Virtual book clubs that you can join

Those who love reading know there are only a few things that are better than reading a good book. One of them is discussing a book you’ve read and loved with other readers. In Nepal, except for a few Instagram pages and corporate book clubs, there aren’t many groups where we can discuss our favorite titles, recent reads, and other bookish things.

Reading doesn’t have to be an isolated affair if you can connect with others who share your love of authors and characters. While physical meet-ups, with steaming cups of tea or coffee and generous slices of cake, might be an ideal way to talk about the book you’re reading, online book clubs can cross international barriers and connect you with readers and authors from across the globe.

Here are five of our favorite book clubs where you can get some really good book recommendations, connect with other like-minded readers, and discuss your thoughts and opinions on everything related to books and reading.

Reese’s Book Club

Reese Witherspoon, an American actor and film producer, runs an online book club called the Reese’s Book Club. It has over two million followers on Instagram. Every month, she chooses two fun and thought-provoking books with female leads, one for adults and one for YA readers. You can then read along with Reese and others by following the online book club on Instagram and Facebook. There’s also an app and you can subscribe to the newsletter for some upbeat content in your inbox. Reese has also adapted some of her book club picks into movies, notably ‘Wild’, ‘Big Little Lies’, and ‘Little Fires Everywhere’.

Our Shared Shelf

Founded by Emma Watson in 2016, this Instagram community is focused on intersectional feminist literature. During the initial days, Emma selected a book with feminist themes every two months. Emma stepped back from the group in 2020, requesting its Facebook and GoodReads community members to continue sharing recommendations. The hashtag #oursharedshelf is going strong for like-minded and lively discussions. Some books on this list will make you smile and some will make you cry. But what’s for sure is that they will all inspire you and encourage you to be the best version of yourself.

Sonali’s Book Club

On her book club’s website, Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre Behl says she has always been passionate about reading but juggling motherhood and her career made it difficult to read as much as she would like. So, she started Sonali’s Book Club as a means to interact with book lovers from across the globe. It was a way to ensure she got her reading life back on track as she would have to compulsorily read at least one book every month. Every month, she picks a book for the members of the book club to read and sets a date to discuss any thoughts and questions that they might have. The discussion happens via Facebook Live or a textual discussion online on the Sonali’s Book Club Facebook group.

Oprah’s Book Club

Oprah Winfrey’s book club is arguably America’s most influential literary hit-maker, turning unknown titles into massive bestsellers. Every book Oprah picks for her club becomes an instant bestseller. The Instagram page of the book club is a virtual delight. You will find yourself scrolling through it for hours on end since it has over 2100 posts to date. The books she tends to pick are usually thick volumes so make sure you have the time and patience for such long reads before getting into them. The book club picks have over 100 titles—both fiction and non-fiction. Visit OprahDaily.com for book-related articles and many author interviews. You can also sign up for a book club newsletter to get a complete experience.  

Belletrist

Belletrist, co-founded by actresses Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, is an online reading community dedicated to books and reading. Each month, the book club selects a book and hosts discussions about it. There are often author interviews too. This allows readers to get an insight into the workings of the author’s mind while writing the book. Since its launch in 2017, the community has chosen over 75 titles, and the books are discussed on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.