Do you believe friends should be seen and not heard? Join a silent book club!
At my elementary school, we had something called Silent Sustained Reading (SSR), a time during which we all sat around the classroom reading whatever books we wanted in a silent and sustained manner. It turns out, you can recreate the experience as an adult—not just by reading quietly wherever you are, as I had previously assumed. No, you do it by joining a “Silent Book Club,” a group of people who get together and read quietly in a location. That’s it! Apparently the Silent Book Club, also known as “Introvert Happy Hour,” is a widespread phenomenon, with more than 70 chapters around the world. Sometimes there’s also talking, before or after the reading.
Honestly, it sounds pretty nice, unless you happen to be in a chapter full of loud swallowers, in which case you should probably just stay home.
[h/t NPR]