Join the club

Books have always been a source of wonder and escape. A place for new thoughts, brilliant ideas, tragic stories and exciting lives. A way to build a sense of community in the face of an ever-changing world.

Little wonder then that online book clubs have increased in popularity this year, with people turning to Zoom, Instagram and podcast-based clubs in the hope of connecting with like-minded others, achieving long-put-aside reading goals, and learning something new in dreaded lockdown. Very different from the staid middle-class clubs of old, these virtual spaces have become places to start discussions, make friends and discover new stories that make us think deeper, become more empathetic and provide some escape from our pandemic-constrained lives.

Below are some of the freshest virtual book clubs and podcasts that have grown over the past year, and a few news ones set to inspire readers in 2021.

Broccoli Book Club

This month, podcast production house Broccoli Content releases its latest 'book club podcast', Broccoli Book Club, hosted by journalist Diyora Shadijanova.

The interactive series is designed as a virtual reading group that engages with its audiences around a thought-provoking title or idea, encouraging listeners to expand their views by introducing them to bold titles and new authors. Twice a month, Shadijanova invites listeners to join her for a meaningful discussion around each book; in the first episode, she welcomes voices connected to the book’s central theme and in the second she hosts an intimate conversation with the book’s author.

The first book in the series is Laura Dockrill’s powerful memoir What Have I Done?, which explores the award-winning author’s struggle with postpartum psychosis. Upcoming titles Include Afropean by Johny Pitts, Mindf*ck by Christopher Wylie, Humankind by Rutger Bregman and The Good Immigrant, edited by Nikesh Shukla

“After a difficult year of living isolated lives and not socialising as much as we used to, it’s exciting to create a podcast that brings people together in a digital space," Shadijanova explains. Find on Apple Podcasts.

Good Readers Book Club

Founded by journalist Symeon Brown at the end of April 2020, Good Readers Book Club is a space for diverse titles that don't typically get a look in when it comes to book clubs. It's a dynamic conversation with a real sense of community at its heart.

Interviewing authors such as Derek Owusu, Maame Blue, Candice Braithwaite and Elijah Lawal, and covering books by strong and talented Black British writers including Paul Mendez's Rainbow Milk, Homecoming by Colin Grant and Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, Good Readers Book Club is a space for diverse books, writers, readers and thinkers that landed at a timely moment, as conversation around Black writing and writers in the UK is becoming much more prevalent. Find it on Instagram at @goodreadersbookclub.

BookThinkers

One of the largest online non-fiction Instagram communities, BookThinkers is a communal space for books that engage curious minds. Founder Nick Hutchinson wanted to create somwhere for curious entrepreneurs, amazing thinkers and positive habit builders to gather and talk online.

Impactful books from the club include Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, Viktor E. Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Building on the dynamic Instagram page, Hutchinson has branched out into a podcast, where he interviews authors about their books. Guests have ranged from James Altucher, author of Choose Yourself and Jim Kwik, author of Limitless, to the world's fastest reader, Howard Berg. Find out more on Instagram at @bookthinkers.

One Minute Book Reviews / Book Talk Today Podcast

Two more non-fiction book clubs, this time hosted by Aun Abdi. With One Minute Book Reviews, Abdi reviews the books he loves in one minute Instagram videos, encouraging people to engage and challenge themselves. He also hosts a book podcast called Book Talk Today, where he interviews authors about their books, ideas and inspirations. Guests have included Andrew Graham-Dixon about his book Caravaggio: A Life Sacred & Profane, Adam Lowenstein's Reform the Day, and Small Giant author Bo Burlingham. Follow on Instagram at @booktalktoday and @oneminutebookreview.

Dope Readers Book Club

Aiming to cultivating healthy relationships with books, plus improve literacy one word at a time, Dope Readers Club is a space for a compassionate community to connect with the books that matter.

The club has created meetups and donated books to great causes, with the mission to get everyone easy access to books. The most recent donation was to Kensal Rise train station in London, to help restock their station bookcase, thanks to the generosity of members. They have suggestions on their page for inspiring lockdown reads such as The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Join the Dope Readers on Instagram at @dopereaders.club.

Writ Large

Writ Large is an original podcast about the books that changed the world. In each episode, host Zachary Davis interviews one of the world’s leading scholars about one book that shaped the world we live in—whether you’ve heard of it or not. These conversations look beyond plot summaries to unpack a book’s context, creation, and initial impact, and reveal its lasting influence on the ideas of today.

Guests include professors from universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth, who talk about the most influential and often overlooked novels, poems, memoirs, philosophical treatises, conspiracies, manifestos, and more. Episodes also explore the edges of what counts as a “text,” looking at how musicals, cookbooks, catalogues, and other written works have influenced our culture.

Books and guests featured on the podcast include Professor Derek Miller on Ibsen'd A Doll’s House, Professor Christopher Capozzola on Hiroshima by John Hersey Professor Reginald Jackson on eleventh-century author Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. Listen here.

Alex Holmes is a wellness educator and the host of wellbeing podcast, Time to Talk, where he has mental health and wellness conversations with experts of all varieties. He is the author of the highly anticipated book, Time To Talk: How Men Feel About Love, Belonging and Connection, available for pre-order, now.