Reading alone, together is all the rage at book doofs and reading parties. What makes it social?

It’s called a doof, but it’s actually all about quiet reading. There are beanbags, some chairs and a few shared tables, where readers sit (or lie) down and read their separate books. Maybe some music playing in the background. Book Doof’s founder calls it a social experience. But can people reading their separate books alone, together, really be social?

Reading has long been a social activity. One early precursor to the modern book club was Anne Hutchinson’s Bible study group in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634. Women met to discuss weekly sermons and religious texts, creating a space for debate and intellectual exchange at a time when many women lacked access to formal education.