Feature: Reading Groups . . . in Lockdown

How have reading groups adapted to isolation? We take a look at the options open to us, and invite our reading groups to tell us about their own lockdown experiences. . .  

When the world went into lockdown, books became our solace. Bibliophiles everywhere vowed to finally tackle their ‘to read’ lists, and social media has been awash with book recommendations, author videos and online book launches. But what has become of our reading groups? Without the ability to meet face to face, have we forsaken that special interaction that comes from talking about the books we’re reading with others, or are we finding different ways to connect through Zoom, Twitter or Facebook?  

When it comes to my own reading group, who usually meet in the pub, we’ve been pretty much on hold since lockdown began. For whatever reason, none of us have yet taken the leap to suggest we meet online.  Of course, it could be that we’re too busy homeschooling (me), working from home (also me), taking up new hobbies (definitely not me), or are simply lacking the confidence and skills to take the group to a virtual realm (I’m learning)  Or perhaps – and dare we broach it - we might actually be enjoying a break from the monthly readathon.  

I asked one of our members Becky, why she thought this might be, she told me: “I suppose part of it was considering those who might not like an online presence. Also, I’d been focussing heavily on schooling for the children and shopping for a number of households. As things have relaxed a bit I may have got comfy with fewer interruptions in the evening. But I’m perhaps starting to miss the interaction now, so maybe it’s time we tried!”  

Of course, our little book club is just one group, and by no means representative of a wider picture. There does certainly seem to be a growing number of online book groups springing out of isolation life. Here at Inspire, we’ve recently launched our new Inspire Online Book Club, something we’d been talking about for a while but never quite got around to in the busyness of organising ‘live’ reading events all year round. But the current crisis has given us the impetus – and the need - to reach out to our readers in new ways.  Our July Book Club title is  The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox by  Claire Gradidge, which will be available to loan digitally from 1 July. Find out how to get involved here. 

While nothing quite beats the pleasure and simple ‘human-ness’ of meeting face to face as a group, going virtual does have its advantages, beyond having been the only  way for a group to meet during lockdown.   

A guide to starting a book club published on Penguin Random House’s website before any of us had even heard of COVID-19, states that hosting a group online makes meeting easy and convenient for members wherever they may be (no need to even leave the house!). 

If your group, like mine, are yet to make the virtual transition, but are keen to find a way of keeping the book love going, just how do you go about it? Fortunately, the online meeting tools available aren’t as daunting as some might fear, and all you need is Wi-Fi or an Internet connection to use them. 

For those missing seeing faces, video tools such as Zoom and Google Hangouts are proving popular, and for small groups Whatsapp and Facebook messenger could do the trick. But if you’d prefer to avoid video (lockdown hair anyone?) a text-based tool might be preferred. A closed Facebook Group gives you the option to make the group either public for anyone to join, or private so people have to request to join, while Goodreads Groups allows you to easily create different discussion topics for each book you’re reading. 

For Inspire’s Online Book Group, we’re still experimenting. As we dipped our toes into the virtual waters, our first efforts have seen a group of us making use of Zoom, but next month we’re hoping to invite members of the public (including reading groups!) to take part too (you can express your interest by emailing us at reading@inspireculture.org.uk, or take part in our survey).  

For me, the beauty of Zoom is participants don’t have to appear on video if they don’t like, and can instead make use of the chat facility, so everyone is catered for. Plus, it’s wonderfully simple – just download the free app and get started. 

But what about choosing your books in isolation? One options for groups is to take advantage of Inspire’s digital catalogues. As Librarian Ann Penn explained: “To help your group, if you all want to read the same book, we’ve arranged for a special collection of titles on BorrowBox which can be borrowed by lots of people at the same time.  They’re available in both eBook and eAudio format and can be found at the beginning of the webpage.  A handful of the books will be added and removed each month, so you should always be able to find something new! " 

If you do strongly prefer to hold a physical book in your hands, ordering online from bookshops has been an option, and many are beginning to open with restrictions. Inspire are planning to reopen some libraries from 6 July  (Find out more here), and although multiple reading group book sets or reservations won’t be available just yet, readers can continue to access multi use digital titles from  Borrowbox.

So, it seems lockdown doesn’t have to place a halt on the much-loved group book chat; not only can we continue to enjoy the much-needed escapism books provide, but the act of sharing our experiences, can continue  and  even flourish.  

And, while we can’t meet at the pub, I think it might be finally time to send a Zoom invite to my own book clubbers . . . .