Book Drives Melbourne

August Book Club

Welcome to our August gathering of Melbourne Women's Big Ideas Book Club! If you love discovering great books and discussing the ideas they spark, we'd love to have you join us. This is a relaxed monthly lunch where every member brings along a book they've recently enjoyed. There are no set reads and no genre restrictions—just thoughtful books and interesting women. Each member has the opportunity to share what they've been reading, what resonated, what challenged them, or what fell short. From there, the conversation naturally evolves as we explore new perspectives, exchange recommendations, and connect through a shared love of reading. Whether you're a regular attendee or joining us for the first time, you'll find a welcoming group of curious, intelligent women who enjoy meaningful conversation and genuine connection. I can't wait to hear what you've been reading this month.

July Book of the month - Piranesi

Book Club: [Piranesi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48496334-piranesi) by Susanna Clarke If you haven’t read **Piranesi** yet, you’re in for a trip. It’s basically about a guy living in an endless, massive house filled with thousands of statues and halls that literally flood with ocean tides. He’s super chill and loves the place, but as he starts digging into the mysteries of his home, he realizes his life isn’t exactly what he thought it was. It’s a total mind-bender that’s equal parts beautiful, mysterious, and a little bit unsettling. Points of Discussion Sanctuary or Cage? Piranesi loves the house, but we’d probably think it’s a prison. What’s your take? The Other What was your vibe on this guy? Did you trust him from the start? Perspective: Piranesi is so innocent and observant. Did that change how you saw the "normal" world? The Ending: Did it leave you feeling satisfied or did you have a "wait, what?" moment when you finished? I'm super keen to hear what everyone thought. When you first started reading, did you think the house was actually a good place to live, or did you get creeped out immediately?

Book Club at Iddy Biddy

Bookaholics Anonymous - stop scrolling and start reading Calling all book lovers and enthusiasts to a new monthly pub book club at Iddy Bar in St Kilda at 7.30pm sharp on Monday 3 August. Hosted by author Annie Lawson, we will chat about our favourite books of all time this month. What - Bookaholics Anonymous Where - Iddy Biddy Bar When - 7.30pm, 3 August How often - Monthly Who - Anyone who wants to stop scrolling and start reading Format - Find out Monday

July Book club - The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

The Twenty-fourth Page

Join us for the Twenty-fourth Page! Theme: **a book you're excited to read** Let's read something we're excited about! Hopefully this one will be an easy pick :) Feel free to bring along any discussion questions you can think of or theme suggestions. Happy reading :) See you there!

July City Meetup - New time!

**PLEASE NOTE: We're now starting our city meetup at 11am, so it's the same time as our suburb meetup.** Come to our city book club in May! We'll be at the Dymocks Melbourne cafe sitting upstairs in the mezzanine level and we want to hear about what you like to read! For those of you who haven't joined us before, we're a book club with no set book, no homework and no judgement! Come along and tell us what you enjoy reading and what's on your to read list. We ask that you bring no more than four books in total, being a couple you've recently read and/or a couple that are on your to-read list. Given the often adult topics discussed, our meetups aren't suitable for children under the age of 14. **Please note that as advised in our email and post of November 14th 2024 our fees have increased from $5.00 to $6.50 per person per meetup. This is due to Meetup.com doubling the organiser fees for meetup groups. We now pay at least $50 a month to have a Meetup site (unfortunately this cost fluctuates due to Meetup charging us in USD). All fees go towards paying the meetup fees. This can only be accepted via the Meetup site and we do not accept cash on the day.** Similarly, if you are planning to attend, please RSVP on the Meetup site. RSVPs can be made right up until the moment the event starts, we are unable to accept cash on the day or attendances from those who have not RSVPd as we need to plan for attendance numbers and space.

SILENT BOOK CLUB @ STATE LIBRARY

Welcome! **HOW TO FIND US** We'll be at Guild Cafe inside the State Library. Guild Cafe is opposite Readings bookshop closest to the Russell St entrance. If you enter from the main entrance on Swanston Street, you will need to walk right through the foyer and public reading area, up one flight of steps, enter the Redmond Barry Reading Room and walk through the glass doors out the other end - and you'll find the Guild Cafe (and Readings bookshop). The concierge in the foyer will be able to help you find your way. **ITINERARY** 11am: Meet at Guild Cafe. Choose your seat. Order a drink to support the cafe. (They have a range of sweet and savoury snacks.) Enjoy your book. 12.15pm: Let's chat about what we read, what we loved, and why. 1pm: End of event. [OPTIONAL EXTRA] For those who are not too tired, we can go for lunch together after the event. **COST:** There is an organizer fee of $5 for this event. You can bring cash on the day or PayID me at 0403 413 056 (Serena Low). **GETTING THERE:** The closest train stations are Melbourne Central and State Library.

July Book Club: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

All the Birds, Singing, Evie Wyld (Miles Franklin, 2014)

All the Birds, Singing won the Miles Franklin over novels by Tim Winton and Alexis Wright and the Booker winner that year, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Tough competition! A contemporary reviewer says the novel "should enhance her reputation as one of our most gifted novelists". Set on an unnamed English Island with flashbacks to a traumatic rural WA upbringing, reviewers praised the interlocking stories, one going forward and the other back into childhood. Full of foreboding and well-paced this book is a great story about a strong woman, well told. Since starting this book club a few years ago we have formed a nice core membership. If you haven't come yet, please look out for the books on the table, pull up a chair, order a wine and join us. We like to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy the conversation, we're not cliquey at all! Oh, and to defray the Meetup monthly bill I will accept gold coin contributions or wine if you want to pay for multiple in one hit. I hope to see everyone again at this one with some new faces.

Book 152: Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

Books & Bites - a bookish dinner for women in Melbourne

You love books. Your friends…not so much 😬 Or maybe they read, just not the way you do. Either way, you've been looking for your people — and this is where they are. 📚 After the success of our first (sold-out!) event in June, Busy with Books is hosting another Melbourne bookish dinner: good Italian food, good conversation, and a table full of women who actually want to talk about what they've been reading. We're gathering at [Il Mercato Centrale](https://www.mercatocentrale.com.au/) — Melbourne's beautiful Italian food hall in the CBD (close to Southern Cross) — where everyone orders what they fancy from the stalls, and we spend the evening doing what we love most: Talking about books. (And eating. Obviously 💁🏼‍♀️) **What to expect:** * A relaxed, informal dinner * Great food from Il Mercato Centrale (your order, your tab) * A small goodie to take home * Good conversation with women who get it * A cap of 10 guests to keep it intimate We won't have a set book, so there's no pressure or homework. Just show up, order something delicious, and talk books with strangers who are about to become your favourite reading friends. **Your ticket ($10 early bird, $15 regular)** secures your spot and helps us keep building BWB events in Melbourne. Can't wait to meet you 📚 **About Busy with Books:** *[BWB](https://www.busywithbooks.com/) is a reading community for women across Australia & New Zealand.* *Since 2024, we've hosted sold-out reading retreats in New Zealand (coming to Australia soon!), run an online book club, and been featured in NZ Herald, Stuff, Woman's Day, and more.* *Now we're starting out in Melbourne, and this dinner club is our first step ♥️*

Soul Music Book Discussion

We are continuing our bimonthly book club, this time in person! *Soul Music* won the poll on Facebook. How does it work? Read the book, and we will get together for a casual chat about it. What do you get when an imp, dwarf, and troll start a band? A new addictive music craze (with rocks in it). It's got a beat you can dance to, but it's... alive... Meanwhile, Death has abandoned his post, as well as Death and his granddaughter Susan Sto-Helit. She is visited by the Death of rats and a crow. How will this all play out? When: 1:30–3:30pm Sunday the 26th of July Where: Meeting Room 1, City Library 253 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000 (The meeting room is upstairs; there is a stair lift to the ground floor and an internal lift to level 1 if needed.) or you can join online via discord in the mended drum Bring: Optional— a copy of *Soul Music* and a quote you enjoyed.