Croydon Bookworms 📚🐛 (Book Club in-Person)

Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3) by Joe Abercrombie
📖 536 pages
Genre: Fantasy • Grimdark • Epic Fantasy

Summary:
The end is here—and it won’t be clean.
Last Argument of Kings brings the First Law trilogy to its explosive conclusion. War consumes the North. The Union trembles under siege. Old debts are called in, long-laid plans come to fruition, and the true cost of ambition is finally revealed.
Logen Ninefingers must decide what kind of man he really is. Glokta navigates a crumbling political landscape where survival depends on choosing the right master. Jezal is forced into a role he may not be fit to play. And Bayaz’s grand design—patiently constructed over decades—comes into devastating focus.
Abercrombie delivers a finale that refuses easy answers. Power has a price. Justice is rarely fair. And sometimes the last argument of kings is simply who survives to tell the tale. Expect twists, reckonings, and consequences that linger long after the final page.

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Join the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series Squad! 🗡️📚
We’re wrapping up The First Law trilogy together—one last month to debate loyalties, question motives, and decide whether grimdark fantasy has ruined traditional heroes for good.

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How It Works:
🪐 Series Focus: This month’s read is Last Argument of Kings, Book 3 and the epic conclusion to the trilogy. Threads converge, masks fall, and we finally see what this story has truly been building toward.
🙌 No Pressure Zone: Finished it? Fantastic. Still catching up? Come anyway. We’ll dive into the ending, character payoffs, shocking revelations, and whether the journey was worth the bloodshed.

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📍 Join us at the Dog in Croydon on the 29th of April 2026 at 7:00 PM
Raise a glass to fallen heroes, surviving schemers, and a trilogy that proves sometimes the sharpest weapon is the truth.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (292 pages)
Genre: Literary Fiction, Family Drama, Mystery

Summary:
Lydia is the favorite child of the Lee family, and her parents are determined she will fulfill the dreams they could never reach. But when Lydia’s body is found in a nearby lake, the fragile balance of their family shatters. As the truth of her life and death slowly unfolds, each family member is forced to confront long-held secrets, unspoken expectations, and the weight of silence.
Celeste Ng’s stunning debut is a moving exploration of identity, family pressures, and the invisible ties that bind us together.
Trigger Warning: This book contains themes of racism, sexism, parental pressure, and grief. Please take care while reading.

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Join Our Book Club Bingo! 📚💔
For our May pick, we’re diving into an intimate and heart-wrenching family story that blends mystery with emotional depth — with a side of Book Club Bingo, of course!

How It Works:
🎲 Grab Your Bingo Card: We’ll give you a custom card with prompts and themes from the book.
✅ Mark Your Cards: Tick off squares during our discussion.
🎉 Shout “Bingo!”: First to complete 2 rows, columns, or diagonals wins.
🎁 Win a Book: Two lucky winners will go home with a new read!

Expect a night of thoughtful discussion on family expectations, cultural identity, love, loss, and the things we leave unsaid. Come ready to share your reflections and reactions.

📍 The Dog & Bull (in Surrey Street) in Croydon
📅 13th of May 2026 (Wednesday) at 7:00 PM
Are you ready to uncover everything they never told you? 🌊📖

Jade City by Fonda Lee (496 pages)
Genre: Fantasy • Urban Fantasy • Crime

Summary:
In the bustling island city of Janloon, jade isn’t just a precious stone—it grants enhanced strength, speed, and supernatural abilities to those trained to wield it. Powerful clans control the flow of jade, blending tradition, family loyalty, and brutal street-level politics.
At the heart of it all is the No Peak Clan, locked in a deadly rivalry that threatens to erupt into all-out war. As tensions rise, honor, loyalty, and ambition collide in a gripping saga of crime families, magical power, and the cost of legacy.
Jade City is an addictive, character-driven fantasy with sharp political intrigue, intense action, and a richly built world inspired by East Asian culture—think The Godfather meets martial arts fantasy.

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Join the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series Squad! 🚀📚
If you’ve ever gotten halfway through a fantasy or sci-fi series and needed a little group support to finish, this is your crew. We’re reading one book a month together—so you can keep pace, stay motivated, and enjoy deep-dive discussions without feeling overwhelmed.

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How It Works:
🪐 Series Focus: We're tackling one sci-fi or fantasy book per month. This May, we’re diving into Jade City by Fonda Lee. If it’s a hit with the group, we’ll continue with the rest of the Green Bone Saga.
🙌 No Pressure Zone: Didn’t finish the book? No stress. Come anyway—we’ll chat about the world-building, characters, favorite quotes, and wildest twists.

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📍 Join us at the Dog & Bull (Surrey Street) in Croydon on Wednesday 27th May at 7:00 PM
Grab a drink, pick a side in the clan rivalry, and let’s dive into the dangerous, jade-fueled streets of Janloon together.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
📖 336 pages (approx.)
Genre: Literary Fiction • Contemporary • Philosophical

Summary:
Haunted by loss and searching for meaning, Cyrus Shams is a young poet grappling with grief, addiction, and the legacy of his Iranian heritage. Orphaned by tragedy and untethered in his adulthood, he becomes obsessed with martyrs—those who die for a cause—and what it means to live a life worth sacrificing.
As Cyrus spirals through art, memory, and self-destruction, Martyr! unfolds as a raw, lyrical exploration of identity, faith, and the fragile line between despair and transcendence. It’s a bold, intimate novel about longing to matter in a world that often feels indifferent.

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Join Our Book Club Bingo! 🧿📚
For July, we’re diving into something introspective, intense, and thought-provoking. Expect existential questions, messy humanity, and plenty of moments perfect for ticking off your Bingo card.
How It Works:
🧿 Grab Your Bingo Card: Filled with themes of grief, identity, addiction, art, and moments of existential crisis.
✅ Mark Your Cards: Check off squares as we discuss quotes, character struggles, philosophical ideas, and emotional turning points.
🎉 Shout “Bingo!” Be the first to complete two rows, columns, or diagonals.
📚 Win a Book: Two readers will leave with a new addition to their TBR pile!

Expect poetic chaos, uncomfortable truths, dark humour, and a search for meaning that hits a little too close to home.

📍 The Dog on Surrey Street, Croydon
📅 8th of July at 7:00 PM