Help me find an online only book club
February 6, 2023 6:50 AM Subscribe
I recently switched from an in-office job to a work from home job, and my therapist suggested I find a hobby outside of work to make sure I get non-work socialization in as a habit. I've hit on the idea of a book club (one of her suggestions), but I would want it to be online, virtual - I am happy to use a cam and do Teams/Zoom/whatever to meet with the group.
I've done some googling but couldn't find what I wanted, so I came here in the hopes someone else has hit on a good way to find such a thing.
I read a lot. I mean, a LOT. I probably get through 2-3 books a week and more when it's the holidays or I'm not working. I am on Netgalley (request advanced copies of books, write reviews) but I've fallen off there a bit lately because writing reviews has started feeling like work. I'm thinking a book club might introduce me to books I might not have read otherwise, provide a social group wherein we could discuss the book, and along the way maybe expose me to different takes on the same material. I have pretty close to zero limits on what books I read, although I tend to lean mostly towards scifi/fantasy and mystery/thriller. I dabble in nonfiction when the subject really interests me and I am game to read *bad* books to enjoy the ridiculousness with others.
Also I have no idea what I'm doing - is this a ridiculous idea? Are book clubs the kind of thing that work way better in person? With this work from home gig my husband and I plan to be traveling around the US full time in an RV, so finding a "local" one becomes moot once we're on the road.
I've done some googling but couldn't find what I wanted, so I came here in the hopes someone else has hit on a good way to find such a thing.
I read a lot. I mean, a LOT. I probably get through 2-3 books a week and more when it's the holidays or I'm not working. I am on Netgalley (request advanced copies of books, write reviews) but I've fallen off there a bit lately because writing reviews has started feeling like work. I'm thinking a book club might introduce me to books I might not have read otherwise, provide a social group wherein we could discuss the book, and along the way maybe expose me to different takes on the same material. I have pretty close to zero limits on what books I read, although I tend to lean mostly towards scifi/fantasy and mystery/thriller. I dabble in nonfiction when the subject really interests me and I am game to read *bad* books to enjoy the ridiculousness with others.
Also I have no idea what I'm doing - is this a ridiculous idea? Are book clubs the kind of thing that work way better in person? With this work from home gig my husband and I plan to be traveling around the US full time in an RV, so finding a "local" one becomes moot once we're on the road.
My book club is entirely virtual these days - we started in-person, but then when the pandemic started we went virtual. There's been SOME talk about going in-person again, but we're playing it safe right now (our leader works for the NYC health department and so she's going to be VERY conservative about "when is it safe to meet in person again").
The only caveat is that we focus on post-apocalyptic fiction as our exclusive genre, but this does still allow for a good variety of books; we did an entire year of "funny stuff" in the beginning of the pandemic, and sometimes we bend the rules and look at books that are about "the end of a specific way of life" as opposed to the end of "the world" (i.e., we once read a book that looked at when the Normans took over in England and the Saxons were left to shift for themselves). Everyone in the group is the best kind of weirdo as well.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:56 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
The only caveat is that we focus on post-apocalyptic fiction as our exclusive genre, but this does still allow for a good variety of books; we did an entire year of "funny stuff" in the beginning of the pandemic, and sometimes we bend the rules and look at books that are about "the end of a specific way of life" as opposed to the end of "the world" (i.e., we once read a book that looked at when the Normans took over in England and the Saxons were left to shift for themselves). Everyone in the group is the best kind of weirdo as well.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:56 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I don't have any recommendations, but I can say that I made some very good friends through an online-only book club, and we kept it going for years. We originally formed through a Litsy signup, so that may be another app to look into.
posted by okayokayigive at 7:00 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by okayokayigive at 7:00 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Many public libraries have virtual book clubs now. I just googled [city name] public library virtual book club and found a half dozen in a few minutes. You might just check out which cities are reading a book that interests you in February or March, and try out a session. One nice thing about library-run book clubs (in my experience) is that you get a pretty broad assortment of members and it can be a fun way to meet people you never would have otherwise found.
posted by juliapangolin at 7:12 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by juliapangolin at 7:12 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
My public library offers a virtual and in person book club. Same book each month, two different sessions. Check your own library to see if this is an option!
posted by bookmammal at 7:12 AM on February 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by bookmammal at 7:12 AM on February 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Meetup has a lot of various book clubs, many of them are entirely virtual. You can choose it as a search option, and Meetup is free to use as a participant (though some groups ask that you pay ~$1 a month to help support those fees).
posted by raccoon409 at 7:18 AM on February 6, 2023
posted by raccoon409 at 7:18 AM on February 6, 2023
Best answer: [Caveat that most of these are UK based so might be at odd times depending on where you are when tuning in.]
I've been to a meeting of the Borderless Book Club (fiction in translation) ages ago and it was a great discussion.
Some other ones that I think sound good but haven't attended are:
Adabiyat Book Club (literature from the Arab world)
Radical Books Collective (radical fiction & non-fiction)
Lighthouse Books in Edinburgh has online bookclubs focusing on women in translation and Japanese writing, and they plan to bring back a sci-fi themed one this year!
posted by Lluvia at 8:24 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've been to a meeting of the Borderless Book Club (fiction in translation) ages ago and it was a great discussion.
Some other ones that I think sound good but haven't attended are:
Adabiyat Book Club (literature from the Arab world)
Radical Books Collective (radical fiction & non-fiction)
Lighthouse Books in Edinburgh has online bookclubs focusing on women in translation and Japanese writing, and they plan to bring back a sci-fi themed one this year!
posted by Lluvia at 8:24 AM on February 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: BookClubs app, Library Thing and Litsy are now on my radar - thank you! Also helps to hear other peoples' experiences. I'm not fussed about in person - we've always gotten to know other RVers, and that tends to scratch that itch a bit. Plus I lean more on the introvert side, so this whole idea has been weird ("Why do I need more socialization?") but I'm game because books. In past jobs I have had a tendency to make my work my entire life, so this seems to be a rational step to make sure I don't lose myself in my job again.
posted by routergirl at 9:48 AM on February 6, 2023
posted by routergirl at 9:48 AM on February 6, 2023
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posted by Bottlecap at 6:52 AM on February 6, 2023 [4 favorites]