Book club during the time of COVID-19

• March 11th was the last day I went into my office for work.

• March 13th my new Executive Director (of two weeks) stated we’d be working from home for the foreseeable future.

• March 14th ended up being my first virtual book club.

I’ve been in this book club for nearly two years and it’s one of my favorite things ever. I’ll forever be grateful to my friend who invited me. It’s often the highlight of my month and I always look forward to the rich conversation, the laughs, the food, and of course the hugs.

But what‘s a book club to do when it’s not prudent to meet in person?

We debated back and forth, consulted with the host, and ultimately decided we’d rather laugh about our overly cautious decision rather than regret what we should have done.

Here’s what we did:

1)    Set up the technology you need to succeed

I set up an email account for our book club and then a video conferencing account. It was important to me to not have limits on how long we could talk (when I first joined, book club was scheduled from 12 pm to 1 pm, now it’s a short session if we get out of there before 4 pm!) so a paid account was the way for us to go. By signing up for a paid video conferencing option, I extended an open invitation for the girls to use it for staying connected during a weird, scary time. Since then, we’ve had lunch dates, happy hours, and even a Quarantine Bingo night!

2)   Have a facilitator

Whether your book club is full of people who always read the book or those who come for the community and laughs, having a facilitator, especially during these Unprecedented Times might help the conversation flow. We’ve been starting off with a wellness check-in to see how everyone is doing, acknowledging that these are challenging times and sometimes you need to vent. Then we transition to the book and the fun commences.

3)  Be mindful of the books you select and maybe lower your expectations

Our first selection was a book that we had agreed upon in the Before Times, so that first meeting was easy peasy. Our second virtual book club? We chose the same book. Not everyone had finished it (there was a lot going on!) and we showed ourselves grace.

Our third selection? “Little Fires Everywhere”. People can either choose the book, the Hulu series, or both and participate in the conversation. These are weird/scary/unprecedented/choose your own adjective times. Some of the women in my group are moms, some work, and all of us are experiencing some level of stress because of this pandemic crisis. We essentially granted ourselves permission to take it easy.

Who knows what our Summer book pick will be, let alone external circumstances? I remain grateful to connect with these ladies whether it’s cramming into a Bay Area apartment or on a computer screen.

If you’re in a book club, how are y’all coping with These Times? Any tips to share?

“Book Club” Puzzle by Carolyn Suzuki