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When I first saw the group of about 20 people sitting in a semicircle around a small stage, I let out a little laugh. If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken the scene for a cult.
But I did know better, since the logo of Baca Bareng (Reading Together), perhaps Jakarta’s most popular silent book club, was clearly on display.
These days, reading doesn't have to be a solitary activity anymore. At least, not in Jakarta.
Following a movement that started in San Francisco in 2012, our capital city has now caught up to the silent book club phenomenon, where communities gather in public spaces to read whatever they want in noiseless camaraderie.
As someone whose reading habit has fallen by the wayside in recent years, I decided to join a Baca Bareng session in Agora Mall.
Almost hidden from the rest of the mall, the art space, called TERASI (short for Teras Inspirasi, or "inspiration terrace"), was slightly abuzz in celebration of Indonesia's 81st Independence Day. Amid small kiosks decorated with local artwork and young students in uniform painting a mural in the center of the room, the Baca Bareng group seemed to exist in its own world.
Situated near the entrance of the space, the participants were all sitting on a black mat, holding books of different titles and languages.
Taking off my shoes and sitting cross-legged with strangers I'd never met, I felt self-conscious at first, especially because no one had warned me to bring socks. But no one looked up as I sat down. Their eyes were all fixed on their respective books.
All over the world, these sessions have often been referred to as "introvert's happy hour."
While book clubs may share the same basic ritual, show up, open a book and read, what happens around that hour can vary considerably. Among the many book clubs in Jakarta, some are designed to make reading more accessible, some to help readers discover books outside their usual orbit and others to create a sense of belonging among people with similar tastes.
(Courtesy of Sheena Suparman)
Access: Baca Bareng
In Jakarta, perhaps no silent book club is bigger than Baca Bareng, started by Hestia Istiviani in August 2019. The group is part of the silent book club network in the United States and was the first chapter in Indonesia. Since then, Hestia has hosted the sessions once a month, each for an hour, in public places that range from outdoor parks to MRT stations, often nonsmoking areas that are easy to reach by public transportation.
When meeting up became impossible during the 2020 pandemic, she moved her sessions online and gained an even larger following from people outside Jakarta. Once restrictions were lifted, she took the group to Suropati Park to continue the monthly ritual of community meet-ups.
“I decided to host it in the park because there seems to be no tension, no pressure at all. Everyone can join, from every social and economic class. You don't have to bring certain kinds of books or dress a certain way,” Hestia tells me.
As Baca Bareng events gained popularity on social media, Hestia saw not only more attendees but a greater variety of readers too. These days, each session draws about 20 to 30 participants.
“Previously, we only had Gen Zs and students,” she says. “Nowadays, there are more families coming to our sessions with their kids and everything. They go there to read.”
But big groups aren't necessarily what every reader is looking for. For some, a smaller group can offer something different: the chance to discover books they might never have picked up themselves.
Discovery: Book Picnic Club
As most readers know, sometimes the hardest part isn't finishing a book but figuring out what to read next. With so many literary works and genres to choose from, even the effort of finding something that catches your interest can feel taxing.
One club, called Book Picnic Club, has a theory on how to solve this dilemma. Its members read together in total silence for about an hour before opening the floor to discussion.
“I would say it feels like the review platform Goodreads in real life. Basically, you get to explore a lot of books that you wouldn't hear about otherwise,” says Michelle King, the founder of the club.
“The focus is to explore your flavor around books, instead of peeling a book like an onion. It's not about ideas, or debate around ideas, which I really respect. I just want people to expand their reading flavors, and then discuss.”
While she encourages a diversity of books, she ties each session into a fun genre. For example, the club’s 10th session covered books that should be turned into a movie, while its 22nd was reserved for mystery books that contain secrets, lies and gut-churning plot twists.
Sometimes, the sessions are about recommending or “de-influencing” reviews they've seen on TikTok. But regardless of theme, each session is a safe space for participants to voice what they think about a book or ask questions before they dive in.
Bringing together a maximum of 12 women, although she emphasizes that men are also welcome, Michelle has hosted reading retreats outside Jakarta and book talks with authors as well. In the city, though, the club finds refuge in the Pilates and yoga studio where Michelle also teaches.
It also doesn't hurt that she ties her love of books to her love of baking, turning every session into a chance for her to try out new recipes and encourage others to contribute to the potluck.
Michelle only has one rule: phones have to be off. “To everyone who comes to our book club, we always say, this is a safe space, and it’s so exciting. But really, all we do is the simple act of listening to each other and being attentive. I guess that's a rare commodity these days.”
But finding new books is only one reason people seek out these communities. For others, the books are simply the starting point for something more personal: finding people who share their tastes, interests and enthusiasm.
Belonging: Tell the Tale
If you're yearning for a way to romanticize your life, and perhaps talk unapologetically about romance and fantasy, clubs like Tell the Tale might be the right fit.
Started about a year ago by Asha Handria, Chelsy Cyndy and five other friends, Tell the Tale is a Jakarta-based book club that hosts monthly silent book reading sessions and has recently expanded into journaling sessions and watch parties for book-to-movie adaptations, on top of the silent reading meet-ups.
“We have that kind of niche of early to mid-twenties women who love romance and fantasy. Those kinds of books that I think in other book clubs that are more literary-focused are frowned upon. With us, just bring any kind of books. We won't judge you, we'll talk about it,” Asha says.
They choose to stick closer to bookshelves than outdoor areas, hosting their meet-ups in independent bookstores such as Taksu Book Cafe and Margin Library & Third Space. These spaces give the cozy aesthetic of “an elevated grandma's house hangout experience,” as the founders put it.
Beyond the pages, both Asha and Chelsy say the best part is the friendships they've seen blossom among the participants. They emphasize that the book club doesn't start at the reading session, it kind of starts when it's over.
“By the sixth month, we saw people like, ‘Oh yeah, I've seen you.’ And then they would go out to eat together. Now we're all mutuals on Instagram. And they would go out with each other without a book club in their agenda. So, this is an actual third space where people are not just reading books but they're making genuine, real-life friendships. So that's kind of heartwarming,” Chelsy says, teary-eyed, admitting that they get emotional talking about the bonds that came out of the meet-ups.
So there I was, with a new book in my lap, reading in silence with a group of strangers in the middle of a mall. It was just as promised: an environment where I could ignore the happenings around me and a peaceful moment where I could focus on the pages I was reading.
The shared act of reading, along with the slight sound of pages turning around me, turned out to be the perfect motivation to keep going. In other places, I would have closed my book after three chapters and chosen to sleep, turn on the TV or chat with other people. That’s perhaps why, over the past few years, I went from reading one book a month to one a year, usually tied to my work.
This marked the first time in a long time I read a book as a hobby, just for me. It felt like the best kind of freedom, and a form of self-reinvention I wouldn't have gotten without the space that Hestia and the Baca Bareng club provided. My only regret was leaving earlier than I hoped because of my parents' incessant calls on my phone.
When I talked to Michelle, Asha and Chelsy, I realized I probably missed a crucial part of being in a book club, the post-reading conversations and connections that make these clubs more than just a place to read. But at the end of the day, the event pushed me to start a new book and reconnected me to a hobby I thought I'd left behind a long time ago.
“You are creating time for yourself to slow down and read,” Michelle says. “The fact that you already have an attention span to read a book is enough. I know that's such a low standard, but it's true.”
