When I saw an invitation from a colleague of mine, Jennifer Shinkai, to her special kind of book club she calls “サイレントブッククラブ (Silent Book Club),” I thought “Yes, this is my kind of club!”  She invites us saying “Looking for a calm, cozy space to read and be around fellow 読書好き (book lovers) – without assigned reading or pressure to talk?  Bring any book you like, enjoy quiet reading time, and ゆるトーク (optional chatting) before and after.”

I was only introduced to the concept of book clubs after I moved to the US.  Many movies have been made about book clubs, some funny, some まあまあな (mediocre).  But none of those book clubs are for introverts.  Assignments and pressure to talk will keep many Japanese like me away from them for sure.

Although, I was a part of a book club once.  A good friend of mine (not Japanese) wanted to start a no-pressure book club 構成人員２名の (consisting of just the two of us).  We agreed on what book to read and when to get together, but other than that, there was no pressure かけらもない (whatsoever).  We called it a book club, but it could have easily been called “Hey, wanna chat over some tea?  And bring that book.”

To me, book clubs represent 外向的な文化 (extravert culture).  A scene in which some 社交的で歯に衣を着せずにものを言う (outgoing and outspoken) characters like Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda having fun as they sip a glass of wine and 冗談を言い合う (banter around) while talking about a book, pops in mind when I think about book clubs.  Oprah’s Book Club was so successful by 活用する (leveraging) her immense popularity, but it was also very much accepted by American audience because of its accessibility and cultural relevance.

We Japanese do like to get together and chat, but in a more relaxed environment.  We are not used to sharing our thoughts in 公式なグループの場 (formal group settings).  Therefore, Jennifer’s “Bring any book you like, enjoy quiet reading time, and optional chatting before and after” very much 共鳴する (resonate) with us.  And she uses a colloquial expressionゆるトーク (literally, loose talk) which means something like “laid-back chatting” for translation of “optional chatting.”  I am totally into のんびりする (laid-back), I can be a ゆるキャラ (laid-back mascot character representing a region) for New Mexico.

What a brilliant idea this concept of a Silent Book Club is!  I would ぜひ参加したい (love to sign up), but I would have to travel 6000 plus miles.  This will have to wait till when I’m visiting Japan next time.  その代わりに (As an alternative), maybe I will start my own Silent Book Club here in the US – any takers, fellow introverts?

* After writing the above, I found that the Silent Book Club was originally founded in San Francisco in 2012 and is now thriving throughout the world with nearly 2,000 chapters in 60+ countries.  There’s even one near me, within 50 miles.  It seems there are more introverts in the world than I expected…