This Book Club Gathering at the Jersey Shore Just Went Massively Viral

There are certain combinations just belong together: pork roll, egg and cheese; Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band; sitting at the Jersey Shore with a good book.

The Silent Book Club of Monmouth County tapped into that last perfect combo for a viral video garnering over 2.3 million views at the time I'm writing this. The video opens with an aerial shot and the text, "POV: You're strolling the boardwalk in Monmouth County one evening and see a large group of readers on the beach." The shot switches to the boardwalk at Spring Lake and then down to the beach, where members of the club gathered for their July event.

The video highlights some of the unique features of the Silent Book Club of Monmouth County, including a book swap. The group also offers color-coded bracelets to indicate the person's social battery for the evening: green means the person is up for socializing and red means they're just there to read in silence among the group.

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You can watch the viral video here.

What Is a Silent Book Club?

The Silent Book Club of Monmouth County is one of several clubs across New Jersey and over 2,000 across the country, according to the parent organization's website. The Silent Book Club started in 2012 as a means for book-loving introverts to find community. The idea caught like wildfire, especially after the COVID pandemic when many were coming out of lockdown looking for connection.

Readers gather at a specified time and location and read together in silence.

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The Silent Book Club of Monmouth County launched in September 2023 and averages over 100 attendees at each event, the chapter's website states.

The chapter is completely volunteer-run and was established by five women in Monmouth County.

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What Are the Silent Book Club Chapters in New Jersey?

In addition to the Monmouth County group, the Silent Book Club chapters in New Jersey include:

• Bergen County
• Cherry Hill
• Long Branch
• Montclair
• Morristown
• Ocean County
• South Jersey
• West Essex

Visit the Silent Book Club's chapter map to find other chapters near you.

When Is the Next Silent Book Club of Monmouth County Event?

Thanks to the popularity of the viral video, the Silent Book Club of Monmouth County will hold their next meetup at a beach. The next silent reading event will be held in Asbury Park at the 7th Avenue entrance on Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 6PM to 8PM.

The group also holds "side quests," which are themed social events and excursions not centered around reading.

You can learn more at the chapter's Instagram account.