and queer folks are participating as the gatherings have grown, said Sara Richards, one of the founders.
She said the club has also been intentional with finding family-friendly locations as well as places for people under 21 and has even partnered with the local library in December for a separate event.
Part of the success has been the seasonal element, Richards says. While the club hosted an outdoor read at Alki Beach this summer, there’s something especially cozy about reading in the drizzly weather, hot drink in hand.
“I 100% believe that it is so supportive of people’s mental health,” she said.
“I would be indoors and hibernating all winter if it weren’t for book club kind of pulling me out,” Nieman admitted.
For the December event, 11 locations welcomed the group — wineries, Easy Street Records, cafes and bars.
The schedule for the night is simple: Show up around 7 p.m. (or earlier if you’re trying to find a good seat), bring a book and maybe a friend, get a drink or food and chat with others.
The easiest icebreaker, of course, is: “What are you reading?”
Once the clock hits 7:30 p.m., a hush falls over the crowd.
“When you’re there and when you experience being in a cocktail bar or wherever you end up and then it just gets quiet,” Richards said, the moment can be “magical.”
At West Seattle Grounds, it was so quiet the rustle of pages could be heard.
Dozens of readers, some wearing headphones, some holding e-readers, all dedicated themselves to a full 60 minutes immersed in their pages, traveling to worlds of mystery or fiction, academic papers, zines or classic novels.
At C & P, even barista EJ Pollard noted the incredible moment of silence. At first, Pollard was juggling drink orders and a line of customers, but they suddenly nestled in noiselessly when the time came.
The cafe was packed, and the boldest souls braved the cold and cozied up in blankets outdoors, bundled in scarves and hats.
“I wish that I wasn’t working. I want to read with them,” chuckled Pollard, pulling a book out of her bag — just in case.
