On a Thursday night in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, almost a dozen bookworms descended on the Dovetail Cafe.

It was the second meeting of Silent Book Club Duluth.

Kristen Lindquist, who started the Duluth chapter, said it was born in 2012 in San Francisco.

“Two people went to a bar and decided to read,” she said. “And just last month, they announced there’s now over 500 chapters in the world.”

She describes it as “a book club for introverts.”

“So a lot of people don’t necessarily like to socialize with strangers. But maybe you like to read, maybe you like to be out in public not alone but you still don’t want to talk to anyone, this is the perfect thing,” Lindquist said.

Lindquist, a former librarian and teacher, discovered it on Instagram.

“And I was like, oh, I like books. I like silence. Let’s give this a try,” she said.

People can bring whatever book they’re currently reading. She spread the word among friends and on the @silentbookclubduluth Instagram page.

They meet once a month: the first time at Bent Paddle and in November, at the Dovetail Cafe.

“One of my goals was not only to help people set the time aside to read but to support local businesses too so that we could go to a different small business every month and support them,” Lindquist said.

The schedule generally goes:

• 6-6:15 p.m.: Arrive, get a beverage or food, get settled
• 6:15-7 p.m.: Read quietly
• 7-7:30 p.m.: Continue reading or chat with others

“It feels like such a community of people,” Lindquist said. “Even though I’ve never met these people, it feels like you’re home, like you’re with these people that they get it. They know what books mean to them and to their lives.”