
About us
We are a community of readers who discuss books over paired outings. Like to explore? Like to read? You’ve found your people! Join us here in-person and for online discussions wherever you are on the socials! FB, Insta, TikTok, Website
Newsletter/FB group: Meetup isn’t great at sending out notifications, so to stay up to date with the latest book and activity pairings, sign up for the newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/fc5e0725650d/thenoveltourist and join the community on our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ I also post regularly on books and book pairings on Instagram via @thenoveltourist
What the Club Will Do for You
The purpose of all NTBC events is to give you the opportunity to socialize with likeminded readers who are life long learners and love to try new experiences. If your goal is read more books, do more stuff and meet more friends, being part of NTBC can be a life-changing experience!
What You Can Do for the Club
Bring your fun-loving, healthy attitude. Be committed to reading, showing up when promised, and being respectful of other members. We require that your profile includes a clear picture of yourself so others can identify you at our events.
Terms and Conditions
By joining the Novel Tourist Book Club or signing up for or attending any event offered by the Novel Tourist Book Club, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
- Readers please: NTBC is, first and foremost, a book club. We do a lot of amazing activities tied to the books. There are lots of Meetup groups that also do these fun activities. So, if you don’t like to read or don’t plan to read, we are sure there is another group out there that is more suited to your interests. Now, that said, it doesn’t mean you have to read the book or finish the book every time. Sometimes, you try and the book just doesn’t resonate with you. That’s okay! Come and tell us how much you didn’t like it! All we ask is that you try.
- No Guests: Sadness, we know! We are all about the more the merrier, but there must be a limit to the number of attendees at any one event. Events fill up really fast and so unless the event allows you to add a guest (which will be very rare) your guest must create a Meetup account and rsvp for themselves as a member. Yay new members!
- Liability Waiver: By signing up for an event, all members take full responsibility for their own actions and agree to adhere to the following terms and conditions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ZE-yUJEcHUnXF_A8MUsfxWhEmrKxZEcojrHh8FjQzc/edit; and further agree to hold harmless the Novel Tourists Book Club organizers and members of this Meetup book club from any and all claims and liability in case of possible injuries as stated in Paragraph 6 of the Meetup Terms of Service Agreement ( https://help.meetup.com/hc/en-us/articles/360027447252-Terms-of-Service#h_9e385395-a405-4361-8afc-854a4f586c82 ). When attending an event, you acknowledge that you are doing this at your own risk.
- Event Payments:
- Name: If your name on your Meetup profile is different than your name on your payment profile (PayPal, Venmo), please provide your meetup name when you make your payment;
- Include Date or Event Title: Please include the date of the event or an indication of the event title (e.g. if we are going to a restaurant put the name of the restaurant not just “restaurant” or “book club.”)
- Be Open-minded, Kind and Courteous: We can’t imagine anyone who loves to read being anything but open-minded, kind and courteous. However, I also know we bibliophiles can have some pretty strong opinions about books! Whether you agree with someone or not, no doubt you came here for a welcoming environment. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.
- No bullies: Personal attacks of any kind are not allowed. Period. I have zero tolerance for any bullying, degrading comments about another member’s race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity. We are an open and inclusive community and to keep it that way a$$holes will be removed from the group.
- Photos/Videos: Joining the group and attending an event means you’re a-okay with being photographed/video recorded during events. We always takes pics: for the memories and for promotion of future events and NTBC.
- Communication settings: This is just helpful guidance. Events fill up really fast. Make sure your settings are set to maximize communication: Click on your profile pic in Meetup, click Settings, under General select Email Updates, scroll down and find The Novel Tourists Book Club under “Updates about your Group”, click Edit next to The Novel Tourists Book Club and then make your choices. I suggest checking “New Event Announcements,” “Changes to Event Time or Locations,” “My RSVP is confirmed,” and, most importantly: "Announcements to Members About the Group" and “Event updates from Organizer.” Also, you may want to download the Meetup app.
- Carpooling: It’s great for the planet! However, any arrangements are between you and the person driving. The Novel Tourists Book Club organizers and hosts do not provide, endorse, sponsor or take responsibility for any carpool arrangements pertaining to any event. Please use your good judgment when deciding whether or not to carpool with other participants of the book club event you are attending.
- Refund Policy:
- Events with a fee of less than $5: No refunds, even if someone takes your spot. The events fill fast and the only way to really try to make sure that those who are truly interested and able to come get a seat, is a nominal fee. This fee is offered to the event host to pay for their entrance/meal/etc as a way of saying thank you for your time and for putting this together for us.
- Events with a fee greater than $5: The general policy is if the Organizer/Host can get their money back, you’ll get your money back - if you timely cancelled. Once an event location has been paid, however, many times they won’t issue a refund. If they don’t refund us, we can’t refund you regardless of how far in advance you cancelled. That said, sometimes a refund can be issued IF you cancel at least a week in advance AND someone takes your spot. If you want to request a refund, message Audrey via Meetup to discuss. Please note, if you cancel the day before or the day of an event, there are refunds - regardless of the reason and regardless if someone takes your spot.
- If you do not agree to the above terms and conditions, do not sign up for the club. There is probably a different club out there that will better meet your needs.
Happy reading and adventuring!
- Audrey
Upcoming events
4
- $68.00

Stage & Story - 1776 Musical and Book "America's First Daughter"
Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA, USJoin Julie for a lunchtime discussion of America's First Daughter and then we'll head over to America's oldest theater to watch the 1776 The Musical, part of Philadelphia's celebration commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
NOTE: If we have at least 20 attendees we can get the group rate! If we don't get 20 people I'll send everyone's money back.
🎟️ Tickets are $68 ($65 for the ticket (it's normally $107!) and $3 to support the club) (Pay Audrey, details below)First pay goes - so dont delay!
💵 HOW TO PAY: Use Friends and Family! Do not use the business option because it charges a fee. Please note your Meetup name and the event name or date on your payment.
Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (phone ends in 4478)
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBug🍽️11:30 am-1:30 pm - Lunch: LaScalas Fire -
615 Chestnut St ( .3 mi / 6 min walk from the theater)
Please be on time so we can order together as a group and don't forget to bring cash 💵
Please RSVP for lunch - YES or NO using this form: https://forms.gle/toyCcKwLogM7magZ6🎭2pm STAGE: 1776, Musical
Where: Walnut Street Theater - 825 Walnut Street
Seats: 2 rows of 10 each in Mezzanine right or center.As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth—the founding fathers come alive in 1776, the classic award-winning Broadway musical. Join John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson as they fight for independence against a deadlocked Continental Congress in a retelling filled with humor, romance, pathos, and nail-biting tension. 1776 is not just a revolutionary musical; it’s a captivating journey of what happened right here in Philadelphia!
STORY: America's First Daughter
Genre: Historical Fiction
The New York Times and USA Today BestsellerIn a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph--a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother's death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.
Read more...Let’s be social!:
🎉Follow for more bookish adventures:
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenoveltourist
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something - message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together!Rules:
Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.
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You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. To make sure our Book Club events get seen. The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring hobbies dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. Rodeos and westerns Lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize.23 attendees - $29.00

The Midnight Library and the Ministry of Awe
MOA Ministry of Awe, 27 N 3rd St,, Philadelphia, PA, USJoin LeeAnn to explore one of Philadelphia's most curious new spaces paired with a book that share the same theme: "You don't have to understand life. You just have to live it." Ministry of Awe is a six-story immersive art experience inside a 19th-century Old City bank — but this bank doesn't deal in money. It deals in the human spirit: what you value, what you've invested in, what you've spent, what you've lost, what you still have time to claim. Over lunch we'll discuss The Midnight Library will have you thinking about choices made and unmade, doors not explored — and a reckoning with what makes life worth living. Sounds heavy but it's actually so inspiring!
***
11:00am 🏦 THE ADVENTURE: Ministry of Awe
27 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia (Old City)
Several floors of murals, sculpture, interactive technology, secret passages, and performance art inside a Frank Furness–designed bank that's been vacant forever and has been reborn. This bank with no money, where the only currency is human experience: curiosity, imagination,
connection, and awe, asks a central question: What do we actually value?***********************
FEES: $29 - adult ($27.21 for adult 65+)(pays for your entry ticket - lunch is pay on your own) First pay goes.HOW TO PAY: Use friends and family option/non-business option please.
- Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (Last four digits of my phone # are 4478)
- PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBug
_____________________________________________
12:30(ish)🥗 LUNCH: TBD***
📕THE NOVEL: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Genre: FantasySomewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Housekeeping!
📸 Photos & Video Notice:
This event may be photographed or recorded for The Novel Tourist website and social media, including but not limited to YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. By registering and attending, you are consenting to being photographed or filmed and your image, likeness and voice being used for those purposes. Say cheese!❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🎉 STAY CONNECTED:
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thenoveltourist
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/TheNovelTourist
▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@thenoveltourist- Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them! 🙂
- Some links above are affiliate links which means when you use them to buy your book they help support the club at no cost to you!
-------------------The below is silly babble just for the algorithm - no need for book club members to read this!-------------------------------
Kayaking on a river with book lovers and books through Philadelphia pine barrens is such a fun way to make new friends and be social with book loving book club members who like to read and explore outdoor adventures areas and try new activities such as hiking, biating, reading, craft, hobbies, museums and more! It's especially fun for a book club to go in nature on outdoor adventures with all the book club friends who like to explore and try new hobbies and be social with new friendsHappy Reading!
26 attendees - $45.00

STAGE & STORY: “Dear Evan Hansen” 🎭show and 📕book discussion
Arden Theatre Company, 40 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA, USJune’s Stage & Story is a real twist! Usually we’re seeing a show inspired by a book. This time it’s reversed! The stage inspired the story! From the show's creators comes the groundbreaking, bestselling novel 📕inspired by hit Broadway show 🎭Dear Evan Hansen! After the performance, we’ll meet for an early dinner to discuss show and the novel of the same name.
💰FEE: $45 (I got us a group rate - tickets are normally $60!) Covers the ticket. Dinner is on your own.
HOW TO PAY: (use Friends and Family or else add $10 fee to cover processing charges) Please mention the event or event date in your payment.
Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (last four of phone # are 4478)
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBugLIMIT 20 - FIRST PAY GOES
🥙5:00PM EARLY DINNER: TBD
Dinner is pay on your own. Bring cash- in small unmarked bills…. (I crack myself up! 😜)…to make check splitting easier!
***
🎭STAGE: Dear Evan Hansen
Where: Arden Theater
Show time: 2pm
Run time: 2 hours, 30 minutesSEATS: Section C Between Rows 4-6 all together.
#### A letter meant to stay private, a truth that was never supposed to come to light, a life he never imagined possible. Evan Hansen is on the verge of getting the one thing he’s always desired, a chance to truly belong. Winner of six Tony Awards, Dear Evan Hansen is a deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical for anyone who’s ever felt alone in a crowded room.
———————-
📚STORY: Dear Evan Hansen
Genre: FictionDear Evan Hansen,
Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's griefover the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.
Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore—even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. READ MORE
📸 Photos & Video Notice:
This event may be photographed or recorded for The Novel Tourist.com website and social media, including YouTube. By registering and attending, you consent to being photographed or filmed. If you prefer not to appear on camera, just let me (Audrey) know—I’m happy to accommodate you.Let’s be social!:
🎉Follow for more bookish adventures:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟📝Rules:
Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.
—------------------------------------------------------------------
You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. To make sure our Book Club events get seen. The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring hobbies and plays and theater dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. Rodeos and westerns Lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize and we love theater!19 attendees
Past events
413


