Book Swaps Melbourne

Book swap brunch meet up

Yarra and Botanics Walk discussing 'The Emperor of Gladness' by Ocean Vuong

We'll meet at the spot where Fed Square meets the Princes Bridge over the Yarra (near the pedestrian crossing closest to the river from Flinders St, on the Fed Square side). We'll walk for about 6km along the Yarra River, through the Botanic Gardens and back along the river to Federation Square for a coffee after the walk. This month, we're reading and talking about 'The Emperor of Gladness' by Ocean Vuong The blurb: "**Ocean Vuong returns with an achingly beautiful novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.** One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink. Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, *The Emperor of Gladness* shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong’s writing – formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness – are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance." Goodreads rating: 3.93 How does a walking bookclub work? Like a normal bookclub, we talk about the book, what else we're reading, have read, or want to read (as well as a few tangents into life outside literature!) but we do it while walking around Melbourne and then over a coffee. We often split into smaller groups as we walk, but we also regroup through the walk. Should I read the book beforehand? The conversation will be more interesting if you do, but you can still come along if you haven't finished it yet! Do I need to bring anything? **Comfy** walking shoes, drinking water, some money for coffee or a bite to eat after if you wish. No need to bring the book unless you want to. No shows No shows (RSVPing yes and not attending) mean the group waits unnecessarily for those who are not coming, thinking you are running a little late. It’s absolutely fine to change your rsvp for any reason up until the walk begins, and you don’t need to leave a comment, send a message or give a reason, but if you don't click that 'change rsvp' button, you may be removed from the group. Membership Fee Did you know that while it is free to attend most events, Meetup charges organisers about $600 a year to organise a group? Members of the Walking Book Club are asked to pay a membership fee of $10 per year (not per event) to help cover this cost. When you join the group, you'll be automatically given a three month trial so you can see what the group is like, without needing to make any payment. If you would like to continue attending events after this, please follow Meetup's instructions to pay the $6.50US/approx $10AUD fee once per year (or contact group organisers if you would prefer to make payment using paypal, payID, cash or bank transfer).

Book Discussion and Practice Group

This year for the discussion and practice group we will read and discuss Christina Baldwin’s book, *Life’s Companion, Journal Writing as Spiritual Practice.* We will not only discuss the book but also do the practice of writing. The participants need to purchase the book and read sections, and do some or all of the writing exercises for that section, between meetings. Then come along to class to connect, share, discuss and be enriched by each other along the way. In class we may also do other processes to enrich the journey. Saturday nights once a month – 6.45 for 7pm start til 9pm. Dates: Feb 14th, Mar 21st, Apr 18th, May 23rd, June 20th, July 18th, Aug 15th, Sept 26th, Oct 17th, Nov 21st. The cost for the year is $180. To sign up for the group and pay, follow this link to the Jung Society webpage: https://www.jungsocietymelbourne.com/discussion-and-practice-group-new-for-2026 The blurb for books says: In this classic book you will discover the intimate journey of personal and spiritual development that is possible through the practice of journal writing. It offers readers guidance and inspiration to this powerful way of expanding our inner horizons and opening our minds and spirits to a deeper relationship with the world and the people around us. Complete with enlightening quotations, exercises, sample journal entries, and techniques to nurture and encourage the writer and seeker within you. Life’s Companion will help you transform journaling into a powerful tool for self-growth, heightened awareness, and personal fulfilment.

Book 147: Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

February Book club - The Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginsburg

February Book of the month - White Nights

Book Club: [White Nights](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1772910.White_Nights) by Fyodor Dostoevsky Step into the quiet glow of sleepless streets and fleeting connection in White Nights, Dostoevsky’s tender, introspective tale of longing and imagination. Set over four luminous nights in St. Petersburg, the novella follows a solitary dreamer whose carefully constructed inner world is disrupted when he meets Nastenka, a young woman caught between hope and heartbreak. As their nocturnal conversations unfold, White Nights explores the fragile beauty of human connection—how intimacy can bloom suddenly, how love can be imagined as much as it is lived, and how solitude can both protect and imprison us. Dostoevsky captures the ache of yearning with remarkable sensitivity, tracing the line between fantasy and reality, courage and retreat. Quiet yet emotionally resonant, White Nights is a meditation on loneliness, romantic idealism, and the moments—brief but transformative—that leave an indelible mark on our inner lives. It asks what it means to truly see another person, even if only for a night. Discussion Points: How does the dreamer’s inner world shape his understanding of love and connection? In what ways do the “white nights” function as a metaphor for emotional intensity, impermanence, or illusion? How does Dostoevsky portray loneliness—as a refuge, a wound, or both? What role does honesty (or the lack of it) play in the relationship between the dreamer and Nastenka? Is White Nights ultimately a story of heartbreak, growth, or quiet hope—and why?

Dusk - February 2026 Big Ideas Book Club

**Dusk, by Robbie Arnott** A masterful, mythical tale of loss, love, redemption and survival. In the distant highlands, a puma named Dusk is killing shepherds. Down in the lowlands, twins Iris and Floyd are out of work, money and friends. When they hear that a bounty has been placed on Dusk, they reluctantly decide to join the hunt. As they journey up into this wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people of the highlands than they imagined. And as they close in on their prey, they're forced to reckon with conflicts both ancient and deeply personal. **Joint winner of the 2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize: Adult category** **Winner of the 2025 Indie Book Awards for Fiction and Book of the Year Award** **Winner of the 2025 ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year**

The Atom Station, Halldor Laxnuss (Nobel, 1955)

We have almost scheduled this author a few times and been indecisive on which book, based mainly on length and plot. Step in our resident expert on the author (PhD no less) who recommended this one both on length **and** plot. Sometimes it's tough to get a book up in this club! The Guardian (hacks) think we may be disappointed compared to Independent People, but then go on to say there's a lot to like in this satire. A drunken Icelandic PM allows the Yanks to build a nuclear power station. Enter Ugla, a country girl now working in an MP's house, the family turns out to be drunken, demented, self-destructive. The author's "rich" humour and humanism shines, but frankly you had me at "satire". I look forward to a robust discussion. And we may also need to read Independent People another time to compare. 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.

The Nineteenth Page

Join us for the Nineteenth Page! Theme: epistolary This month we're reading books in epistolary format. It can be letters, diary entries, emails, text message or a combination! Try a book with a mixed format if you like or just in one form. Some examples include: Carrie by Stephen King (news clippings mixed with regular storytelling) Lady Susan by Jane Austen (letters) Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (diary entries) Feel free to bring along any discussion questions you can think of or theme suggestions. Happy reading :) See you there!

Melbourne Horror Book Club

Come and join our friendly group of horror fans to discuss books and movies over dinner and a drink. All welcome! I kindly ask that you purchase a meal and a drink to help cover the room costs. We discuss two books and a movie, you don't need to read them all to attend. We meet in the dining rooms on the left hand side of the Mail Exchange. Contemporary novel House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski https://www.penguin.com.au/books/house-of-leaves-9780385603102 Classic novel The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Film The Thing

February 2026 - James

Hello book lovers, Our book for February is "James" by Percival Everett When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. *James* is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173754979-james

February Book Club: Dissolution by C. J. Sansom