Book Swaps Melbourne

Book swap brunch meet up

Yarra and Botanics Walk discussing 'Hollow Air' by Verity Borthwick

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 'Hollow Air' by Verity Borthwick The blurb: **"Isolation can be hard on a person. It can be hard on the mind, especially when the bush closes in on you in the darkness of night.** In the tin fields of Far North Queensland, Sarah, a fly-in-fly-out geologist, is working alone at a remote mine site. She spends her time in a sort of limbo, never quite fitting into her life at site or back home in Sydney with her fiancé. Strange things keep happening at the mine site, and Sarah can try to explain them away as the ramblings of a lonely mind, but there are dead bodies from a mining accident a century ago at the old Dulcie Ada mine, still buried beneath more than a hundred metres of rock. **A deeply moving novel that explores the friction that comes with the desire to understand the secrets of the Earth coupled with the knowledge that this can exact a toll.**" Goodreads rating: 3.94 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).

Yarra and Botanics Walk discussing 'Mad Mabel' by Sally Hepworth

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 'Mad Mabel' by Sally Hepworth The blurb: "In 1959, at just fifteen years of age, Mabel Waller became the youngest Australian in history to be convicted of murder. In 2025, on a quiet Melbourne lane, an elderly man is found dead by his neighbour, 81-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick. No one suspects any foul play. Until they discover Elsie's past. In the 1950s, her name was not Elsie. It was Mabel. She is known around the world as Mad Mabel. But is she mad? More importantly, is she guilty? When the police open a new investigation and the media descend upon her, the elderly Mabel decides it's time to set the record straight. In a world first, at the age of 81, Mabel Waller is speaking. New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth is at her finest in this twisty, compulsive thriller of friendship, family and murder. Or is it justice . . . ?" Goodreads rating: 4.40 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 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 4 May. 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, Monday 13 April How often - Monthly Who - Anyone who wants to stop scrolling and start reading Format - Find out Monday

April Book Club: The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams

The Twenty-first Page

Join us for the Twenty-first Page! Theme: awards This month we're reading books that have won a prize or award. It can be any prize or award anywhere around the world. Feel free to bring along any discussion questions you can think of or theme suggestions. Happy reading :) See you there!

May Book Club Meet Up

April Book club - Come in Spinner by Dymphna Cusack and Florence James (See note

Book 149: One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

Socialise and discuss a book over coffee

We read Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, a novel imagining Shakespeare’s home life and the death of his son.

April Book of the month - Project Hail Mary

Book Club: [Project Hail Mary](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401) by Andy Weir Wake up in a room where you don’t know your own name, surrounded by high-tech machinery and two corpses, and you’ll understand the pulse-pounding start of Project Hail Mary. This gripping sci-fi epic follows Ryland Grace, a disgraced molecular biologist turned middle-school science teacher who finds himself as the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save humanity. With the sun’s energy being devoured by a mysterious interstellar parasite, Earth is sprinting toward a literal ice age, and Grace is the only one left to find the cure. As Grace slowly recovers his memories through a series of fragmented flashbacks, he realizes the staggering weight of his responsibility. But he soon discovers he isn’t as alone as he thought. In the vast, silent vacuum of space, he encounters an unexpected ally—a fellow traveler from another star system facing the exact same extinction event. What follows is a brilliant, heart-wrenching, and often humorous partnership that transcends language, biology, and light-years. Weaving together hard science with a deeply moving story of sacrifice, Project Hail Mary explores the power of friendship and the sheer ingenuity of the living mind. Weir creates a narrative that is as much about the "Eurekas" of physics and chemistry as it is about the courage required to face the unknown. It is a cinematic, high-stakes journey that asks what we owe to our species, to our friends, and to the strangers we meet in the dark. Discussion Points: • The Ethics of Necessity: How do the flashbacks to the "Project Hail Mary" task force change your perception of Ryland Grace’s heroism? Is the forced sacrifice of one or few justified to save the many? • The Language of Science: Grace and his companion use the "universal language" of math and science to communicate. How does this shared logic bridge the gap between two vastly different cultures and biologies? • The Nature of Memory: How does the non-linear storytelling—revealing Grace’s past as he lives his present—affect the tension of the novel? Does his character growth feel earned as he remembers his "cowardice"? • Solitude vs. Connection: At its core, is this a story about the isolation of space, or the impossibility of true isolation when there is someone else to help? • The Ending: Discuss the final choice Ryland Grace makes. Did he find a new sense of belonging, or was his decision driven by a lingering sense of duty to his friend?

Crime and Wine April Meetup!

For April we’ll be reading “Mad Mabel” by Sally Hepworth. As always, if you haven’t finished the book, or haven’t had a chance to read the book- please still join us for a wine with some like-minded ladies! I ask that you please only RSVP if you are absolutely committed to attending, and please update ASAP if you decide not to attend. This means that everyone who really wants to come can join us! RSVP OPENS SATURDAY APRIL 18th AT 12PM. *Please note the PayPal fee to join is to cover MeetUp admin app costs.