How It Works

We have partnered with the University of Washington Alumni Association and UW Libraries to create a virtual book club for UW alumni and friends, designed with the eclectic reader in mind – personal stories, timely topics and transformative fiction will all have a place on our reading list. The book club will connect through a private forum where all participants can discuss the current book, along with moderated conversations and supplementary reading materials. Joining is completely free, you just need a copy of the book to enjoy. We’ll read one book every two months so that you'll have plenty of time for each book.

Our May to July Selection:

Cover image for current book

Demon Copperhead:

A Novel

by Barbara Kingsolver

Why Join

1. Connect with fellow UW alumni and friends: Want another way to connect? Joining our book club will help you learn and grow with fellow alumni to help you improve your network.
2. Exercise your critical thinking muscles: With a wide-range of topics and formats, Book Club readers will have a variety of storytelling styles, viewpoints and current trends to contemplate. With guided resources provided by PBC Guru and UW librarians, we anticipate conversations that both challenge and affirm.
3. Reading is good for you: Did you know that reading is proven to teach empathy?1 Reading also improves your intelligence, reasoning ability, and has been linked to reducing the chance of Alzheimer's.2 Joining our book club gives you the opportunity to read more and enjoy all the benefits that come with it.

The Books

Below are a few examples of the kind of books the group may read. We will vote between several options each period and select a book based on reader interests.

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Cover image for example book entitled
Cover image for example book entitled
Cover image for example book entitled
Cover image for example book entitled
Cover image for example book entitled

Frequently Asked Questions

How often will books be read, what is the time commitment and what are the expectations?

We plan to start the book club by reading one book every two months. The texts selected will take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 1 and 2 hours a week to read you should be fine. We’ve designed our club with the eclectic reader in mind -- personal stories, timely topics and transformative fiction will all have a place on our reading list.

Will there be any in-person meetings of the book club?

No, the book club will be entirely online. You can participate anywhere you have Internet access and on days and times that are convenient to you.

Is there any cost to participate?

Participation is free for UW alumni and friends!

How do I get the books?

Participants can get books for free at their local library or purchase them. Many of the titles will be available through UW Libraries or the University Book Store. Don’t forget UWAA members have borrowing privileges through UW Libraries and a discount from the University Book Store.

How do book club discussions work?

The book club will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to the book club, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. UW Libraries staff and librarians will also be a part of our discussions, providing great insights and igniting conversations alongside alumni and friends. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.

How do I make a forum profile?

We're using a private forum to host the virtual book club so it's easy to connect with fellow alumni. During our sign up process, you will enter the information to auto-generate your free profile. After you complete the sign up, we'll send you a link to the forum and you can begin to post right away!

What exactly is PBC Guru and what do they have to do with the book club?

Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for alumni and friends. You can check out their website at www.pbc.guru if you want to see more of what they do.

I've already signed up. How do I log in?

If you are already a member, you can click here to log in.

What if my question isn't answered?

Feel free to send an email to info@pbc.guru and we will be happy to help.