Don’t call book-troverts antisocial: In the Capital Region, there’s a growing number of reading events

Like a library, Red Stick Reads is bursting with books. Unlike a library, chatter is always welcome.

Since opening in 2020, Mid City’s resident bookshop has hosted countless clubs and story times. It’s been a hub for after-school hangouts and first birthday parties. It’s even been a backdrop for such milestones as engagements and weddings. Co-owner Tere Hyfield can’t believe so many locals use it as a setting for cherished memories.

Hyfield considers herself an introvert, though she says most who filter in and out of the shop won’t believe it. Get her talking about books, and she may not stop. She says most local readers can attest that hanging out with other bookworms brings them out of their shells, which is why why she, her husband, James Hyfield, and their team work to fill Red Stick Reads’ calendar with events that break people out of their reading nooks.

“What we’re trying to do here is (figure out): How do we take people beyond the book?” she says.

Hyfield hosts plenty of book clubs. But she says one stands out: the Silent Book Club. Yes, on the third Wednesday of each month, a hush falls over the lively Mid City bar Pelican to Mars.

“As a person who has started a million types of book clubs, this was the easiest, because there is no book in particular,” she explains. “Bring whatever book you want, however you want to read it: audio, e-book, physical book. … It’s an introvert’s dream.”

Pelican to Mars co-owner Lance Paddock saw the silent reading trend at bars in other cities, but says his team initially wasn’t sold on quiet time. But loyal patron Joanna Walker approached him about starting a club as “a cozy and low-pressure way to build community.” She teamed up with the Hyfields to organize it.

“I think there’s a real hunger for community right now, especially the kind that doesn’t require performance or pressure. It’s a way to be alone together,” Walker says.

Going strong for about a year now, the club has turned into a busy night for the bar. Readers arrive early to mingle, get a drink or grab a bite from food vendors. They scurry to find seats with their latest read in hand and quietly flip pages. After the quiet hour ends, they read on or chat.

“We had people in every nook and cranny,” Paddock says about the first meeting. “We posted a Facebook event, and it had several hundred people express interest. I was telling everybody, ‘I think this can be bigger than we thought.’”

Paddock has seen patrons crack open a book during non-book club nights and other clubs using the bar for meetups.

For Hyfield, the success of a book gathering is surprising—but not shocking. Give readers a chance to nerd out together, and they’ll worm their way over.

Join the club

Reading groups in the Capital Region

Children’s Book Club

The Red Stick Reads team works to provide activities, programming and field trips to make reading fun for the tiny members.

Mid City Book Club

Hosted by local library employee Rebecca Hill with a new read each month voted on by members.

Reading Era Book Club

During monthly meetings, the group reads books that correspond with Taylor Swift’s discography.

Reading groups at East Baton Rouge Parish Libraries

Each week, library branches have tons of social reading events spanning all ages and genres.

Social events at Cavalier House Books

Join Silent Book Club, the Book Buddies group co-hosted with Mustard Seed Creamery and more.

This article was originally published in the July 2025 issue of 225 Magazine.