Book Drives Berlin

First MeetUp: Book Club of Not Knowing

*It makes a vast difference to experientially work it to the best of your ability rather than just hear about it and intellectually understand.* (From Ralston's "Pursuing Consciousness") If you have any interest in consciousness work, contemplation, or discovering who you are, what life is, etc., please read the group description. Everybody is welcome, no matter the familiarity with the matter, as long as there is a genuine interest. **Our agenda** 1\. Briefly getting to know each other 2\. Individually reading for about 30 minutes\. It can be any part of any of Ralston's books or similar material\. *No need to bring anything*. 3\. Sharing what we've read and contemplating each part silently for about 5 minutes\. 4\. More exercises or reading\, depending on the sentiment of the group\. E\.g\.\, dyads\, meditation\, or etc\. 5\. Feedback & outlook for future meetups\. 6\. Open ended socialising for whoever wants\. We won't share the "results" of our contemplations, unless somebody feels the need or thinks it might be valuable for the group. The reason for this is to avoid pressure during the contemplation, that can arise if we know we'll "have to" share what we "achieved". If anybody wants to attend **online**, we can make that possible too with a good laptop & speaker.

@ No. 52 (w/ ForEveryone) - A cozy book swap and chat meetup!

We’re happy to collaborate with ForEveryone and the No. 52 Cafe for this next book swap! If you’re looking for some workshops or events check them out [here](https://foreveryone.berlin/). Place is limited. Please update your RSVP if you can or can’t join, here or in their app. (No need to double rsvp) The "classical" bookswap is simple: * We meet in a café and put the book(s) we brought down on the tables. * We go around to browse and discuss the books with one another while sipping coffee or hot chocolate, or eating cake. * We write our names down on any books we’d like to take home (post-its and pens provided). * At the end of the evening, negotiate any books that are contended and take a new-to-you book home! Books/happiness shared are books/happiness multiplied! A Bookswap is 10 times better than a Book Club because you can talk about ALL the books instead of just one! This is a great way to give your books a new home and make room for new books: that book you feel guilty for not having read even though it's been sitting on your bedside table for the last 5 years, the book you liked but didn't love, the book you loved so much you want everyone to read it, the book you somehow own three copies of, that book you absolutely hated even though everyone else loves it, and so on. Moreover, you will meet fellow readers, get a new book or two, and several book recommendations. We’ve often had readers experience books they wouldn't normally buy and enjoy it. GROUP EXPECTATIONS for PLEASANT SWAPPING * Please bring a book! It's not that you bring one you take one, but do try your best to bring something. * Books stay on the tables, open for sharing, until you are ready to leave so that everyone can have a look. We are notably not first come first serve. Please wait until you are leaving to bag the book. * If two or more people want the only copy of a book, negotiate. Maybe one of you reads it first and then gives it to the others. Or perhaps they have found another book instead. Or leave it to fate and toss a coin. The best part: now you have found somebody whose taste you can really admire. In any case, please don't walk away with a book with several names on it without letting the others know. These negotiations are fun and easy, so don't shy away from a book because there's already a name on it, and feel free to put your name on as many books as you find interesting. It's not that you bring one you take one; you may take as many as you can negotiate. * Political discussions with consent: make sure the people you are talking to would like to have a political discussion with you. * Please respect this space as first and foremost a community for connecting readers over their love of books and reading, stories, and narratives of all sorts. Please be respectful of tastes and opinions. * If something is bothering you, please reach out to the organizers, and we'll do our best to resolve it. * Lastly, don't expect your book back. It will find a new home. If you love it, let it go. Major LANGUAGES (and genres) of this meetup: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian; Fiction, Non-Fiction, Serious Reading, Light Fun, “classics", Krimis, Booker winners, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Self-Help and more. You never know who can read what languages, and there's no accounting for taste. We are a delightful and international group of readers. We look forward to swapping with you!

July Book Club: Taiwan Travelogues

We'll come together at a cosy cafe to discuss S. Marai's novel Embers. Before RSVPing yes, ask yourself- Do I have a copy of the book? Can I be there at that place and time? Looking forward to our discussion! :) Also if you would like to join our Whatsapp group to vote on books, please talk to Sneha at the meeting. :)

Book Club/Reading Together @Tales Untold in Friedrichshain

Hi all, Let's meet again on another Sunday morning. Agenda: 10:30-11:00 Arrival, ordering drinks, getting to know each other 11:00-12:00 Reading together 12:00-13:00 Share reading experience There is no books assigned. Just bring whatever you are reading for now. Please sign up only when you can join the event. Have fun!

August Sci-Fi #1.1: "Bang Bang Boddhisattva" by Aubrey Wood (384pp)

Silent Reading / Creating Club at W66 (Saturday) [Luma to RSVP]

RSVP on Luma: https://luma.com/8t17c4es Silent Reading / Creating Club is a gathering for people who enjoy focusing together in public. Bring a book, a notebook, a sketchpad, knitting needles, whatever you’d like to spend a quiet hour doing. All projects and all participants are welcome. We’re building a community of readers and creators who value depth, presence, and shared silence. The reading and creating isn't the real highlight, though, it’s in the people who return and make it feel like a familiar room. (Please RSVP “yes” only if you can make it, so we can save a seat for you and others on the waitlist.) Our Meeting Point is the **W66 Café**. There’s no entrance fee, but please order at least one item from the café and don’t bring outside food or drinks 🙂 No assignments, expectations, or pressure. Just a shared hour of intentional silence, followed by the opportunity for good conversation. 🕰 Our Agenda **10:30 – 11:00** Arrivals, ordering drinks/food, light social time **11:00 – 12:00** The Great Quiet Hour (Read. Write. Sketch. Code. Think. Sit.) **12:00 – 12:30** Optional socializing: share what you were reading or creating, or simply continue in quiet focus. ## 🏡 House Guidelines To keep this space calm and welcoming for everyone: • Silence during the focus hour (no calls or conversations) • Put cellphones on silent mode • If using technology, please avoid meetings or audio (headphones please!) • Arrive before 11:00 if possible to minimize disruptions

„Das verlorene Paradies“ von Abdulrazak Gurnah (1994)

Hi, dieses Mal besprechen wir „Das verlorene Paradies“ von Abdulrazak Gurnah (1994). Hier der Link zum Inhalt und Buch : https://www.penguin.de/buecher/abdulrazak-gurnah-das-verlorene-paradies/buch/9783328602583 Wir treffen uns diesmal im Fuchsbau nahe Kottbusser Damm. :)

Sunday Silent Reading @ MOKKA*MILCH

📚 **A little change of scenery this Sunday!** This week's Silent Reading Club will take place at **MOKKA\*MILCH** on **Karl-Marx-Allee**. There's no participation fee, and **MOKKA\*MILCH** is kindly hosting us free of charge. To support the café and help us continue organizing events like this, we kindly ask everyone to order at least one drink (or something to eat) during the event. ☕🥐 Please also refrain from bringing your own food or drinks, and instead enjoy what the café has to offer. Thank you for supporting our wonderful host! Silent Reading Club is a group of book lovers who enjoy reading together in public. All books and all readers are welcome. (Kindly RSVP 'yes' only if you can make it, so we can save a seat for you and our fellow readers on the waitlist!) No quizzes, no pressure, no assigned books - just a group of book-loving souls basking in the beauty of silent reading. We'll be spread across a few tables - feel free to join whichever one you like and say hi to your fellow readers! **Our agenda:** 10:30 am - 11:00 am - Arrivals, ordering drinks/food (social time) 11:00 am - 12:00 pm - The Great Quiet Reading Hour 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm - Optional socializing, share your reading adventures or just keep exploring the pages Stay for lunch, and who knows? You might just find your next favorite book over a pizza.

Women’s Book Club: The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

This week we are discussing **Isabel Allende:** The House of Spirits. We look forward to seeing you! If you have book suggestions, would like to vote on our next reads, or join us for additional activities, please ask someone at the meeting to add you to our WhatsApp group. Just a heads up: **The cafe only accepts card payments for amounts over €10**, so you may want to bring some cash for smaller orders. **Also, if you're unable to attend, please update your RSVP so that someone from the waiting list can take your spot.**

Women’s Book Club: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

This time we will be discussing **Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking.** We look forward to seeing you! If you have book suggestions, would like to vote on our next reads, or join us for additional activities, please ask someone at the meeting to add you to our WhatsApp group. Just a heads up: **The cafe only accepts card payments for amounts over €10**, so you may want to bring some cash for smaller orders. Please remember to cancel your participation in good time if you are not coming. This will give someone else enough time to read the book and come to the meeting.

July Sci-Fi #2.2: "The Last Man" by Mary Shelley (380pp)

Reading in Companionable SILENCE

Who is in the mood for some quiet togetherness while catching up on their reading? Let’s enjoy literature or non-fiction together and come to our Reading in Companionable Silence meeting. Nathania will welcome members and there is time to socialize and to order some food or a beverage - ca. 30 min. Then we read for an hour in silence. After that - time to exchange impressions, suggestions, ask questions and generally have a good time. There might be a break in the middle in order to allow for more drinks, a bathroom break etc. Only RSVP if you really intend to come and are sure that you can make it. Please don’t waste our hosts‘s time and energy by reserving a spot and then dropping out at short notice.