Book Drives Toronto

Silent Bookclub Meeting #84

The next event is happening on Thursday July 30 at 6PM in the Wellington Market Food Hall at The Well! We'll be meeting in front of the Nord Lyon in The Wellington Market (food court!) Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

Silent Bookclub Meeting #83

The next event is happening on Tuesday July 28 at 6:30 PM at the Deck located in Clarence Square! Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately! To help cover the costs of meetup fees, we will be taking optional donations for this event. If you're inclined to, feel free to send any amount you're comfortable with to harresh.s@hotmail.com, or bring cash to the event. Please note that this is entirely optional and not required to join the event! All proceeds will go towards fees for this event and future events, as well as meetup fees

Cover Her Face by P. D. James (Lily)

11 books, 8 ebooks, 4 audio

August's Book: The Marriage Portrait

Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble? As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court’s eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchess’s future hangs entirely in the balance. Full of the beauty and emotion with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of *Hamnet*, Maggie O’Farrell turns her talents to Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young woman’s battle for her very survival.

ABCD Reads AND Watches "Good Omens"

[[RESULTS](https://opavote.com/results/4896565132263424) of the poll for this event] ABCD Reads AND Watches "**Good Omens**", a [book](https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S234C741952) by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, and a [TV series on Amazon Prime](https://www.primevideo.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.2eb57089-fc1c-d3d0-c5f7-cfcb696e66b5&linkCode=xm2&tag=amazon-ca-ro-mac-chr-20). **:: ABOUT THE BOOK ::** "The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist. Put New York Times bestselling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett together . . . and all Hell breaks loose." (from [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/12070.Good_Omens)) **:: ABOUT THE MOVIE ::** "The adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel of the same name where the End of the World is fast approaching and after many years of living with mortals, Aziraphale the angel (Michael Sheen) and Crowley the demon (David Tennant) decide they must stop the Apocalypse but first they must find the 11-year-old Antichrist (Sam Taylor Buck)." (from [MetaCritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/good-omens/)) **:: ABOUT THE EVENT ::** Instead of just reading the book as usual, this time we're asking that you also watch the TV-series adaptation (or, at least, the first episode thereof). During our discussion, we'll explore the strengths of both the book and the movie, evaluate the adaptation's effectiveness, and touch on any other topics that arise. You are welcome to arrive 30 minutes before the event and stay 30 minutes or longer afterward to connect with other attendees outside the book talk. Please ensure you have read the book and watched the movie before attending (though finishing either is not a barrier to participating, as long as you don't mind spoilers). First-time attendees can join for free. If the event is full, we maintain an unofficial waitlist. Please send [Michael](https://www.meetup.com/members/55295192/) a direct message for more information, in either case. We request a $3 contribution from regular attendees to help cover our monthly meetup costs. **:: ABOUT OUR NEXT READ&WATCH ::** At the end of each event, we will ask for nominees for our next Read & Watch (date TBA). If you have a good pairing in mind, please ensure that the book is between 200-400 pages long, available from the Toronto Public Library, and counts as contemporary literary fiction (though these are not hard and fast rules), and that the movie or TV-series is readily available. When enough nominees are collected, Michael will send the members a direct message with a link where you can vote.

Bookish Bi Reading Club

Short Reads Social #10: The Tyranny of Expectations (July 28th)

**Do we expect too much? Has being able to measure and quantify outcomes distorted how we see the world?** \-\-\- Short-Read Socials are back! Come meet with like-minded and unlikeminded people to talk about the topic of the month. \-\-\- **How does it work?** * The event is casual. You can talk to anyone there with or without our prompt sheets, either about the month's topic or about whatever you want. * Open philosophical discussion, including for controversial topics, is welcome but be respectful :) * If you've read/watched/heard anything related to the topic of the month, feel free to bring it in! Not necessarily physically, but you can if you want... * If not, here are some thought-provoking reads to start you off (read as many or as few as you want): * [The Jackpot Age](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3xjgM7hcNznACRzBi/the-jackpot-age) * [The Particular Misery of College-Admissions TikTok](https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-particular-misery-of-college-admissions-tiktok) * [Why Tracking Your Symptoms Can Make You Feel Worse](https://www.wired.com/story/why-tracking-your-symptoms-can-make-you-feel-worse/) * [What Data Can’t Do](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/29/what-data-cant-do) * P.S. bypass paywalls [here](https://www.removepaywall.com/) * Feel free to post other recommendations (blogs, movies, tv episodes, video essays, etc.) in the comments!

Monthly Book Club - August - Cynthia's Chinese Restaurant (Thornhill)

In this book club, you read a book based on a theme and we all discuss the book each chose. If you just want to come out and join without reading a book that is perfectly fine. The theme for this month is Beach Read. The next meetup will be at Cynthia's Chinese Restaurant, 7700 Bathurst St Unit 51, Thornhill, ON L4J 7Y3. Please do not RSVP unless you intend to come. We will confirm with you up to 5 days before the event that you are attending. If you cannot confirm at that time, we unfortunately cannot reserve a spot for you. NOTE: No Shows will be removed from Richmond Hill Friends. Hope to see you all there.

Let's discuss "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late. Shelby Van Pelt's **debut novel** is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible. We will start our discussion at 7:30. Food and drink are available for purchase.

Wizards & Workouts - FREE

Do you consider rolling dice strength training? Can you run a D&D campaign, but not a city block? If so, **WIZARDS & WORKOUTS** is for you. My name is Peter Reynolds. I'm a writer and lover of role playing games. I'm also out of shape. I've been looking for ways to motivate myself to start working out with the same enthusiasm I bring to my Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The plan is simple: host a fun, live role playing game where players take on the role of their favourite fantasy characters. The catch? You need to exercise if you want to succeed. Fighting a dragon? A fireball might cost you 5 pushups. Crossing a rooftop? Can you balance on one foot for a minute? By combining simple, low impact exercises, including walking & stretching, with an interactive adventure, we'll all get healthier, have fun and maybe meet some new friends along the way. All fitness levels are welcome (as are dogs), and no previous knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons is necessary. We meet in front of Broadview subway station at 10:00 am sharp and then walk to the Outdoor Fitness Station in Riverdale Park East (there are washrooms). At 11:30 we start walking west, through the park, ending at the Blake House Restaurant \* (Wellesley & Jarvis) by 12:30. All sessions are free and I’ll be running them through the summer. Hope to see you there! * The Blake House is where our Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers' Group meets every Saturday from 1pm - 4pm to critique each other’s work. For more information on this event. Check out our Meetup events page.

Book talk

Let's get together at Silk 111 Bakery and Cafe and discuss books that interest us! Books we're reading, books we've read or books we'd like to read. Fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, magazine articles, comic books...

OSC #4 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Welcome to our fourth meetup! The book for August is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The first thirty minutes of the event is open social time while we allow attendees to arrive. The book discussion will begin at 8:00 PM. At the end of the meetup, we will accept nominations for the next book. We encourage attendees to stay afterwards and chat if they would like to as well. Out of respect for the venue and people on the waitlist, if you do not intend on attending we would appreciate you cancelling at least 48 hours in advance. We would like to keep these events free of charge, and continued last minute cancellations or no-shows may require us to introduce a small fee in the future. "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern "**Two starcrossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in the spellbinding novel that captured the world's imagination.** The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called *Le Cirque des Rêves*, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart." Results from the vote: [https://app.rankedvote.co/rv/lflwev853sj5nle65d/results](https://app.rankedvote.co/rv/lflwev853sj5nle65d/results)