Book Drives New York

Book Swap @ Central Park

***The Meetup guest limit is 10 because of the free event limit, but we have unlimited space for people to join us.*** Book swap 11am-2pm at Sheep Meadow in Central Park. Look for books and the sign. This is a drop-in/drop-out event, meaning you don't have to stay the entire time. All genres, all sizes, and all conditions welcome. Leftover books will be recycled at future book swaps. **Don't have a book to contribute?** We'll have plenty of extras for you. **Not a big reader?** Come hang out anyway!

Booze & Books in Brooklyn

In addition to draft beers, **LoFi Bar in Park Slope** features craft cocktails, curated wines, and small bites. Non-alcoholic options are also available. Bring your latest read (and maybe a book light!) and **enjoy $1 off all drinks**. **[LoFi Bar](https://www.lofibrooklyn.com/)** is conveniently located near the F/G/R lines. Please note, this is not a private event and LoFi will be open to the public. **There is seating available for 40 people, available on a first-come basis.**

May 2026 Book Club: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

May Book Club Meet Up - Less by Andrew Sean Greer

**Hey Book Friends!** May is all about award-winning fiction and we landed on a gem that’s equal parts witty, emotional, and incredibly readable. 📘 **Book Pick** ***Less: A Novel* by Andrew Sean Greer** A Pulitzer Prize–winning story about a writer who, rather than face a major life moment, says yes to a series of literary events around the world. What unfolds is funny, a little chaotic, and surprisingly moving. It’s the kind of book that sparks conversations about love, aging, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves. No spoilers, just come ready to laugh and have a lot to talk about. Whether you’ve been with us before or you’re thinking about joining for the first time, this is a perfect, low-pressure pick to jump in. 📅 **Date & Time** Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 1 PM 📍 **Location** Bronx Alehouse Come for the book, stay for the conversation, drinks, and a really good time.

A special Sunday edition of Silent Book Club hosted at Audible Story House

**A special Sunday edition of Silent Book Club hosted at Audible Story House** **About this Meetup:** We invite you to bring your headphones and join us at Audible Story House, a new community hub and listening lounge, on May 17th from 3-5pm. This first-ever "bookless bookstore" is reimagining how people discover and experience audio storytelling. Feel free to BYO audiobook, or enjoy a free download code to listen to a title of your choice on Audible. You’ll also receive one complimentary coffee or tea from the cafe. **Logistics** Date: Sunday, May 17th Time: 3-5pm Location: 260 Bowery, NYC. You can find us in The Gallery on the ground floor. Note: Readers are welcome to hang out in the space until closing at 7 pm.

Uptown Reading Morning (Inwood)

✨ Registration will open on May 1 ✨ Join us at **[Buunni Coffee](https://www.buunnicoffee.com/)** in Inwood to read, relax, and sip some delicious coffee (or tea) on Sunday morning! We'll spend half an hour settling in, ordering drinks, and doing introductions, and then read from 11:30 to 12:30. Or longer, if you like. Buunni Coffee is easy to get to from the Inwood - 207th stop on the A (accessible station), the 207th stop on the 1, and several buses.

The Coast Road by Alan Murrin

A poignant debut novel set in 1994 County Donegal, Ireland, focusing on two women, housewife Izzy and poet Colette, navigating restrictive societal norms and troubled marriages as they seek independence. Their friendship deepens as Colette, who left her family for a married man, uses Izzy as a go-between to see her children, leading to a tragic and liberating outcome for them. The book explores themes of female confinement, gossip, and the price of freedom in a pre-divorce Ireland.

Vermilion Sands by JG Ballard

Vermilion Sands is a 1971 collection of science fiction short stories by J.G. Ballard, set in a fictional, futuristic desert resort town inspired by places like Palm Springs, where leisure and bizarre art forms dominate life. The stories explore themes of art, technology, and psychological decay through unique concepts like psychotropic houses that retain emotions, singing orchids, and automated poetry machines, often featuring jaded socialites and damaged adventurers. It's known for its playful, ironic tone, which is lighter than much of Ballard's other work. It's available on the Internet Archive.

It’s No joke it’s April new book club book It Girl ..Allison Pataki

Okay so many of our members are 9-5 during weekdays and miss our mall walks in preparation for our outdoor activities for evening and weekends this spring So while we wait on Mother Nature Let’s exercise our mind. I’ve selected The book “It Girl” The story of the original Gibson girl the woman who captured the imagination of new yorkers while Becoming the face of beauty but the rise to the top was filled with heart ache ,pain determation and murder, encountering power hungry men , and the crime of the century . This book will lead to a future trip to learn more about the real life inspiration for this book Meetup time frame for book readers is April 1 st to end of may. But site won’t allow that to be posted. So please write finish date I. Your personal calendar

SSRC May Book Club

Come join Social Striders for our May Book Club discussion of the novel Smaller and Smaller Circles by author F. H. Batacan! Winner of the Philippines National Book Award, this thrilling novel follows 2 Jesuit priests as they investigate the murder of preteen boys in an impoverished Manila neighborhood in 1997. Forensic anthropologist Father Gus Saenz and psychologist Father Jerome Lucero are determined to protect their flock in Payatas, a 50-acre dump northeast of Manila’s Quezon City. Can they outwit a serial killer and seek justice for their people? Snacks and good company will be provided! 🧁 🤝

The Bad Seed - William March

**May book:** Children creepy theme, let’s do this! . **When?** We’re meeting on **Saturday**. On **May 9 @2:00pm.** **What you do?** 1. Read the book. **Where are we meeting?** Bryant Park. **What to bring?** Yourself, And now, the book! **Book of choice: “ The Bad Seed” by William March** **Pages: 224** **Synopsis:** There’s something special about eight-year-old Rhoda Penmark. With her carefully plaited hair and her sweet cotton dresses, she’s the very picture of old-fashioned innocence. But when their neighborhood suffers a series of terrible accidents, her mother begins to wonder: Why do bad things seem to happen when little Rhoda is around? Originally published in 1954, William March’s final novel was an instant bestseller and National Book Award finalist before it was adapted for the stage and made into a 1956 film. The Bad Seed is an indelible portrait of an evil that wears an innocent face, one which still resonates in popular culture today.

"The Lion Women of Tehran", "Return From the Stars" and "Into Thin Air"

Hi members, for April we will be reading "The Lion Women of Tehran" by Marjan Kamali, about two young women during the war in Iran in 1950s; "Return from the Stars" by Stanilaw Lem about astronauts who live in the moon and come back to earth to find it all changed and with world peace, which actually becomes a controversy; and the third book will be "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer about the expedition to Mount Everest and its deadly aftermath. As always, you would have to have read at least one of the books.