The New York Times & PBS Just Launched A Book Club, And You'll LOVE January's Pick

New year, new book clubs. Luckily, PBS NewsHour and The New York Times are jumping into the literary community with their newly launched club, Now Read This. And if you're still on the hunt for a new online book club to join this year, this just might be the perfect one. Now Read This is being billed as a "monthly collaborative book club" for its planned audience engagement across both news outlets and on multiple social media platforms—ideal for readers who are always connected.

Here's how it will work: At the beginning of every month, NewsHour and The Times will pick a book—fiction, history, memoir and more—and ask people to read along. Throughout the month, discussion questions and other exclusive material related to the book and from the book's author will be posted to both pbs.org and nytimes.com, as well as the dedicated Facebook group "Now Read This." Just some of what will be included in the exclusive material is writer’s advice, an inside look at how the book was written, and reviews from The New York Times. The month’s reading will culminate with NewsHour chief correspondent for arts and culture Jeffrey Brown interviewing the author on broadcast and asking reader-submitted questions. And all you have to do to take part is follow along with the Facebook group, and of course, read the book!

If you're not already looking forward to signing up for this club, their inaugural pick will probably sway you. In January, Now Read This will be reading Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing, the author's celebrated 2017 release which won the National Book Award for Fiction (and made it onto Barack Obama's year-end favorites list, too.)

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, $15, Amazon

In a statement, Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Book Review, says, "We're thrilled to team up with PBS NewsHour to spark thoughtful conversation about some of today's most timely and worthwhile books. Passionate readers now have a home to engage not only with other curious minds but also with the authors themselves. It will be a real treat to connect with readers of The Times and viewers of PBS NewsHour as they share ideas, ask questions and debate issues about what they are reading."

And if you're a reader who wants to add more of a community vibe to your every day reading, you're probably pretty thrilled at the prospect, too. Head over to the "Now Read This" Facebook page to learn more.