How to Start a Virtual Book Club for Two

On this page

1. How to set up your book club in five steps
2. Three ways to read together across the distance
3. Where to get books for two (including free)
4. How to choose books you'll both finish
5. 40 books for couples to read together
6. How to run the discussion call
7. Make it feel like a date, not homework
8. Common problems and fixes
9. Book club traditions worth starting
10. FAQ

A book unfolds over weeks, which makes it perfect for long distance. You get a running thread of conversation, small "wait, did you get to the part where…" messages during the day, and a proper date at the end. It's also a lovely way to learn how your partner thinks: what makes them cry, which character they defend, what they underline.

Two-person book clubs fail for boring reasons: a book that's too long, no deadline, or one person quietly falling behind and feeling guilty. Here's how to avoid all three.

How to set up your book club in five steps

1. Agree on a rhythm. Monthly is the easiest default. Every two weeks works for fast readers or short books; six weeks suits busy schedules or long books.
2. Decide how you'll choose. Take turns, or each suggest three books and the other picks one. See the choosing methods below.
3. Get the book. Same edition if possible, but formats can differ. Check your library apps first.
4. Put the dates in both calendars. A discussion date (in both time zones) and one mid-point check-in.
5. Set spoiler rules. "No spoilers past chapter X" or "text reactions freely, but flag twists."

Three ways to read together across the distance

Reading aloud: the underrated option

Reading to each other over a call is one of the most intimate long-distance rituals there is. Alternate chapters or pages, get comfortable, and let it double as your goodnight call. It works especially well with short story collections, poetry, children's classics you both loved, cozy fantasy, and funny books. If one of you finds reading tiring or has a different first language, it's also a gentler way in.

Audiobooks

Both listen to the same audiobook during commutes and chores, then discuss on schedule. Or play it at the same moment on a call, muted, and pause to react. Library apps often carry audiobooks too.

Where to get books for two (including free)

• Libby or Hoopla: free ebooks and audiobooks with a library card, though popular titles have waitlists. Place holds early.
• Project Gutenberg: free public-domain classics.
• Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo: ebooks you can buy instantly. Kindle shows locations or percentages to keep pace.
• Audiobook services and Libro.fm: audiobooks, with Libro.fm sharing sales with independent bookshops.
• Used bookshops and online used sellers: cheap paperbacks.
• Mail each other the book. Annotate your copy, then send it. See our handmade gift ideas.

Library availability and app features vary by country and by library, so check what your cards give you access to.

How to choose books you'll both finish

Choosing methods

• Take turns: your pick, my pick. Fair and exposes you to each other's taste.
• Three-and-pick: one person suggests three, the other chooses.
• Themes: a country a month, a decade a month, award winners, books by authors from your partner's country.
• The jar: each add titles to a shared list and pull one at random.

When your tastes are different

• Fiction vs nonfiction: try narrative nonfiction, memoirs and historical fiction, which sit in the middle.
• Thriller fan vs literary reader: crime fiction with great writing, or literary mysteries.
• One reads fast, one slow: shorter books and the slower reader sets the deadline.
• Strong veto rule: each of you can veto one genre outright. Everything else gets a fair shot.

40 books for couples to read together

A mix of easy starters, love stories, discussion-rich fiction and nonfiction. Content varies a lot, so read a description before you commit, especially for heavier picks.

Easy first picks

1. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Short, philosophical, endlessly debatable "what if" questions.
2. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. Funny and warm, with a twist to talk about.
3. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Cozy fantasy, very read-aloud friendly.
4. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Funny, then quietly devastating.
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Short; you'll either love it or argue about it.
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Gentle, with an octopus narrator.
7. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Low-stakes fantasy about opening a coffee shop.
8. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Short linked stories about time travel and regret.

Love stories (including long-distance ones)

9. One Day by David Nicholls. One day a year, twenty years. Bring tissues.
10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Love across time, the ultimate long-distance metaphor.
11. Normal People by Sally Rooney. Miscommunication you'll want to shout at.
12. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Friendship, love and video games over decades.
13. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Glamorous and twisty.
14. Persuasion by Jane Austen. Second chances and one of literature's great letters.
15. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. A romance told largely through emails.
16. Love Letters of Great Men and Love Letters of Great Women, edited by Ursula Doyle. Read one letter aloud each night.

Discussion-rich fiction

17. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Confinement made graceful; fitting for anyone stuck apart.
18. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Love, loneliness and what makes someone irreplaceable.
19. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Quiet and haunting.
20. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Narrated by Death; heavy but beloved.
21. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Two lives converging across a war.
22. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Art and connection after collapse.
23. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Guilt, friendship and redemption.
24. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. A family saga across generations and countries.

Page-turners

25. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Fast, with a big reveal to debate.
26. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. A marriage thriller that sparks strong opinions.
27. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Science, humor and an unlikely friendship.
28. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Cozy crime with charming retirees.
29. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Parallel lives and the choices that define us.
30. The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Wedding-island whodunit, good for guessing together.

Nonfiction and memoir

31. Educated by Tara Westover. A memoir about family, loyalty and self-invention.
32. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Big-picture history that sparks arguments.
33. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Science and ethics.
34. Quiet by Susan Cain. Useful if one of you is an introvert.
35. Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson. Accessible book on emotional connection from the founder of emotionally focused therapy.
36. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Grief, food and identity.
37. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Essays to read slowly, one per call.

Short stories and poetry (for busy couples)

38. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. Stories about distance and belonging.
39. Tenth of December by George Saunders. Strange, funny, moving.
40. A poetry collection you each choose. Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda's love sonnets or Ocean Vuong: one poem a night as a goodnight ritual.

How to run the discussion call

An hour is plenty. A loose structure keeps it from turning into "yeah, it was good."

1. Quick verdicts (5 minutes). Score out of ten, revealed at the same time.
2. Favorite moment and favorite line (10 minutes). Read your passages aloud.
3. The big questions (30 minutes). Pick three or four from the list below.
4. Make it personal (10 minutes). What did it make you think about in your own life, or in us?
5. Choose the next book (5 minutes). And set the date before you hang up.

Discussion questions that work for any book

• Which character would you want to have dinner with? Which would you avoid?
• When did you stop reading because something hit you?
• What would you have done differently in the main character's place?
• Did the ending feel earned? How would you rewrite it?
• What do you think the author wanted us to feel or believe?
• Who in your life would love this book, and who would hate it?

Questions about you two

• Did anything in this book remind you of our relationship?
• Where did we read it differently, and why do you think that is?
• What did you learn about me from what I liked?
• Which relationship in the book would you never want us to become?

These open up conversations that are hard to start cold. For more, see our guide to deep conversations over text.

Make it feel like a date, not homework

• Same drink, same snack. Tea and biscuits, wine and cheese, whatever suits the book.
• Cook something from the book. Food mentioned in the story, or the cuisine of its setting. Our cook-together video call guide helps.
• Watch the adaptation after you finish, in sync. See our watch-party guide.
• Attend a virtual author talk. Many bookshops and libraries stream author events.
• Keep a shared reading log: title, dates, both scores, best quote. It becomes a record of your relationship.
• Send annotated copies. Write notes in the margins for your partner, then mail the book. Few gifts are more personal.

Common problems and fixes

Book club traditions worth starting

• Anniversary reread: reread your first book club pick every year.
• Seasonal picks: spooky in October, cozy in December, love stories in February, beach reads in summer.
• A book from each other's country or city, especially for international couples. It's a gentle way into each other's culture; our guide to cultural differences in relationships pairs nicely.
• Bookshop date when you visit: each buy the other the next book club pick.

Pair your book club with other low-key dates like podcast listening dates, virtual museum tours or a trivia night for two, and you'll have a month of dates that aren't just another catch-up call.

Frequently asked questions

How do long-distance couples read together?

Three common ways: read the same book separately and discuss it on a scheduled call, read the same chapters each week and check in as you go, or read aloud to each other over a video or voice call. Many couples mix them, for example reading aloud at bedtime and discussing a monthly book on weekends.

What's a good first book for a couple's book club?

Something under about 350 pages, easy to get into, with characters or ideas worth arguing about. Popular picks include The Midnight Library, Anxious People, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, or a memoir like Educated. Avoid very long or very bleak books for your first round.

Can we read different formats of the same book?

Yes. One of you can read the ebook while the other listens to the audiobook or reads a paperback. Page numbers won't match, so refer to chapters or quote a phrase instead. Kindle and some other apps also show locations or percentages you can use to keep pace.

How can we read books together for free?

Use free library apps like Libby and Hoopla with your library cards, borrow classics from Project Gutenberg, or pick books you already own. If one of you has better library access, choose from that catalog and let the other borrow from their own library or buy a cheap used copy.

What if my partner reads much faster than me?

Choose shorter books, set a deadline that suits the slower reader, and agree on spoiler rules. The faster reader can reread favorite sections or pick out passages to discuss. The slower reader can switch to the audiobook for commutes or chores to keep up.