There are certain activities that, for years, have been associated primarily with solitude. Reading was one of them: an armchair, a sofa, a train compartment, a café table, a phone turned face down. And yet, in recent years, books have increasingly become a reason to gather. Not necessarily in the form of a traditional book club, where everyone reads the same title and prepares for discussion. Rather, it is about simply being together - with your own book, at your own pace, among other people who came for the same thing: a moment of focus, a pleasant rhythm, and conversation, should the mood arise.
This shift is clearly visible in global formats such as Silent Book Club, which describes itself as a community of readers who meet without “homework” and without any pressure to speak up. Today, it operates through more than 2,000 local groups across dozens of countries. The concept is simple: everyone brings their own book, reads quietly, and then has the option to stay and chat afterwards. A similar spirit can be found in New York-based Reading Rhythms, which describes itself not as a book club but as a “reading party” - a literary gathering with music and an atmosphere that feels more like a social event than a literary obligation.
Books in the Age of Social Media
This matters because reading today exists on multiple levels at once. On one hand, it remains a private ritual - a way to take a break from screens, overstimulation, and endless scrolling. On the other, it increasingly functions as a social practice. We recommend books to one another on Instagram, TikTok, and in newsletters; we highlight passages, send excerpts to friends, and bring our books to cafés, parks, and hotel lobbies.
BookTok and other online reading communities have demonstrated that book recommendations can be emotional, immediate, and highly effective while also creating a sense of belonging around shared discoveries, enthusiasm, and taste.
In Poland, this trend coincides with an interesting moment. According to the latest report from the National Library, 41% of respondents declared having read at least one book in 2025 - the same proportion as in the previous year. At the same time, the highest readership rates were recorded among residents of the largest cities, where access to books, libraries, bookshops, and cultural events is most readily available.
The report also highlights the growing role of public libraries - not only as places to borrow books but more broadly as spaces for cultural participation. All of this suggests that reading increasingly requires not only time, but also place: environments that are comfortable, open, and informal.
Reading Get-Together at PURO
It is precisely from this need that Reading Get-Together at PURO was created - a series of gatherings that brings the idea of shared reading into hotel spaces. The format is simple and intentionally relaxed. Participants arrive with any book they choose - or without one, selecting something from the collections offered by participating publishers. They read at their own pace to music played by a DJ and then have the opportunity to chat - about literature, recommendations, current reads, or simply about whatever begins to emerge when people put their phones away and make time to genuinely be together.
Reading Get-Together is not about measuring how much anyone has read. There is no reading list, no moderator quizzing participants on interpretation, and no single correct answer. Instead, there is a shared rhythm: a moment of quiet, music in the background, a favorite drink within reach, and the awareness that the people around you are doing exactly the same thing. It is reading alone together - individually, yet collectively. Perhaps that is precisely why it resonates so strongly with contemporary needs: it preserves the intimacy of reading while providing a sense of belonging to a larger, vibrant community.
Partners Who Believe in Conversations About Books
The project’s partners are publishing houses that have spent years building distinctive literary worlds around their books: Tajfuny and Karakter. Their involvement is no coincidence—both publishers see literature not only as a catalogue of titles, but also as an invitation to conversation.
As Karolina Wujda from Tajfuny explains: “We would like participants to leave with the feeling that reading can also be a social activity. Even when someone comes on their own, we always encourage them to strike up conversations with other attendees so they can meet new people and discover new perspectives.”
Karakter highlights a similar sense of community. As the publisher’s representative, Helena Postawka, says: “There are many different ways of engaging with literature. It is not only about quietly reading a text in solitude. It is also about attending author events, reading aloud, and talking about books. This is exactly what the Reading Get-Together format supports. In this context, reading becomes a social activity through which we build relationships with other people.”
During the events, participants will have the opportunity to explore and purchase books from the partner publishers.
Upcoming Reading Get-Together Events
2 August 2026 (Sunday), 1:00-4:00 PM
PURO x Karakter at the MUND Patio
PURO Warszawa Stare Miasto
21 August 2026 (Friday), 6:00-9:00 PM
PURO x Karakter in the MAK Garden
PURO Kraków Kazimierz
6 September 2026 (Sunday), 3:00-6:00 PM
PURO x Tajfuny at Loreta Bar
PURO Warszawa Centrum
12 November 2026 (Thursday), 6:00-9:00 PM
PURO x Tajfuny at MAK
PURO Kraków Kazimierz
Bring a book you would like to read, or choose one from the publishers’ selection. The rest will happen naturally once you arrive.
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