“This isn’t a book club. This is a reading party.” Reading Rhythms does not include many details on the website it created to organize its meetings. It barely explains what it’s about. And how it’s organised. Also, what are their guidelines? It does not touch on its history, which is temporary but interesting as well as successful. Among the scant data he provides is a brief two-sentence business card: Reading Rhythms is not your average book club like any other, a group of people who gather to review the latest novel on a pre-made list. No. This is a readers’ festival. More precisely, a reading party.

As strange and almost contradictory as it sounds, everything is going very well.

Do you have time to read? A while ago, a group of friends from New York, young people in their twenties who, like the vast majority of people today, are busy and bombarded with stimuli, asked themselves this question. And the answer was ‘no’. They read much less than they would like. And it wasn’t because of work or the attention that screens were stealing from them. smartphones. No. Partly what took away from reading hours was the time they spent meeting more people.

So they had an idea: What if they combined everything, books and friends, reading and entertainment? Was it possible? Have you paired a solitary, reflective activity like reading with a celebration with colleagues? The group decided to try their luck. In the summer of 2023, he held a meeting on the roof of the Brooklyn building where two of his friends lived. They prepared a list of selected music for the event and opened their doors. Ten people attended. And it worked. Wow it worked.

And Reading Rhythm was born. The first test worked so well that it laid the foundations for what has become a phenomenon that has now transcended New York and even the United States, attracting the attention of media on both sides of the pond, including. Rolling stone, New York Post, FOX5 or Country: “Reading Rhythms”. Its definition is very simple. Basically, these are parties in which the 2023 event in Brooklyn is copied with some variations, and the creators emphasize: parties, not book clubs. Readers register, go to the specified place with the book, and read and chat with background music.

All this happened with organization and staging that was improved over many months. Literary critic Molly Young arrived to write a report at one of the December parties at a Brooklyn bar. New York Times He was welcomed with antique armchairs, velvet sofas, candles, punch and beer, and live piano music. In some cases, special guests even attend. One of them at the end of September nail For example, there was the participation of novelist and screenwriter Nicholas Sparks, famous for his works such as ‘Noa’s Diary’ or ‘Message in a Bottle’.

How do they work? Young describes the dynamics of the party he attended in Brooklyn. Essentially, he grabbed a sticker with his name on it, found a seat, and then watched as the host explained to guests how the meeting would proceed: There would be two 30-minute overtime periods for reading, a break, and then a tour. Discussions were held to address different topics.

It’s a party, so the ideal is for people to socialize, exchange ideas, make comments. For example, after the first half hour of reading, it is appropriate to discuss the book with a different reader at the party who is probably reading a completely different work. Maybe it’s a novel. Maybe a comic book. Maybe a manual on bonsai care. There are no rules.

with reservation. So much for dynamics. As for the organization, a quick look at the Reading Rhythms website and their profile will help you better understand how it works. Although most are celebrated on Wednesdays, there is a calendar with different parties planned at different locations and days. For example, many events revolving around Halloween are planned during these weeks. The website also reports the price of the reservation as around $20. Most parties are celebrated in New York, but there are also references in London and Washington. Condé Nast Traveler even mentions similar events in Rome or Los Angeles.

…And the waiting list. Their frequency and spread to other cities or countries are not the only evidence that the Reading Rhythms formula is gaining traction. Equally relevant is that there are waiting lists, at least in certain cases. In the report he prepared for him TNYTYoung says the night he went to the party in Brooklyn with a $10 ticket, there was a waiting list of 270 people. It may seem striking, but the truth is, there aren’t many concoctions quite like the one these four friends created on a Brooling rooftop a year ago.

Yes, there are book clubs. Yes, there are parties in pubs and bars. What is not plentiful are mixtures of both, where one can go with whatever book one wants and know that one will find people willing to comment on various readings.

@jaceyadler

Things to do in NYC other than eating and drinking part 2!!! #nyc #nycevents #community #nyccommunity #mindfulcommunity #mindfulness #reading #booktok #nycbookstores #nycbooktok #nycbookclubs #nycbookshops #eventsnyc

♬ love song (hesitations) (speeded up) – Lofuu & Shiloh Dynasty & dprk

“It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?”. “There is almost no environment where we can read books together, other than school and religious ceremonies,” the report explains. New York Times Adam is a reader currently in his third Reading Rhythms batch. “It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” Positive comments about the experience abound. Some chronicles even say that participants stayed beyond the time when the event supposedly ended.

“We create belonging by reading,” he says. Condé Nast Traveler Ben Bradbury, one of the founders, is clear about what is responsible for Reading Rhythms’ success: “The solitude of reading with the social component of connection.” They no longer just throw huge parties with hundreds of attendees. They collaborated with the National Library, Hudson Yards, and publishers, finding a great way to present their latest publications. Outdoor events were also held, featuring chairs in a plaza.

Among the criticisms… and flirt. Not everyone believes Reading Rhythms are actually that original. Not everyone comes here with the full intention of reading his novels and sharing comments about them. A few months ago, when a video about one of the parties went viral on TikTok, there were those who did not hesitate to use irony: “Innovators reinvented the library, they think it’s profound.”

There are also those who find Reading Rhythms the opportunity to meet new people and, if they are lucky, a partner. I scrolled like this a few months ago New York Post. After all, there are those who admit that they have managed to make friends thanks to reader meetings, and those like Ben Bradbury admit that he met his current girlfriend at one of the reading events.

Pictures | Jonathan Borba (Unsplash) and Mitchell Orr (Unsplash)

in Xataka | PowerPoint Nights: The latest on parties and TikTok comes from the old Office slide tool