Join a Book Club from Home

As we head towards the middle of winter, it’s time to cozy up with a good read to help pass the time at home. It’s sometimes hard to pick out a book and get motivated to dive in, but luckily there are a number of virtual book clubs that will help you get reading and even offer a fun social outlet.

The New York Public Library has a ton of virtual events free for New Yorkers, including a number of book discussions to connect with other readers of all ages almost daily. Coming up, check out a Short Story Discussion on "The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket" on Wednesday, January 13 at 11:00am or an Open Book Discussion on Wednesday, January 27 at 1:00pm where you can swap book recommendations and more with fellow book lovers. There are many more opportunities for book discussions which you can browse by clicking here.

The Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center (JCC) offers a Book Club series for both fiction and nonfiction reads. During these meetings, you'll explore some great books and meet other book lovers at the JCC. The Clubs allow you to join anytime and come as often as you'd like. Currently, there is an upcoming nonfiction session in early February. Click here to browse other dates as they are added and register online.

DOROT also runs a monthly Book Discussion Group online. This month, DOROT’s group, run by Jeremy Caplan, is focusing on Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Check back with DOROT for updates on the book choices or tune into the discussion on Wednesday, January 13 at 4:30pm to participate in the Remains of the Day meeting and find out what’s next. Click here to register and see the next few meeting dates.

Older New Yorkers can also get involved in a free book club through Senior Planet. The club always votes on each book that is read and Senior Planet offers a number of ways to access the titles when the books are announced. This month, the book choice is A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende. Senior Planet’s book club will meet virtually on Monday, February 1 to discuss the full book, with threads online for comment discussion along the way. Click here for more details and get reading!

You can also join an Upper West Side book club through Meetups. The club says that they meet once a month, with the next meeting happening virtually on Monday, January 25 at 7:00pm. They will be discussing the book Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Click here to join the book club and learn more.

If you’d like to hear from some authors themselves, check out Shakespeare & Co.’s calendar of events and join in on virtual book talks and book launches. These events will give you some new book ideas or help you connect with authors of book you already love. Click here to view the calendar.

Take these opportunities to discover a new book or re-read an old favorite among the company of other New Yorkers online.

Photo credit: Meetups/Pintrest