The Bookclub That Existed Only Online

M Mehran

It started with a single comment on a forum:

“Anyone want to read together? I’m tired of finishing books alone.”

I typed a quick reply before I could overthink: “Yes. Count me in.”

That was the night our online bookclub was born.


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Chapter One: Strangers Behind Screens

There were seven of us at the beginning. We lived in different countries, different time zones, different lives. One member was in Canada, another in India, another in South Africa. I joined from my small apartment in Germany.

We met on video calls, faces pixelated and voices sometimes lagging. At first, it felt awkward. We were strangers trying to build something out of text on a page and flickering Wi-Fi. But then someone cracked a joke about falling asleep mid-chapter, and suddenly we were laughing together, oceans apart.

The distance didn’t matter. The books were our bridge.


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Chapter Two: Pages and Confessions

Every month, we voted on a book. Our first pick was Educated by Tara Westover. Reading her story of resilience cracked something open in us.

On the call that followed, one member admitted she hadn’t spoken to her family in years. Another confessed he’d grown up in a strict household where books were forbidden. We didn’t judge. We listened. The conversation drifted from the memoir to our own memories, proof that books don’t just tell stories—they unlock them.

That became our rhythm. A novel about grief turned into a night of sharing who we had lost. A fantasy about courage led us to list the things we were too scared to try. A poetry collection inspired one of us to read her own verses aloud, her voice trembling through the microphone.


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Chapter Three: The Loneliness Cure

For me, the bookclub was more than entertainment—it was survival.

I had just moved to a new city where I knew no one. My days were quiet, filled with work and silence. Nights were lonelier. But every other Saturday, I logged on to see six familiar squares on my screen.

They’d wave, tease me about my messy bookshelf, and ask about my week. I started to realize I wasn’t just reading with them—I was belonging with them.

We celebrated small victories together: job interviews, birthdays, even one member’s new puppy. And when someone’s camera was off because they were crying, we didn’t pry. We just read an extra passage out loud, so they didn’t have to carry the silence alone.


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Chapter Four: A Test of Distance

Not everything was easy. Time zones were a constant headache. Internet glitches froze faces mid-laugh. Once, a heated disagreement over a political memoir nearly ended the group.

But instead of breaking, we adapted. We learned patience when someone’s audio lagged. We gave space when emotions flared. We remembered that behind every glitch was a real person, holding their copy of the book, showing up even when life was heavy.

Slowly, I realized we weren’t just readers—we were a team.


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Chapter Five: The Surprise

After a year of reading together, someone proposed the impossible:

“What if we meet in real life?”

At first, it sounded like a fantasy. Flights were expensive. Visas were tricky. Schedules were messy. But one member in France offered: “Come here. My town is small but beautiful. We can make it work.”

Months later, five of us actually did. I’ll never forget stepping off the train, scanning the crowd, and recognizing faces I’d only seen through a screen. It was surreal—like characters from a book stepping out into reality.

That week, we ate croissants, explored cobblestone streets, and stayed up late reading under the stars. The conversations flowed just like they had online, only now with hugs and shared meals.

It felt like proof: stories can pull strangers into family.


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The Last Chapter—For Now

The online bookclub is still alive today. Some members drifted away, new ones joined, and our group chat is a patchwork of quotes, memes, and reminders to “finish chapter 12 before Saturday!”

But the heart remains the same: seven strangers, bound not by geography, but by stories.

When people ask why I love books so much, I think of them. I think of how words on a page built bridges across continents, how a video call cured loneliness, how a simple “Want to read together?” became one of the most important chapters of my life.

And maybe that’s the magic of bookclubs. They remind us that no matter where we are—in a park, in a café, or behind a glowing screen—we’re never really reading alone.