Speaking of books and Twitter, I sort of accidentally started a book club with some Twitter friends.
I genuinely don’t remember exactly how it happened. I must have said something about how I’d always wanted to be in a book club but a) nobody ever invited me to join one and b) all the people I would invite to join mine seemed to already be part of one. A bunch of other people chimed in with similar thoughts. Someone probably said, “Hey! We should start a Twitter book club!” And we all agreed.
So one friend gathered all those people into a group DM titled “Very Good Book Club” and suddenly it was a real thing!
We take turns suggesting books to read and we discuss them on Marco Polo. Sometimes people don’t have time or bandwidth (or interest in the book) so they don’t participate that round. At the moment, there are only a few of us who participate regularly, but the door is open to anyone who wants to jump in at any time. And we don’t worry about reading a book by a certain date; we just discuss it as we go. If anyone wants to avoid spoilers, they just don’t check in until they’re ready. This way we can talk about the book while we’re reading if we want. We can continue the discussion long after we finish reading, too.
It’s not for everyone, but so far it has worked really well for us.
I set up a Google sheet to keep our book club organized because I am a nerd. (I am also kind of the de facto leader of the group. That’s what I get for opening my big mouth.) There we track of what book we’re reading, who picked it, where you can purchase it, and who plans to participate. As we wrap up one discussion, I’ll remind everyone on Twitter what is next and see who wants to join the next round. Then I set up a new group chat on Marco Polo for the new book so we can start fresh.
Have I ever mentioned how grateful I am for technology and social media? Because goodness, I am grateful. Being a part of this book club is such a joy, and it is only possible through all these apps and online tools. Even if we weren’t in a pandemic and could meet in person regularly, we literally have members on opposite sides of the country!
The Very Good Book Club is the perfect name for it. I’ve gained dear friends who I wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise. Plus, reading and talking in depth about books is 100% my jam. It has been a much-needed bright spot during a lonely, challenging time.
Leave a Reply