
What we’re about
Join us for adventures in reading & real life! We are a community of readers who discuss books over paired outings. Like to explore? Like to read? You’ve found your people! Join us here in-person and for online discussions wherever you are on the socials! FB, Insta, TikTok, Website
Newsletter/FB group: Meetup isn’t great at sending out notifications, so to stay up to date with the latest book and activity pairings, sign up for the newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/fc5e0725650d/thenoveltourist and join the community on our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ I also post regularly on books and book pairings on Instagram via @thenoveltourist
What the Club Will Do for You
The purpose of all NTBC events is to give you the opportunity to socialize with likeminded readers who are life long learners and love to try new experiences. If your goal is read more books, do more stuff and meet more friends, being part of NTBC can be a life-changing experience!
What You Can Do for the Club
Bring your fun-loving, healthy attitude. Be committed to reading, showing up when promised, and being respectful of other members. We require that your profile includes a clear picture of yourself so others can identify you at our events.
Terms and Conditions
By joining the Novel Tourist Book Club or signing up for or attending any event offered by the Novel Tourist Book Club, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
- Readers please: NTBC is, first and foremost, a book club. We do a lot of amazing activities tied to the books. There are lots of Meetup groups that also do these fun activities. So, if you don’t like to read or don’t plan to read, we are sure there is another group out there that is more suited to your interests. Now, that said, it doesn’t mean you have to read the book or finish the book every time. Sometimes, you try and the book just doesn’t resonate with you. That’s okay! Come and tell us how much you didn’t like it! All we ask is that you try.
- No Guests: Sadness, we know! We are all about the more the merrier, but there must be a limit to the number of attendees at any one event. Events fill up really fast and so unless the event allows you to add a guest (which will be very rare) your guest must create a Meetup account and rsvp for themselves as a member. Yay new members!
- Liability Waiver: By signing up for an event, all members take full responsibility for their own actions and agree to adhere to the following terms and conditions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ZE-yUJEcHUnXF_A8MUsfxWhEmrKxZEcojrHh8FjQzc/edit; and further agree to hold harmless the Novel Tourists Book Club organizers and members of this Meetup book club from any and all claims and liability in case of possible injuries as stated in Paragraph 6 of the Meetup Terms of Service Agreement ( https://help.meetup.com/hc/en-us/articles/360027447252-Terms-of-Service#h_9e385395-a405-4361-8afc-854a4f586c82 ). When attending an event, you acknowledge that you are doing this at your own risk.
- Event Payments:
- Name: If your name on your Meetup profile is different than your name on your payment profile (PayPal, Venmo), please provide your meetup name when you make your payment;
- Include Date or Event Title: Please include the date of the event or an indication of the event title (e.g. if we are going to a restaurant put the name of the restaurant not just “restaurant” or “book club.”)
- Be Open-minded, Kind and Courteous: We can’t imagine anyone who loves to read being anything but open-minded, kind and courteous. However, I also know we bibliophiles can have some pretty strong opinions about books! Whether you agree with someone or not, no doubt you came here for a welcoming environment. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.
- No bullies: Personal attacks of any kind are not allowed. Period. I have zero tolerance for any bullying, degrading comments about another member’s race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity. We are an open and inclusive community and to keep it that way a$$holes will be removed from the group.
- Photos/Videos: Joining the group and attending an event means you’re a-okay with being photographed/video recorded during events. We always takes pics: for the memories and for promotion of future events and NTBC.
- Communication settings: This is just helpful guidance. Events fill up really fast. Make sure your settings are set to maximize communication: Click on your profile pic in Meetup, click Settings, under General select Email Updates, scroll down and find The Novel Tourists Book Club under “Updates about your Group”, click Edit next to The Novel Tourists Book Club and then make your choices. I suggest checking “New Event Announcements,” “Changes to Event Time or Locations,” “My RSVP is confirmed,” and, most importantly: "Announcements to Members About the Group" and “Event updates from Organizer.” Also, you may want to download the Meetup app.
- Carpooling: It’s great for the planet! However, any arrangements are between you and the person driving. The Novel Tourists Book Club organizers and hosts do not provide, endorse, sponsor or take responsibility for any carpool arrangements pertaining to any event. Please use your good judgment when deciding whether or not to carpool with other participants of the book club event you are attending.
- Refund Policy:
- Events with a fee of less than $5: No refunds, even if someone takes your spot. The events fill fast and the only way to really try to make sure that those who are truly interested and able to come get a seat, is a nominal fee. This fee is offered to the event host to pay for their entrance/meal/etc as a way of saying thank you for your time and for putting this together for us.
- Events with a fee greater than $5: The general policy is if the Organizer/Host can get their money back, you’ll get your money back - if you timely cancelled. Once an event location has been paid, however, many times they won’t issue a refund. If they don’t refund us, we can’t refund you regardless of how far in advance you cancelled. That said, sometimes a refund can be issued IF you cancel at least a week in advance AND someone takes your spot. If you want to request a refund, message Audrey via Meetup to discuss. Please note, if you cancel the day before or the day of an event, there are refunds - regardless of the reason and regardless if someone takes your spot.
- If you do not agree to the above terms and conditions, do not sign up for the club. There is probably a different club out there that will better meet your needs.
Happy reading and adventuring!
- Audrey
Upcoming events
6
- $15.00

Discuss 📕Book "Mexican Gothic" and Tour 🍄Mycopolitan Mushroom Farm!
Mycopolitan, 428 East Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, USJoin Audrey for an afternoon where fiction meets fungus—and the gothic gets gloriously real. 🌿📖 In Mexican Gothic, we find ourselves in a mansion overtaken by secrets, spores, and something far more sinister lurking in the walls. At Mycopolitan Urban Mushroom Farm, we’ll explore a different kind of gothic mystery—one rooted in real science and urban sustainability. 🌫️🍄💀Wander through dim grow rooms where mushrooms thrive in darkness, learn how mycelium connects life and decay, and feel the uncanny echo of the novel’s haunting atmosphere.
After our tour, we’ll jump back in our cars and head nearby for 🌮 lunch at Cantina la Martina to discuss Mexican Gothic - October's Member Choice Book! - and the eerie parallels between fungal networks and family secrets, growth and rot, control and survival. The Cantina is hosting a Day of the Dead festivities and menu that day!
FEE: $15 - covers tour. Lunch and any purchases are on your own.
HOW TO PAY: Use Friends and Family! Do not use the business option because it charges a service fee. Please note the event name or date on your payment. If your payment name is different than your Meetup name please make sure you note your Meetup name.
Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (phone ends in 4478)
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBug
------📚 NOVEL: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia
Genre: GothicAfter receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
🍄ADVENTURE: Urban Farm Tour - Mycopolitan
📍 Where: Mycopolitan, Northeast Philadelphia✅ See first-hand the basics of mushroom farming: substrate prep, sterilization, inoculation, incubation, harvest.
✅ And have all your burning mushroom questions answered!Mycopolitan is a subterranean farm that uses earth's thermal mass to buffer temperatures. This means less energy and more mushrooms.
The farm is 100% chemical-free and the blocks consist of 90%+ organic substrate. They never spray anything on mushrooms and mycelium that isn’t h2o.OPTIONAL: Purchase mushrooms (or a DIY kit) to take home
🌮LUNCH: Cantina la Martina
Address: 2800 D St. Philadelphia PA 19134
🌯Menu: The only menu this day is their Day of the Dead Menu
(They haven't posted it yet, so follow them on insta to find out!)
All items are pay as you go so bring cash to make it easy.🖼️ Altar Invitation: They invite everyone to bring framed photos of loved ones you’d like remembered. Photos can be dropped off ahead of time or on the day of the event to honor them on their community altar.
🎉**Stay connected **to other adventurous readers! Join the Novel Tourist online community:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist
➡️RULES:
Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.Happy reading!
Audrey--------
❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. ***Did you love the event? ***Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love 💓putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together!------
You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. 🙄 The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring their passions and book hobbies dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. and passions! Urban exploration, bookstores, and lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize together.22 attendees - $65.00

🪴Pottery Spinning Wheel Class & Discuss📕Book "The Healing Season of Pottery"
YAY CLAY, 3237 Amber St, Philadelphia, PA, USJoin Audrey at Yay Clay! Studio to spin your own mug or bowl while we discuss The Healing Season of Pottery, This cozy Korean bestseller invites readers into a warm, sunlit pottery studio where a burned-out young TV broadcast writer begins to heal, working the clay, piece by piece, season by season. 📖 Let’s get centered — literally and figuratively.
At Yay Clay! Studio, we’ll step into that same spirit of reflection and creation. Guided by an instructor, you’ll spin your own pottery on the wheel, learn how to shape and center clay, and feel the peaceful rhythm that turns simple earth into something lasting. As we work, we’ll reflect on the novel’s themes of renewal, patience, and the beauty in imperfection. 🪶🌀
FEE: $65 - covers pottery class to spin one piece (this is a significant discount over the normal $90+/pp price!) First pay goes!
HOW TO PAY: Use Friends and Family! Do not use the business option because it charges a service fee. Please note the event name or date on your payment. If your payment name is different than your Meetup name please make sure you note your Meetup name.
Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (phone ends in 4478)
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBug
------
📚 NOVEL: The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin
Genre: Korean cozy
After breaking down at the office and abruptly quitting her job, thirty-year-old Jungmin holes up in her apartment, speaking to no one for days on end. When she finally emerges, she stumbles upon a pottery studio in her neighborhood and is invited in by the mysterious workshop teacher. The smell of clay, the light filtering through the plant filled windows, the friendly cat, and the incredible coffee the students drink awaken her senses and make her feel alive and inspired for the first time in months.
As the seasons change, Jungmin slowly returns to herself and builds a new community with the other members of the studio, who are all working through their own pasts at the pottery wheel. When the holidays approach and snow piles up on the studio windowsill, Jungmin realizes how much she has changed—with her hands busy and her mind clear, she may be ready to face the memories she’s been running from and open her heart.
🪴ADVENTURE: Spin Pottery (Mug or Bowl)
📍 Where: Yay Clay! Studio.✅ Learn the basics of pottery throwing and shaping on a real wheel.
✅ Experience the mindful calm that comes with working the clay.
✅ Create your own functional art to keep.Because sometimes the most beautiful stories are the ones we shape ourselves. 🏺💛
🎉Stay connected to other adventurous readers! Join the Novel Tourist online community:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist
➡️RULES:
Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.Happy reading!
Audrey--------
❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. ***Did you love the event? ***Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love 💓putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together!------
You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. 🙄 The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring their passions and book hobbies dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. and passions! Urban exploration, bookstores, and lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants and work with clay and do pottery and other neat art events. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobbies like pottery. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize together.17 attendees - $3.00

📚BOOK CLUB: Discuss "The Bastard of Istanbul" Over Turkish Cuisine at Eastanbul
Eastanbul, 4000 Route 130,, Delran, NJ, USJoin Joanne at Eastanbul, a BYOB authentic Turkish restaurant offering delicious kebabs, rich mezes, and delightful desserts in Delran, NJ. We'll discuss The Bastard of Istanbul, a novel full of vigorous, unforgettable female characters about the tangled histories of two families by one of Turkey’s most acclaimed and outspoken writers.
Limited to 20 attendees. $3 holds your seat and supports running the club. First to pay goes.
💵HOW TO PAY: Venmo Joanne $3 to hold your spot. First paid, first goes. @Joanne-McNally-1. Use friends and family option. Specify event date or title Last four digits of phone are 0918, if needed.
Bring cash to make check payment easy📚FICTION: The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
Genre: Historical FictionIn her second novel written in English, Elif Shafak confronts her country’s violent past in a vivid and colorful tale set in both Turkey and the United States. At its center is the “bastard” of the title, Asya, a nineteen-year-old woman who loves Johnny Cash and the French Existentialists, and the four sisters of the Kazanci family who all live together in an extended household in Istanbul: Zehila, the zestful, headstrong youngest sister who runs a tattoo parlor and is Asya’s mother; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as a clairvoyant; Cevriye, a widowed high school teacher; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. Their one estranged brother lives in Arizona with his wife and her Armenian daughter, Armanoush. When Armanoush secretly flies to Istanbul in search of her identity, she finds the Kazanci sisters and becomes fast friends with Asya. A secret is uncovered that links the two families and ties them to the 1915 Armenian deportations and massacres. Full of vigorous, unforgettable female characters, (Goodreads).
🥗FOODIE: Eastanbul
Menu: Turkish
BYOB
Eastanbul Restaurant serves “fresh, flavorful dishes that capture the essence of Istanbul. Savor our perfectly grilled kebabs, bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. Enjoy a variety of rich mezes (Small flavorful plates similar to tapas) that complement your meal and delight your palate.”🎉Follow for more bookish adventures:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTouristRULES: Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.
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You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm.
To make sure our Book Club events get seen. The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring hobbies dining out at restaurants. In Philadelphia and New Jersey! International dining and fun. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. Lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize. Follow your passions!25 attendees
Past events
378



