Book Drives London

Non-fiction book discussion

A new non-fiction book club in Surbiton! Hosted at my flat on Grove Road, this is a monthly opportunity to discuss and a non-fiction work in a stimulating atmosphere (additional stimulus provided by coffee!). At this first meeting I’ll invite you to share something you’ve read and think will be interesting to discuss. At subsequent events we may have set books or a combination of set and free discussion. I’ll release the address to confirmed attendees in the days running up to each meeting. Looking forward to hosting you!

Book Swap Meetup 📚📚📚

Basic Ideas: 🌞 📚☕ Any books sitting there collecting dust? Some holiday gifts? Or it’s a book that has changed your life that you want to share? Feel free to bring book(s) to discuss or swap, we usually have more books than people in the end, so feel free to pop along just to have a chat as well. Aiming for every 4 weeks book swap meetup. Note: The event is free to attend, so the only cost for you will only be buying a drink at the location, so coffee/tea/beer etc.

September Harrow Women’s Book Club: There Are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak

CLOSEST TRAIN STATIONS
• Harrow & Wealdstone 4minwalk.
• Harrow on the hill 10 min bus (get off at stop: Harrow and Wealdstone station) and then it’s a 4minwalk.
• There is bus stop for H9 and H10 right outside The Palm House, stop: Palmerston Road.

PARKING
• Palmerston Road car park 2minwalk (quite a small car park)
• Harrow and Wealdstone station car park, about 4min walk
• Some street parking but not loads

Brain Worms 124 / The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet

Paris, 1980. The literary critic Roland Barthes dies—struck by a laundry van. The world of letters mourns a tragic accident. But what if it wasn’t an accident at all? A brilliantly erudite comedy, The Seventh Function of Language takes us from the cafés of Saint-Germain to the corridors of Cornell University, and into the duels and orgies of the Logos Club, a secret philosophical society that dates all the way back to the Roman Empire. Binet has written both a send-up and a wildly exuberant celebration of the French intellectual tradition. Who can you trust when the idea of truth itself is at stake? Available from all good libraries and book shops. You don't have to have read it to join us - but it'll probably help. **We've teamed up with Burley Fisher Book Shop to offer you 10% off The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet. Simply click on the link below and use the code "RIO" to claim your copy of the book:** **[https://burleyfisherbooks.com/products/the-7th-function-of-language](https://burleyfisherbooks.com/products/the-7th-function-of-language)** We will be meeting in The Ludski Bar in the Rio Cinema. [https://www.riocinema.org.uk/your-visit/](https://www.riocinema.org.uk/your-visit/) You are welcome to bring outside food in with you but please buy your drinks from inside the cinema. Thank you. We hope to see you there. ... To join the Brain Worms WhatsApp Group please click here: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/EvFibn1d6AsEwdVGmwkhko](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EvFibn1d6AsEwdVGmwkhko) (in order to stop spam bots this will take you to a Waiting Room. Once in please write your name and we will join you to the main chat). Meetup charges subscription fees. If you would like to make a donation please click here: [https://paypal.me/philosophycollective](https://paypal.me/philosophycollective)

Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathanael West

A quick note to say that if you would like to help me with the running costs of the book group, you can give a small contribution via Ko-fi. This helps me keep the group running as I pay the Meetup fee myself :) [https://ko-fi.com/annabookgroup](https://ko-fi.com/annabookgroup) We have changed location! Our next meetup will be at The Rose not far from London Bridge Station. We will meet from 6:30 onwards at the pub and make our way to the room downstairs between 6:30 and 7:00. We will start the discussion at around 7:00pm and talk about the book for an hour or so before having a break. Then we can vote on next month's book! If you have any suggestions for short (or shortish) books for the next shortlist, please message me ahead of time. Thanks! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathanael West (1933, 208 pages** The blackly comic energy of Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts—its caustic ebullience, the strange buoyancy of its suffering—is a remarkably American achievement, a kind of death-dance capered on the corpse of a vividly rendered early 1930s Manhattan. In the darkening curl of the Depression, misery is the fulcrum of national experience, a dismal engine that purrs especially for West’s titular protagonist. As a newspaper advice columnist, he is privy to the secret despair of an American chorus: the lost, the young, the deformed, the forgotten

Nutshell - Ian McEwan - Book Club 10 year anniversary!

For those of you who've not come along before, we'll read the book, then discuss it on the night guided by questions to keep us focused. It's relaxed and good fun. We'll do this over drinks. If it's your first time, I know it can be a bit daunting, but don't worry, we'll make you very welcome and before you know it you'll be stuck in! About the Book Trudy has betrayed her husband, John. She's still in the marital home - a dilapidated, priceless London townhouse - but not with John. Instead, she's with his brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and the two of them have a plan. But there is a witness to their plot: the inquisitive, nine-month-old resident of Trudy's womb. (The hardback is available from Amazon and second hand, and also widely available from the library)

Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen (5th October 2026)

Discuss September's Book

This month, we’re diving into historical fiction—a genre that brings the past to life through compelling characters, stories and settings. This month's read is: True Grit - Charles Portis

In-Person SBC at the London Night Cafe

September Meeting 2 - High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)

In September's second meeting, the book will be Nick Hornby's debut novel, *High Fidelity*. Springing to fame for his memoir about football fandom, *Fever Pitch*, this first fiction work tells the story of 'a neurotic record collector and his failed relationships.' (Wikipedia) 'A million-copy bestseller, and adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack, *High Fidelity* explores the world of break-ups, make-ups and what it is to be in love.' (Book jacket) 'A wonderfully wry deconstruction of male emotional constipation and trivial obsession, Hornby’s debut novel about a record shop owner and his tangled love life provokes gales of knowing laughter.’ -Waterstones https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/285092.High_Fidelity The meeting will take place at Blues Kitchen Camden. Come along for some intriguing discussion of this observant and funny novel in a musical atmosphere (though live music does not start until after our meeting!) with some tasty American food. N.B. We will be charging an event fee of £3, non-refundable, to discourage no-shows and contribute to the running costs of the group. Please only sign up if you intend to come along as space is limited to make for an effective discussion!

September Classic: Philosopher or Dog? - Machado de Assis

New members are always welcome. :) **Description:** ***Quincas Borba*** is a novel written by the Brazilian writer [Machado de Assis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machado_de_Assis). It was first published in 1891. It is also known in English as ***Philosopher or Dog?*** The novel was principally written as a serial in the journal *A Estação* from 1886 to 1891. It was definitively published as a book in 1892 with some small, but significant changes from the serialized version. Please note that this book may be titled either 'Philosopher or Dog' or 'Quincas Borba' in English, depending on the translation. Read whichever one you wish, but note that the latter (the title of the more recent translation, which is the same as the title in the original Portuguese) may be easier to acquire.

Make New Friends At A Bookshop

Do you want to meet new people in a relaxing chill atmosphere surrounded by new books? Do you dislike loud and smelly places like pubs and clubs? This is the event for you. Science and Philosophy Book Club is creating a new kind of meetup where people who love books and knowledge can meet new friends in a big book shop. We will explore around different sections of the book shop together as a group while making interesting conversations with each other. We will go to both fiction and non-fiction areas. If you feel shy and feel nervous to come alone, I will make sure you will feel comfortable and accomodate to your needs. I will help introduce you to others so you can go over the barrier of anxiety when approaching a new person. We will meet on the ground floor lounge area of Doubletree Hilton Hotel at 6 p.m. It is an amazing cosy bar with classy vibes. We will wait for everyone to show up while getting some drinks and socializing. At 7 p.m we will head to the Waterstones book store near Russel Square and UCL. After we explore the book store, we will come back to the hotel bar and stay there for the rest of the night. This event requires £5 donation to cover the venue fees. You can pay via cash or card. Thank you for helping the book club!