As the temperature drops and leaves turn beautiful shades of gold, orange, and cherry, now is the perfect time to cozy up with a good book. Many local book groups have formed amid COVID times – or have gone virtual – and so here are just a handful of groups to inspire your reading.

Rainbow Reads Book Club

This inclusive book club focuses on bringing LGBTQ+ characters into the spotlight. The first meeting will be Oct. 22 at 6:30pm, so it’s not too late to join! Hosted by the Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ Resource Center, readers will discuss Jacob Tobia’s 2019 novel, Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story via Zoom. Register on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lgbtcommunitycenter to participate!

BYO Book Club

Is your ideal book club a stress-free environment where you can choose the book you want to read without feeling obligated to read a book selected by others that doesn’t interest you? This book club thinks so, too! Virtually chat about your latest five-star read every third Saturday of the month via Zoom at 10:30am. Email michaelaw@eauclaire.lib.wi.us to share and recommend your 2020 favorites!

Adventures in History Virtual Book Club

If you love history and reading, then this is the book club for you! Adventures in History meets once a month to discuss historical fiction via Zoom. Next up on their list is Erik Larson’s novel, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz. The meeting will take place Nov. 10 from 6:30-8:30pm.

One Read Eau Claire

This 12-month 12-book series, dedicated to exposing the community to more inclusive discussions on 15 topics selected by the Eau Claire community at the 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, has gone virtual. The upcoming books are Transgender History by Susan Stryker and Breaking the Silence: Untold Veterans’ Stories from the Great War to Afghanistan by Ted Barris. Facilitated by PRIDE/LGBTQ+ Center of the Chippewa Valley, Uniting Bridges, and UW-Eau Claire, visit the BlueJeans link on Nov. 7 from 1-3pm to share your thoughts.

Tough Topics Book Club

The title of this 18+ book club says it all –expand your knowledge and step out of your comfort zone by reading about difficult topics in an encouraging environment. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so the book club will be discussing No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder on Oct. 27 from 7-8:30 pm via Zoom. Registration is required, so email librarian@eauclaire.lib.wi.us to participate.