Molly’s Silent Reading Event Offers Sanctuary to Introverts
By Ellis Iurilli-Hough
Photo Credit: Nancy Clover
The book club universe just got a bit more interesting — now, you don’t even have to talk to anyone to join.
This past Friday, Molly’s Bookstore hosted its inaugural “Silent Reading” event, the third of six events the store is hosting in August. It's a typical local book club — patrons come to be around others and read — except that it's completely quiet. Molly’s website read, “Bring your current read, a book off of your TBR, or shop for a new read at Molly's and enjoy two hours of reading time.” The event is slated to take place every second Friday of the month, the next one landing on September 12.
The shop, which celebrated its second anniversary in March, curates multiple events and book clubs each month. Therese Perkins, an employee at Molly’s, explained why the store decided to host its first silent reading.
“About a year ago, we were reading in the news that folks were looking for a ‘third space,’” Perkins said. “They have work, they have home, but not everyone has a place to sit, relax, and not have to think — we wanted to provide that third space for them.”
This “third space” may benefit some introverts who want a place to be surrounded by other readers without feeling an obligation to engage with them. But it also offers guilt-free time to set aside responsibilities and just read.
“Customers come in and say, ‘I have so many books but no time to read.’ This two hour event is carving out a time to read,” Perkins said.
Molly’s isn’t the only independent bookstore to provide quiet reading time. In 2012, Guinevere de la Mare and Laura Gluhanich wanted to start a new kind of book club in San Francisco. In an effort to organize a group without the pressure of finishing the read on time, they founded Silent Book Club. The organization now has more than 2000 chapters in nearly 60 countries, each offering designated silent time with built in conversation. Molly’s doesn’t officially host a chapter of Silent Book Club—the closest would be at The Studio Cafe in Woburn. It does, however, draw inspiration directly from de la Mare and Gluhanich, guaranteeing a quiet space with no registration, entrance fee, or homework.
“We’re always looking for ideas,” Perkins continued.” This one was a light lift—it’s great for us and great for our customers. It wasn’t a motivation to be like everyone else, but it was an inspiration from them.”
Despite its similarities to the global trend, the goal for Molly’s was to provide a space that benefits the community of Melrose. The gathering was small, but locals familiar with the store showed up to mingle with other readers. For them, this was an easy way to get out of the house, all while supporting a local business.
“I’ve lived in Melrose for a long time, but I have not done anything ‘Melrosian’ except for a few walks downtown,” said Marjorie, a local attendee of the event. “I get emails from Molly’s and I thought that this is something I can do to step out and get involved.”
The crowd was a mix of young and old, all of whom are residents of Melrose. The sentiment shared amongst most was one of apathy towards traditional book clubs. Silent reading to them, even when set up in a typical round-table setting, offered something different.
“Book clubs are not for me — I can’t read on command,” Marjorie went on. “If I don’t like the book in the first 20 or 30 pages, I’m not going to read it. I even did a whole report in the 5th grade on the first half of a book. So this was a way of reading and being with other people while doing my own thing.”
Photo From Molly's Bookstore
Andrea Iriarte Dent, the store’s owner, opened the business in part to sell books amidst an age of technological dominance. Through her book clubs and store events, she has also managed to establish a brick and mortar gathering place — one that employs family, friends, and students. Dent’s daughter, Martina, helped facilitate the silent reading. She said that Molly’s silent book club was just one of many clubs that invite involvement in the community for locals and authors alike.
“We have a lot of kids who come here and have fun downstairs in our children’s section — why not let adults have fun too?” Martina said.
The store currently employs five people other than Andrea, many of whom are still in high school. Kip Wilson, a local author and attendee of the event, explained how important the shop is for young people like her daughter, one of the high schoolers working there.
“I think Andrea was so smart to hire a few first-years in high school when the store opened. They’ll be here for a while,” Wilson said. “As an author, I think it's so important to support local bookstores, and I want this one to be here forever.”
Wilson was motivated to attend the silent reading to support Melrose’s small businesses, but also because she had heard of other stores around the area doing the same thing. In 2023, Porter Square Books in Cambridge hosted its debut Silent Reading Party, in which the tagline read, “Sometimes it’s nice just to read together.” At the monthly North Shore Silent Book Club, avid readers meet in various locations around Eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, Beverly, and Newburyport. Trident Bookseller and Café in Boston couples their independent reading with cuisine, charging $5 for a voucher towards food and drink. At Molly’s, the plan is simply to read.
“My plan is to try out the first chapters of a few books,” Wilson said. “I’m going to read a couple and see what I like.”
Whether coming to read, mingle, or learn more about silent book clubs, silent reading offers something for anyone comfortable with a novel and a bit of radio silence. You can experience Silent Reading for yourself at Molly’s Bookstore on Main Street every second Friday of the month from 5-7pm.
Ellis Iurilli-Hough is an intern at The Melrose Messenger and a rising junior at Connecticut College.
