The Silent Book Club, a global “happy hour for introverts”, has quietly taken root in South Africa — and this weekend, three Johannesburg chapters will embark on their first shared “reading adventure”.
At 11am on Saturday, members of the Joburg, Fourways and Modderfontein clubs will meet at the Marlboro Gautrain station, books in hand. Together they’ll ride the train silently to Hatfield and back, reading in companionable quiet before returning for optional socialising.
Founded in 2012 by San Francisco friends Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich, the Silent Book Club began as two readers who preferred reading together in silence at a bar rather than discussing a set book. Their idea spread — now there are more than a million members in over 60 countries.
The Joburg chapter, started by Nabeela Mangera in December last year, will soon celebrate its first birthday.
“I’m an introvert myself, and I was a lazy reader,” Mangera said. “I wanted something social but not expensive. When I found out about the Silent Book Club, I contacted them, and they helped me set up a chapter.”
The format is simple: bring any reading material, enjoy an hour of reading in silence and stay to chat — or not.
“There are no rules, no pressure to talk or be social,” Mangera said. “Some people leave after reading; others stay and discuss what they’re enjoying. It’s inspired me to start reading poetry again.”
The Joburg club usually meets on Saturday mornings, often at Emmarentia Botanical Gardens, though venues shift with the weather.
“Sometimes we support local coffee shops instead,” Mangera said. “The location is posted on our socials, and anyone can join.”
Readers can bring novels, poetry, textbooks, even audiobooks. The only requirement is silence — and respect for others doing the same.
The Goethe-Institut in Parkwood hosts South Africa’s first Silent Book Club, meeting every second Wednesday evening. Its guiding idea remains: “reading together and getting to know one another without any homework”.
South Africa’s second chapter began in Cape Town, founded by Shawn Buck, an American transplant who encountered the movement while visiting home.
“I went to a Silent Book Club at a brewery in the States and absolutely loved it,” Buck said. “When I got back, I registered a Cape Town chapter. I thought maybe five friends would come ― but 67 people showed up to the first gathering.”
Now, the Cape Town club meets three times a month, drawing an average of 150 readers. “I love it, and it’s taking over my life,” said Buck, who works in NGO fundraising and communications.
He describes the members as a wildly diverse crowd, “particularly for Cape Town”, with readers ranging in age from children to the elderly, their literary tastes differing from “sci-fi and romantasies” to self-help and business guides in a racially diverse melting pot of culture and social class.
“We’ve started getting invitations from venues that want to host us, which helps a lot. Otherwise, I’m always scouting for spots and we meet on beaches, in parks, anywhere from the city bowl to the southern suburbs.”
The appeal lies in its simplicity — and affordability. Members describe the sessions as a rare escape from noise, expectation and expense. There are no membership fees, no assigned books, no deadlines. Just readers sharing time and space without added pressure to perform.
It’s part of a global shift toward “quiet luxury”: silence, presence and community without pressure.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.