Introverts Welcome At This Audiobook Walking Club In L.a. - Beritaja

It’s a cloudy, grey greeting successful Hermosa Beach. Surfers look retired toward the pale, sparkling horizon. Pearly clouds stitchery complete the water successful the distance, a position that evokes the moody landscapes of Virginia Woolf’s novels.

A fewer blocks inland, the vibes are little pensive, much effusive astatine the Fleuria — Los Angeles’ first romance book truck. Crowded about the mobile bookstore, Alaina Lester is proclaiming her passion for romance novels to chap book enthusiasts. She’s praising “Love And Other Conspiracies” by Mallory Marlowe. Her income transportation hinges connected the heartthrob protagonist: “He’s for illustration a basking conspiracy theorist. If location moreover is specified a thing.”

This Sunday morning, a group of book lovers — almost 90 of them — assembled successful a parking batch for the Fleuria Audiobook Walking Club, a monthly arena organized by proprietor Stephanie Pao. The arena is akin to a silent disco for readers. Audiobook enthusiasts convene for java and speech earlier stepping alongside the beach, listening to their audiobooks, and sharing endorsements arsenic they go. They don’t each publication the aforesaid books, but it doesn’t matter.

On this Sunday successful September, about 90 group showed up to locomotion on the formation and perceive to audiobooks together, mostly romance titles.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Suddenly, the clouds thin. After an hour-long silent beachside walk, the crowd peels disconnected their noise-cancelling headphones and breaks into lively chatter. Sweatshirts and hats show slogans for illustration “Hot Girls Read” and “Banned Books Lover.” One attendee, Kaley Robinson, was listening to “The Briar Club” by Kate Quinn. She describes it arsenic “about McCarthyism and the Red Scare. It’s a small spot of a execution enigma too.”

Over the past 2 decades, audiobooks person knowledgeable a surge successful popularity, which has been heightened successful caller years by the pandemic and audio streaming services. In tandem, audiobook stepping clubs person popped up crossed the state from Washington, D.C., to Tennessee. Pao initiated the L.A.-area gathering aft stumbling upon audiobook walks connected TikTok. “I saw different bookstore doing thing akin successful Florida.”

Kaley Robinson holds a difficult transcript of “The Briar Club” by Kate Quinn while listening to the title connected her phone.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Pao had debased expectations erstwhile starting the event, but only 3 months in, it has go wildly celebrated — attendance almost doubling each month. “I genuinely thought it would beryllium maine and 5 people. I was amazed by really galore group want organization wrong the book space,” says Pao.

Pao explains that the entreaty of the audiobook stepping nine lies successful the operation of socializing and exercise, particularly against the picturesque backdrop of Hermosa Beach. “We’re getting exercise, but besides being capable to chitchat afterwards and meet much book lovers.”

Because Fleuria is simply a romance book truck, attendees of the arena are mostly voracious romance readers, a genre that has received renewed liking successful caller years, Pao says. “It has been the best-selling genre for galore decades. Now, what’s different is group are much actively speaking about it.”

Stephanie Pao sits wrong her romance book truck, the Fleuria.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Romance books are moreover much celebrated aft the pandemic, says Fleuria proprietor Stephanie Pao.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

“A halfway tenet of romance is that location is simply a happily ever after,” argues Pao. Precarious and uncertain times make emotion stories moreover much seductive. “During the pandemic years, it was bully to cognize what you’re reference would person a happily ever after. It’s an flight for group now too.”

While the pandemic prompted a renewed liking successful literature, readers person turned to in-person literate events to build organization successful the years since. “Social media has helped push group backmost into reading,” explains Pao. “I emotion that, because I’ve been a lifelong reader, truthful I’m excited to thief get group reference more.”

Shyness is invited astatine the audiobook stepping club, Pao notes. There’s nary unit to make pithy and profound comments. “You could beryllium much introverted. It’s not needfully conscionable discussing a book aliases having thoughts connected a book; it’s much about being unfastened to talking to different book lovers,” adds Pao.

In a civilization wherever Amazon dominates the publishing industry, Pao hopes her audiobook stepping nine will make literate conversations much personal. “When you’re astatine Target aliases connected Amazon, you’re not interacting pinch anybody and chitchatting about books aliases getting recommendations. I deliberation group are craving that a lot.”

Andrea Hernandez listens to “Scythe & Sparrow” by Brynne Weaver. She’s dressed up her headphones pinch a Fleuria Audiobook Walking Club sticker.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

One of the attendees, Kelly Hernandez, is simply a caller instrumentality of audiobooks. “I personally emotion them. It’s a awesome measurement to get your reference successful moreover if you’re busy,” explains Hernandez. The audiobook walks person allowed her to enslaved pinch the reference community. “It’s honestly really relaxing. It’s a measurement to meet different like-minded group who stock the aforesaid passion for books.”

While women chiefly be the walks, Pao jokes that the occasional man appears. On this Sunday, a babe successful a stroller and a canine joined the outing.

Stephanie Pao takes a photograph of her ecstatic book nine members connected foot.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Walking alongside the beach, Brittany Brown and Tatiana Espy, 2 champion friends, explicate that they are connected a wellness and fittingness journey, which led them to the audiobook stepping club. “It’s a bully collaboration of bringing like-minded folks who want to return advantage of the wellness aspect, moving your mind and your assemblage astatine the aforesaid time,” says Espy.

Brown and Espy opportunity the organization element, trading book titles, is what keeps them returning. “The first point we noticed was really benignant and inviting everybody was. I consciousness for illustration that’s a reflection of Stephanie. That’s the power that she brings,” says Brown.

As the audiobook walks proceed to summation popularity, Pao looks guardant to connecting the literate organization successful caller ways. In October, Hermosa Beach section and debut novelist Lauren Okie will beryllium joining the audiobook stepping club. Her debut novel, “The Best Worst Thing,” is group successful Hermosa Beach, and the group will hike the tree-lined trails elaborate successful the book.

“I’m genuinely conscionable amazed by really galore group want to do this together. People thrust from Lake Arrowhead conscionable to do this. That makes maine truthful excited,” says Pao.

The adjacent Fleuria Audiobook Walking Club will return spot connected Oct. 19 astatine 9:30 a.m. astatine the Yellow Jersey Pattisserie successful Hermosa Beach.