Walking in Circles (About a Very Good Book)

When the Walking Book Club Goes Indoors

It became clear pretty quickly that people don’t want to meet in the dark and walk in the freezing cold. And honestly, who can blame them? It’s been cold as hell here in Brooklyn. So I wanted to offer some alternatives.

I took the question to our WhatsApp group—Where can we walk together without freezing?—and, as usual, the group got creative. There’s a track at the YMCA Park Slope Armory. We could walk a mall like Navy Yard or City Point. Maybe even explore Industry City.

The YMCA Armory stood out right away. It has a wide-lane indoor track and felt like the most straightforward option. I emailed. I called. I followed up. Eventually, I learned we could get day passes for $20.

So when the date arrived, a small group of us—four total—met at the YMCA Park Slope Armory to discuss Sandwich by Catherine Newman.

When I arrived, I signed up for a day pass. A few minutes later, two others joined me and casually mentioned to the membership desk that the fourth person in our group was already a member. To our collective delight, they waved us all through—no extra charge.

And just like that, we walked.

We spent about 50 minutes circling the track, talking about the book. We talked about lies and relationships. Parenting. Creating rituals for our families. Aging parents. And how genuinely pleasurable the book was to read. Between the four of us, we spanned a wide range of life experiences: an empty nester, a childfree woman, a mom of two, and me—with one.

It felt easy. Grounded. Human.

Whether we find our way back to the Y, to a mall, or somewhere else entirely, we’ll keep walking together. And we hope you’ll join us in the new year.

Below are the upcoming dates and books. If any of them speak to you, DM me and I’ll add you to our WhatsApp group.