Introverts unite (silently): A Fredericton book club finds community in the quiet
Fredericton’s silent book club celebrates its one-year anniversary
As the sun set on the Fredericton Public Library, readers gathered and picked their own corner of the building to settle into. Some reclined on beanbags, some perched on stools. At exactly 6:30, the room went silent.
For an hour, nobody spoke. They just read.
That's the sound of the silent book club in Fredericton. There are 15,000 chapters of silent book clubs in more than 50 countries.
Laura Peters is one of the organizers of the chapter in Fredericton, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in February.
"It's a place where everyone is welcome and you never have the social pressures of a traditional book club," Peters said. "This hour can be whatever you want it to be."
She and her daughter, Amelia Peters, greeted people at the door, where members wrote the name of the book they were reading and dropped off a book they brought for an exchange for later.
"It is a very important book club for a lot of people," said Laura Peters. "It brings a lot of people together and I know so many people have met others through this book club and it's such a great spot."
Amelia remembers the first silent book club meeting about a year ago at Picaroons brewery.
She, her mother, and a friend got out of the car and waited a few minutes. When they saw someone carrying a book out of their car, they all got excited.
"My mom and her friend weren't expecting anyone and we started cheering together when we saw that first person."
Peters said about 40 people were at that first event.
Now, at their one-year anniversary, there were 114.
Some of those people had been there since the first day, including Vee Mariner.
"I've been coming whenever I can … it's a place where I've made friends, brought friends, and is somewhere I can absolutely just be myself and read."
Mother and daughter Donna and Anna Houston let out a big sigh after the hour and smiled at each other as they closed their books.
"I like to call it a social gathering for some introverts," Donna Houston said.
Anna agreed.
"We can be chatty people, but it's still a good place for us, too."
Other than reading side by side, people also brought some books to exchange. They were all wrapped in paper so you can't see the cover. All that's there to judge is a sticky note with the first sentence of the book.
"It's a chance to read a book you might not always reach for," Dana Newman said. "I can't wait to crack this one open at the next meeting."
For some people, socializing is the hard part, but reading, and doing it silently with others, is where they find comfort.
"For many of us we enjoy an escape from reality," said Laura Peters. "Just know that whoever you are, when you come to the silent book club, we welcome you."
After an hour and a half, the readers filed out of the library. It was empty and quiet again, until the next silent book club.
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