While reading a book might be a solitary exercise, it builds up an itch for discussion. And in times like these when people are longing to bond with others outside of their homes, the need to nurture a shared love for activities like reading has become more important. Online book clubs usually function in two ways: by selecting a particular book per week or month and having its community read and discuss it online, or by letting readers share their favourite titles and review current reads. They enable you to find your niche by being genre-specific, too. Here are our best picks.

For nature lovers

Prerna Singh Bindra, conservationist and author of The Vanishing had been contemplating starting an online book club for a while. But the ongoing scenario that has provoked many to return to reading and hearing the chirping of birds, led her to start one this month via a Twitter account called Reading Nature. "I have been inspired by nature books and they have played a key role in my writing. We'll be picking one book each month for discussion. This Sunday, we'll be generating ideas as to what book to pick — one of the suggestions is Kalidasa's Meghaduta, while I'm rooting for Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. It embodies what writing can achieve; it is evocative and not just dry science," she says.