Book Drives Toronto

Silent Bookclub Meeting #87

The next event is happening on Friday August 14 at 6:00 PM at Riverdale Park! (Weather permitting) We'll be meeting beside St. Matthew's Clubhouse ([https://maps.app.goo.gl/6QPdak2vwKTpgDMf9?g_st=ac](https://maps.app.goo.gl/6QPdak2vwKTpgDMf9?g_st=ac)) Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

Silent Bookclub Meeting #86

The next event is happening on Tuesday August 11 at 6:00 PM at the Deck located in Clarence Square! Note we will be meeting on the deck in the cover photo, which is by the dog park! 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

The Girls Book Club: Fantasy/Romance Book Club Meetup #8

Hi everyone!! 💖 This is now our EIGHTH book club meetup! I can’t wait to get to know you all more, hang out and talk books. For this meeting we’ll be FINISHING Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross!!! Please read the WHOLE book before coming so that we have lots to discuss! The location MIGHT change. There is a new book bar that opened up in Toronto and I’d love to see if we can get a spot there. So stay tuned!!! Don’t stress if you’re new or didn’t make it to the last meetup! This is a super chill group and we’re mostly here to chat, vibe, and obsess over books together. Can’t wait to see you all!! 📚✨

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

11 books, 8 ebooks, 4 audio

Silent Bookclub Meeting #85 (RSVP REQUIRED)

Note you will need to RSVP to attend our event on Sunday August 9 at Danu Social House. You can RSVP here: [https://luma.com/h5cakvyw](https://luma.com/h5cakvyw)

Summer Social at Sneaky Dee's

Come out for good times and nachos! Our regular online book discussions are on hiatus, so we're taking the opportunity for an IRL get-together. Of course, our group spans far and wide now, but if you can make it to downtown Toronto, we hope you'll join us! (Sneaky's is cash only, so come prepared.)

Short Reads Social #11: Thought changers! (Aug 11th)

**What's changed your mind or how you think recently?** \-\-\- Short-Read Socials are back! Come meet with like-minded and unlikeminded people to talk about the topic of the month. ...this month, the topic is up to you! Bring something you've been reading/watching/listening to recently that changed how you see the world, a specific phenomena, trend, or current issue. It can be a book, essay, video, movie, audiobook, podcast, story about an experience/event, whatever you want! We're trying a new format. It's like a (voluntary) show and tell where you will get time to share your chosen piece of media with the table, explaining what it is and how it changed how you think about the world, a phenomena, trend, or current issue. \-\-\- **How does it work?** 1. Pick a piece of media (book, article, video essay, movie, podcast, etc.) that changed how you think. 2. Come to the event, share about your piece of media for a couple minutes, and then talk about it with everyone else. 3. Open philosophical discussion, including for controversial topics, is welcome but be respectful :) 4. Feel free to share the piece you're bringing ahead of time (articles, blogs, movies, tv episodes, video essays, etc.) in the comments! 5. We also would love suggestions for future topics or books for later meetups!

Bookish Bi Reading Club

Monthly Book Club - August - Chillax & Co (Richmond Hill)

Note: we changed the venue from the original listed location. Please update your rsvps as needed. 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 Chillax & Co, 9580 Yonge St Unit 101, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 1V6. 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.

Candide by Voltaire

For August, we'll read Candide by Voltaire. 129 pages First published in 1759 About the book: *Candide* is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that — contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss — all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, *Candide* has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.

ABCD Reads "Whistler" by Ann Patchett

ABCD Reads "**[Whistler](https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S234C4751790)**" by Ann Patchett [[RESULTS](https://opavote.com/results/5448125428006912) of the poll for this event] **:: ABOUT THE BOOK ::** "When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. [...] Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything." (from [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242693052-whistler)) "Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again." (from [BookMarks.reviews](https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/whistler/)) **:: ABOUT THE EVENT ::** 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 before attending (though finishing any book 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 BOOK ::** At the end of each event, we will ask for nominees for our next book. If you have a good one in mind, please ensure it 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). When enough nominees are collected, Michael will send the members a direct message with a link where you can vote.

Silent Bookclub Meeting #85

The next event is happening on Tuesday August 25 at 6:00 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