Comic Book Clubs Sydney

May Books and Bevvies

**Welcome along to Books & Bevvies** — a casual book swap + drinks social in the Sydney CBD. This is *not* a book club with homework. It’s a simple, low-key way to meet people, chat about what you’ve been reading, and walk out with something new. **How it works** *Bring a book you’re happy to part with - Pop it on the swap table when you arrive *Mingle, chat, and swap recommendations - When the swap opens, take a book that catches your eye! *Stay for a drink and a conversation after **What to bring** - 1 book (any genre, any reading level) **Good to know** *All genres and reading levels are welcome - No fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue - The venue relies on accurate numbers for staffing. If you can't make it please change your RSVP. Repeated no-shows = removal from the group. **Where we’ll be** We’ll be in the **Market Street Garden Bar**, with a table full of books and bevvies.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Meeting at the usual place, The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, on June 4, 2026, at 7.00pm, we will be discussing To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is the most recent 'classic' we have discussed in the group. Published in 1960, the novel is a cornerstone of American literature. Set in Alabama during the Great Depression, the story is narrated by 'Scout,' a young girl who grows up while observing the racial politics of the Deep South. Scout's father, Atticus Finich, is appointed to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Despite evidence showing that Tom could not have raped her, the all-white jury convicts. There is a vast industry discussing this novel. The still photo shows the characters Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson from the 1963 movie (available on youtube). The format of the meeting is that we chat about the book in a focused way for about an hour. Then the meeting formally ends. Almost everyone stay behind to chat more about the book and other things bookish.

Book Club - 'The Names' by Florence Knapp

Enshittification and the Power of Platforms: Is There a Way Out?

Ever wonder why so many digital services you rely on seem to be getting simultaneously worse and more expensive? More ads. Sponsored search results. Subscription creep. Auto‑renew traps. Dubious 'surge' charges. Sneaky fees. Forced sign-ins. Cancel buttons hidden. There's a term for this phenomenon: enshittification — the gradual degradation of platforms that once seemed like technological miracles offering us convenience, connection, and democratisation. But enshittification is just the surface symptom of something far more corrosive. Beneath the declining user experience lies a fundamental reshaping of our economy where a handful of tech platforms have positioned themselves as inescapable gatekeepers, extracting unprecedented wealth from workers, businesses, and consumers while accumulating dangerous concentrations of power — what some are now calling technofeudalism. What happened to the internet's promise of widespread prosperity and a stronger democracy? How did we end up locked into systems that seem designed to serve everyone except us? And most importantly: what can we do about it? Come join us for a vital conversation about reclaiming our digital future and building an economy that works for everyone, not just the platform owners. **Book: *Enshittification – Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* (2025) by Cory Doctorow** **Book (Alternative): *The Age of Extraction – How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity* (2025) by Tim Wu** **Pdf Resource:** ***[Infographics and Summary Tables](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQB0CITwHhHJSaFBbJDhZmMEAcDSAace_BN1Q6aSYILezCI?e=edqfP9)*** (A prepared document of selected ideas from the two books) This month you have two options to read depending on your preference towards the level of analysis, style of writing, and your ease in accessing the book. *Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It* by Cory Doctorow is a punchy, provocative, and highly readable take on why so many digital platforms seem to decline over time. Doctorow, who coined the term ‘enshittification’, argues that platforms follow a predictable lifecycle—starting out user-focused, then shifting to business customers, and finally extracting for themselves—in each stage squeezing the group it previously courted. The book is fast-paced, example-rich, and written in an accessible, almost conversational style, making it ideal if you enjoy sharp arguments, memorable concepts, and contemporary tech critique. It’s particularly appealing for readers who like books that spark immediate reactions and connect directly to everyday experiences online. *The Age of Extraction* by Tim Wu takes a broader, more analytical approach. Wu situates the problems of digital platforms within a larger historical and economic pattern, arguing that we are living in an “age of extraction” where powerful actors systematically draw value from users, workers, and society. The tone is more measured and reflective, with a focus on big-picture thinking and long-term trends. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy connecting ideas across economics, history, and politics, and who prefer a more structured, conceptual framework over a punchy polemic. Please read one (or both), depending on your interests. *The Age of Extraction* is 226 pages (or 6 hours) and *Enshittification* is 340 pages (or 10 hours, not available on Audible but is available on other platforms). Join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6:30pm on Monday, 6th July, on the 2nd floor of the Keg & Brew Hotel in Surrey Hills (i.e. up two flights of stairs). The venue is conveniently located near Central Station and the Light Rail. Bring along an example of an app or digital service you used to really like that has since become enshittified—something you can have a quick rant about to kick off the conversation! 😊 Hope to see you there! P.S. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to other people if there is a waitlist. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- These are just optional links to consider to supplement the reading of the books. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section. **Videos & Podcasts** * Two-for-one: Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu together! (Curiously, as kids they were classmates in the same small primary school in Toronto!): [The Ezra Klein Show – We Didn't Ask for This Internet (1.5hrs)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yepnhe1T-9U&t) [The Oxford Internet Institute - Enshittification and Extraction (1.5hrs)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkYxMQJ9c94) * Cory Doctorow Interviews: [Prospect Magazine (28mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9XRREj1DSo&t) [Doctorow on The Daily Show (15 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2e-c9SF5nE) [The Guardian (24 mins)](https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/nov/24/enshittification-how-we-got-the-internet-no-one-asked-for-podcast) * Tim Wu Interviews: [The Majority Report (40 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpnMk3IhV6U) [The Commonwealth Club (1 hour)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mRvMEzjTVw) * Explainer Video: [Why Every App is Getting Worse on Purpose (10 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjEGRXVKQCQ) **Written** * Pdf Resource: [Infographics and Summary Tables](https://1drv.ms/b/c/adb4f7488b2eef0a/IQB0CITwHhHJSaFBbJDhZmMEAcDSAace_BN1Q6aSYILezCI?e=edqfP9) (A prepared document of selected ideas from the two books) * Enshittification Summaries and Reviews: [Wikipedia summary of Enshittification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification) [Transcript of Doctorow Lecture on Enshittification](https://doctorow.medium.com/my-mcluhan-lecture-on-enshittification-ea343342b9bc) [CounterFire Book Review ](https://www.counterfire.org/article/enshittification-why-everything-suddenly-got-worse-and-what-to-do-about-it-book-review/) * The Age of Extraction Reviews [Prospect Book Review](https://prospect.org/2025/12/10/internets-tollbooth-operators-wu-review/) [HowAustraliaReallyWorks Book Review](https://www.howaustraliareallyworks.com/2026/02/book-summary-age-of-extraction-how-tech.html) [Washington Monthly Book Review](https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/02/age-of-extraction-tim-wu/)

After the Pogrom by Brendan O'Neill

Meeting at the usual place (upstairs) at The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, on Thursday 28 May 2026, we will be discussing *After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation* by Brendan O'Neill. The author is a former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party and writer for *Living Marxism*. He currently writes for *The Australian* and the UK-based website spiked-online.com O'Neill argues that the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists has exposed a pre-existing moral and intellectual decay within Western culture. The 'justification' of terrorism through the lens of 'resistance' reveals a collapse of foundational Western values. O’Neill suggests that woke ideology and identity politics have created a framework where perceived historical victimhood has been used to rationalise contemporary atrocities. Underlying the shouty protesters against Israel in the West, he argues, is the Western elites deep discomfort with ideas of nationhood, traditional morality, and the Enlightenment. What is the way forward from what, he says, is nothing short of a civilisational crisis? The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book in a focused way for about 50 mins. Opinions for and against the arguments in the book are encouraged. The facilitator will play Devil's Advocate if there is a consensus of opinion. The meeting then formally closes, but almost everyone stays back to talk more about the book or anything else. Many of us of start arriving just after 6.00pm, so feel free to arrive early for food or drinks. Copies of the book are available from the usual places. A soft copy is available from Dale on request at dalemills@cantab.net

Short Story Club: 'In My Country' by Thomas Ha

Short Story Club is a reading club for time-poor people who love speculative fiction. Just like other clubs we read the story and discuss it... though expect to go deeper into craft as writers. This session we're reading Thomas Ha's 'In My Country', a 2026 Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award-nominated story. This is available free to read through [Clarkesworld #223](https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/ha_04_25/) and its [audio version](https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/audio_04_25e). Meet at 2pm for a preliminary chat (use the time to order food/drink if you like) and we'll start the main event at 2.30pm. No need to bring anything but your thoughts, having read the story. *Image credit: Clarkesworld #223 by Thomas Brissot*

The Tempest - William Shakespeare (1611)

Here at Really Old Books we've so far covered The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, two poems with unknown or apocryphal authors - so I decided it would be good to choose a play whose authorship is beyond doubt. The Tempest is Shakespeare's last solo play - after writing it, Shakespeare gave up the theatre and joined up with Christopher Marlowe and Francis Bacon, forming a band called The Real Shakespeare. (Will on drums, Marlowe on bass, Bacon lead guitar. Emilia Lanier joined later as a vocalist.) According to my Arden Shakespeare edition, The Tempest "has been a play for all eras, all continents and many ideologies." It is richly ambiguous in its characters and has been a source of inspiration for painters and writers alike, as well as being one of the central texts in the development of postcolonial theory. As residents of Britain's sixth favourite colony this should be of interest to many Australians. It also features a shipwreck, so it should be of interest to Odyssey fans. I haven't read it before so I can't vouch for how homoerotic Prospero and Caliban's relationship is, so for Gilgamesh fans my recommendation is less certain. I wrote a more serious and straightforward event description earlier but the Meetup app decided to delete all my hard work, so here we are. Come one, come all! Let's enjoy a major work of world literature that doesn't have quite the same name recognition as a Hamlet or Macbeth, but stands proudly beside them as one of Shakespeare's very best works. Feel free to find the play in bookshops or on Project Gutenberg, or I'm sure you can watch it for free on YouTube or elsewhere too.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty | Sun 7 Jun 2026

June Book Club on AI: Empire of AI

Welcome to Meet the Moment Book Club, where we read books that meet the moment and make sense of it all together. Please see our [group page](https://www.meetup.com/meet-the-moment-book-club/) for a list of upcoming books. After discussing collapse, our third book club will examine one of the key drivers of collapse: artificial intelligence. Karen Hao's international bestseller "Empire of AI" is as illuminating as it is brilliantly written. It's precisely the book we need to be clear-eyed about the much-hyped sector of AI. "An eye-opening account of the tech arms race shaping out planet, from an award-winning journalist and AI insider to the world of Sam Altman and OpenAI... In exhilarating prose and with unparalleled access to those closest to Sam Altman, Hao recounts the meteoric rise of OpenAI and shows us the sinister impact that this industry is having on society." https://www.amazon.com.au/Empire-AI-Inside-reckless-domination/dp/1802064656/ We will be meeting at the Erko Hotel, in the open area in the back. There's no fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue. If you have trouble getting the book, message me. It's okay if you haven't finished the book by the time of the event, but please at least try -- the more the merrier! If the RSVP list is full, please join the waiting list as there will likely be fluctuations closer to the date. If you RSVP'ed and can't make it, please edit your RSVP so that others can attend. No-shows will be noted and barred from the book club. Please try to be on time as we start and end on time. Look forward to seeing you there.

Notes from Underground by Dostoyevsky

Meeting at the usual place, the Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Thursday 2 July 2026, at 7.00pm, we will be discussing Notes from Underground (1864) by Fyodor Dostoevsky. This is the same work which is sometimes called Notes From The Underground. It presents the monologue of an unnamed, alienated narrator—often called the “Underground Man”—who rejects rationalism, social harmony, and the idea that human beings can be explained or improved through reason. Instead, he insists on contradiction, self-sabotage and a love of cultivating resentment. It challenges optimistic 19th-century beliefs in progress and rational self-interest. Some of the themes may resonate with those who have recently read Fathers and Sons by Turgenev. Unlike a lot of works by Dostoyevsky, this one is quite short, and often described as a novella. We meet in the Long Room, upstairs at the Shakespeare Hotel. This is a private room with a closing door, so very conducive to conversation. We talk about the book for about 50 mins, and everyone gets a chance to speak. The meeting then formally ends and almost everyone stays behind to talk more about the book or anything else. Copies are easily available from local libraries and soft copies for free from https://www.gutenberg.org/

Civilization: The West and the Rest

Meeting at the usual place, The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, on Thursday June 25, we will discuss Civilization: The West and the Rest (2011) by Niall Ferguson. In my opinion (Dale) this is a remarkable work. It asks why a small portion of the earth – 7% of the world's land area – was able to establish capitalism and explore and colonise the world, from about the 1500s onwards. Ferguson argues that the West had a number of 'killer applications.' They included Competition (between states and firms), Science (systematic inquiry and technological innovation), the Rule of law / property rights. Also Medicine (especially modern public health and antibiotics), consumerism (mass markets and demand-driven economies) and the work ethic (especially Protestant-influenced discipline and saving). It is written for an intelligent, lay reader, and is not an 'academic' work. If people have a lot of time, you might also want to read a very short work with which this has been contrasted, *The West and the Rest: Globalization and the Terrorist Threat* (2002) by Roger Scruton. It has been suggested that the former is a serious work of social science, while the latter almost borders on the mystical. The format that seems to work best is that we discuss the book for about 50 minutes in a fairly disciplined way, where one person speaks at a time and everyone gets a turn to speak. My role as a facilitator is to ask provocative questions if everyone agrees. I will play Devil's Advocate where there is consensus. Then I might express my personal views in the last few minutes. The meeting then breaks up and everyone can stay back to further discuss the book or anything else! This books is fairly easily available from local libraries and our friend Anna. Contact me at dalemills (at) cantab.net for a free pdf.

Philosophy Discussion: Nietzsche's Human, All Too Human

We will be meeting to discuss Nietzsche's 1878 work *Human, All Too Human: A Book For Free Spirits.* This works marks a turning point in his philosophy. Written after his break with Richard Wagner and growing distance from Arthur Schopenhauer, the book abandons grand metaphysical claims in favor of a more skeptical, psychological approach. In a series of sharp, aphoristic reflections, Nietzsche examines morality, religion, art, and human relationships—not as expressions of timeless truths, but as products of historical development, habit, and human need. Often seen as Nietzsche’s “free spirit” phase, *Human, All Too Human* offers a more restrained and analytical voice than his later works. It draws heavily on Enlightenment influences and raises a central question: what happens when we subject our highest ideals to critical, historical scrutiny? Because of the books aphoristic style it is very accessible for those less comfortable with longer texts while still being full of philosophical insight and depth. As you read it may be helpful to focus in on certain aphorisms and note them down for group discussion. This meeting will take place Monday, June 1 at 7 PM at the UTS Library 61 Broadway, Ultimo NSW 2007 on Level 3. The meeting is open to all.