A book club is a novel way to join in online

A virtual book group, supper club and choir mean Flip Kulakiewicz’s lockdown is filled with ways to socialise.

She says connecting with friends and family online is vital for her wellbeing.

Flip, 33, an administrator from Edinburgh, says: “I was living on my own last year and being able to connect with family and friends online was my only way of socialising, so it’s been really important.

“Book groups work really well online – it means everyone can take part, wherever they are.

“One of our group is living abroad and so she was able to join our meetings too.

“We all discuss on Facebook which book to read and then we use Zoom to catch up and discuss it. It has been really nice – one of those things that has transferred really well from in person to online.

“We’ve all made an effort to pick slightly shorter books to make it feel more relaxed.

We’ve tried to choose books that are 300 pages tops as I think we’ve all found it hard to concentrate during lockdown.

“We get to share books and we’re all able to introduce our own favourite types of books.”

She says she and her friends have also tried a supper club, where they cook something over video and then sit down and eat and chat together.

And even if not everything Flip has tried has been such a success, some ventures have still raised a few laughs. “Our choir also went online with hilarious results,” she says. “It might not have worked quite as well online, but it has still been fun.

“The head of the choir has tried a new method where we all sing but our individual laptops are muted, so we’re just singing at our screens.”

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