An Untraditional Quarantine Book Club
Written by Kit Cronk for The Homebody Society. This post may contain affiliate links.
Contributing writer for The Homebody Society, Kit Cronk, gives a unique spin on bookclubs during quarantine and tells us all about how to start one!
From Kit:
Hello. My name is Kit Cronk, and I’m addicted to books.
I’m married to an author, bought a house largely based upon it having enough room for my bookshelves, and have a “to be read” list so large that I had to buy a special cart for it.
I spend hours upon hours reading in cafes, visiting libraries, and browsing bookstores.
But I have NEVER been in a book club. There’s something about leaving my house to talk to strangers (even book loving ones) that stresses me out. My stubbornness may also kick in when I’m told to read a particular book by a certain date. It feels too much like homework.
However, when COVID-19 stuck most of us at home, even my introverted brain was starting to crave some social time. I sent a message out to a group of bookstagram* friends I’ve accumulated (but not ever met in person) asked if anyone was interested in a video chat. The answer was a pretty resounding yes, and we picked a time.
*For those who don’t know, bookstagram is just a global community of book lovers on Instagram. We post about books, book events, and bookish merch… and just generally nerd out together. It’s totally informal and ANYONE can join in or follow along! Start by checking out the hashtag #bookstagram
“I live in a small town and unsurprisingly there’s not many readers around, so our book club is a time for me to catch up with like-minded people with similar interests in real time. I get excited finding books on my shelf ready for the next weeks’ discussion and love chatting daily (via group chat) with everyone about real life and our latest bookish obsessions. Such a wonderful group of people with diverse reading interests, I always find new books to add to my TBR each week. - G”
Most of the group already participated in traditional local book clubs, so I suggested we do something a bit different.
Instead of reading and discussing a particular book, we choose a genre for each meeting. Then everyone turns up with their favorite books for that genre. It’s like show and tell, but for grown-ups.
“It's great not having the pressure to read a certain book - even if you don't have any recommendations for that week's theme, you can just come along and enjoy the chat! – S”
The beauty of this is that some weeks, one person will have a GIGANTIC PILE of contemporary books to talk about. Another week, someone else is in their element telling us about the best crime and thriller stories. And if you don’t have any books for that particular week, you can show up any way and get some great recommendations.
Of course, we didn’t just limit ourselves to bringing books for the theme of the week…
Some people in the group love dressing up (myself included), and we quickly started coming up with casual costume and prop ideas. It makes a video chat so much more interesting when someone turns up in an adult sized Dragon onesie for Fairytale Retellings week.
“With this book club, I get to catch up with people all over Australia every week and get to know them better than I might if we were just meeting at a book launch or author signing. We see each other's reading spaces, partners, pets, and it's such a relaxed environment that brings a great sense of camaraderie. Even when we don't have recommendations for a particular genre, we come along with craft projects and just enjoy being in each other's company. It's a special connection that is going to last long after this pandemic is over. – S”
If you want to start your own unconventional book group, here’s a list of genres ideas you can use. Every group is different, and you may want to add / remove some based on the types of books you all love to read!
For example, our group all read a LOT of Fantasy, so we broke it up over three weeks into High Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy.
Fairytale Retellings (“Disneybound” by dressing up in everyday clothes inspired by a Disney character’s look)
- Example: Me prancing around my bookshelves in a Belle Disneybound outfit.
Classics (think Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, or retellings of any classic stories… and everyone should bring their fanciest tea cup!)
Crime / Mystery / Thriller (include recommendations for some crime shows too!)
LGBTQI+ books (with positive representation within the books or the author)
Science Fiction (bring along anything sci fi!)
This is a great week for dressing up too… Like @asecosplay who turned up in a full Star Wars outfit…
Graphic Novels / Comics (bring something super-hero themed)
High Fantasy (dress up as an elf, dwarf, or other fantasy character!)
Middle Grade books (books aimed at ages 8 – 12, like Harry Potter)
Romance / Chick Lit (everyone confesses their favourite romantic trope)
Historical Fiction (dress up as something from history! Last minute bed sheet toga - check)
Read Local (books set in your state / country or by authors from there)
Young Adult Fantasy (show off your bookish merch or dress up as a character!)
Contemporary (Dress “basic”. Think starbucks coffee, messy bun, and scrunchies worn as bracelets)
Dystopian / Speculation Fiction (wear an outfit for the apocalypse)
Biographies / Non-Fiction books (bonus points to anyone who dresses up like a person they’ve brought a biography for)
By the time you’ve made it through all those genres, you’ll have probably read enough books to circle back and start again! Or you can open up your meetings to talk about movies, shows, music, and other pop culture you’re into.