Book Swap

A relaxed London book club exploring the most influential book in history. Whether you think it’s rubbish, holy, or you’re simply not sure what to make of it, you’re very welcome. We meet for two hours at a time. Our reading list includes books from the Bible — as well as some of the books that didn’t make it into most Bibles. The Bible has shaped culture, law, art and ethics for centuries, yet many people are personally unfamiliar with it. Each evening is structured but informal. The group chooses the book or books to read, and discussion takes place in small groups. No lectures. No pressure. No need to prepare anything in advance. The aim is thoughtful, respectful conversation. Plenty of people feel they know quite a bit about the Bible, yet struggle to read it. This is a space to explore it thoughtfully and honestly — in good company. This club is for: • Curious thinkers • Skeptics • Christians with questions • Anyone who wants to make up their own mind Our only rules? Be curious. Be honest. Be kind. And enjoy yourself. It’s also a chance to find a bit of community along the way. Photos may be taken during the evening to share on the Meetup page or social media to help others see what the group is like. If you prefer not to appear in photos, just let the organiser know at any time. We meet in a private room on the second floor of the Duke of Sussex pub. When you arrive, get yourself a drink, ask for The Book Club, and come on up.

Join us in discussing Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead Novel by Olga Tokarczuk. With Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Man Booker International Prize-winner Olga Tokarczuk returns with a subversive, entertaining noir novel. In a remote Polish village, Janina Duszejko, an eccentric woman in her sixties, recounts the events surrounding the disappearance of her two dogs. She is reclusive, preferring the company of animals to people; she’s unconventional, believing in the stars; and she is fond of the poetry of William Blake, from whose work the title of the book is taken. When members of a local hunting club are found murdered, Duszejko becomes involved in the investigation. By no means a conventional crime story, this existential thriller by ‘one of Europe’s major humanist writers’ (Guardian) offers thought-provoking ideas on our perceptions of madness, injustice against marginalized people, animal rights, the hypocrisy of traditional religion, belief in predestination – and caused a genuine political uproar in Tokarczuk’s native Poland. Everyone is welcome, regardless of what they thought about the book; we love hearing all kinds of opinions! You can join even if it's fully booked. Hope to see you soon! You can also join our Instagram account here: [https://www.instagram.com/goodbook.bookclub?igsh=djlwMW9wYXg2anFt](https://www.instagram.com/goodbook.bookclub?igsh=djlwMW9wYXg2anFt)

In these regular writing workshops, we have three writers sharing a sample of their writing for immediate feedback, advice and encouragement. Critique is led and moderated by your host. You learn more by listening to the writing of others and the feedback their piece receives on the night than you can imagine. We've been running these sessions since 2010 and there's a reason they fill up so fast! Usually, we have a group of up to 15 writers attending. For people reading, pieces must be **3,500 words or less** as you'll have about 45mins for reading and discussion on your excerpt from around the table. Most people bring 3,500 words from their novel or a short story of all genres and styles. If you'd like to read, please **post a comment below**. ***You must have booked your place before making a request to read.*** If you are reading, **please bring enough printed copies (at least 10)** of your pages so members can make additional feedback/editing notes for you during the reading. All copies will be returned to you after the feedback has concluded. New members are always welcome in these groups. Most people come along to a few sessions before offering feedback, commenting or requesting to read but it's up to you. If you want to read right away, great, but if you want to come along and see how we roll first, that makes sense too. Again, you'll be surprised by how much you can learn from others by listening to the pieces and their feedback. After the workshop, most of us head to the bar for a social drink or two and extended conversation about the joys and woes of writing. **TICKETS:** £15.00 and please follow the steps to pay via PayPal when you RSVP. Williamson's have raised their hire fees and so ticket prices have to reflect that additional spend. It's also my role to organise and lead these sessions so ticket price incorporates my labour in hosting these sessions for you. Thanks for understanding. PLEASE NOTE: Refunds or credits will only be provided if the meetup is cancelled by us. We cannot offer refunds or credit for another session if you decide not to attend on the day. Please change your RSVP if you no longer plan to attend. We often have people on the waiting list and we'd hate for others to miss out. Location: **The Three Tuns,** 36 Jewry St, Aldgate, London EC3N 2ET. Closest stations are Aldgate, Aldgate East and Tower Hill. Try the official Meetup app to receive last-minute updates and notifications about our events as they happen to your phone. [Download it now](https://www.meetup.com/apps/). These workshops are hosted by me - Lisa Goll, Boss Lady at London Writers' Cafe - I'm a publishing professional with more than twenty years of working within the publishing industry. Added to that, I've been leading LWC feedback workshops for fiction writers since 2010 too. See more about [me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisagoll/) or Insta me @LisasShare @LondonWritersCafe Question? Post a comment below.

**The Talbot Room at the George Inn** The George provides the room free of charge (they are awesome), and we encourage you to purchase drinks (and food – the burgers are great!). As it’s a pub and not a picnic area, please don’t consume your own food and drink there. We usually meet in the Talbot room which is on the top floor on the left hand side of the pub as viewed from the courtyard. If lost please send a message here shortly before the meeting starts. **We are sorry to say that there is no step-free access to the Talbot room, and it is at the end of three flights of stairs.** **Format** We start at 7pm and run until 9pm. We hear approximately six readings of 10 minutes (\~2000 words), then discuss the piece for 10 minutes. Email your work to: london60transmitter@emailitin.com as an attachment (It must be an attachment). A link for access to googledocs will be given at the start of each session to enable people to read along, which in turn enables more considered feedback. Work submitted will be automatically deleted after 10 days. We decide on readers/pieces at the beginning of each session. **Safe and respectful space** The group is run by volunteers, and we don’t have the capacity to read submitted work in advance. If there is anything in your work that might distress or disturb some readers, for example concerning any kind of abuse, please give a trigger warning before you read. Be specific and concise. If it becomes apparent during a reading that a piece is inappropriate, the moderator will stop the reading. In discussing others’ work, please be mindful of how you express yourself and do not use discriminatory language, even if such language features in the piece.

The next book is The Names by Florence Knapp. If you’re interested, read the book if you want to, and join us for dinner at Côte. The booking will be under Olivia.

Hi all, arranging our first book swap of the year! If you’d like to attend, please bring a book that you think highly of (or maybe one you want rid of!) and give a short summary. Once we’ve all shared we’ll then go around and pick the book we’d like to choose. Please be prepared to give your book up in exchange for someone else’s. We’ll draw numbers to see who goes first, second etc. Looking forward to seeing what everyone brings! Christina 🍾

Kennington Book Club Pick #1: The Merge Thank you to all of you who have joined the group. For our very first read together, I thought we could dive into The Merge by Grace Walker. This book is set in a near-future world facing overpopulation and climate collapse. To address this society introduces a radical solution: merging two people into a single consciousness. But what begins as a bold fix quickly raises deeper questions about identity, love, and what it really means to be human. Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts - I’m hoping this one should give us a lot to talk about. If it helps you to have something to focus on while you’re reading, you could think about: - Where do you draw the line between sacrifice and loss of self? - Who should have the power to make decisions like this? - Is this a solution… or a warning? Going forward we’ll pick the next read together at the end of each meet up. Happy reading! Rachael

In the digital age💻📡📱, do you still like getting a physical book to read? Where do you buy them? Amazon? Waterstone? Blackstone? How about join us for a bookshop crawl, let's try to find some hidden gems of independent bookshops. (Or just tag along for a chat😁) We will start from Tottenham Court Road, pass Russell Square and finish at King's Cross. We will do 10 bookshops📚📚📚! (So do get your comfy walking boots ready.) Don't worry, it's not a marathon, don't feel under any obligation to finish all the bookshops. The two hour time is just a guidance, some shops take longer and some are less. If you ever want to stay in one shop for longer (I know, been there, done that😂) feel free to do so, you can join us at other shops. (See itinerary below) Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the shops, so you are not obliged to buy any books, just get whatever you like. *** 📚💃🏼 📖💃🏿☕️ ITINERARY ☕️💃🏾🍷💃🏻🍴📚 We will all meet up at Tottenham Court Road, outside the Dominion Theatre. Don't worry if you are late, join us in along the walks. Then the tour shall begin! 1: Bookmarks Address: 1 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QE Comment: A niche socialist bookshop for books on politics, cultural & history. 2: Oxfam Bookshop Address: 12 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QA Comment: One of my favour bookshops, books are so cheap at the charity shop. (Some books are even brand new!) 3: London Review Bookshop Address: 14-16 Bury Pl, London WC1A 2JL Comment: A literary magazine-owned book store. (A 12mins walk towards Russal Square Station) 4: Skoob Books Address: 66 The Brunswick off, Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AE Comment: Another of my favourite, one of the biggest second-hand bookshop in London 5: Gay's The Word Address: 66 Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AB Comment: A bookshop for books on LGBTQ topics, both fiction and non-fictions. 6: Judd Books Address: 82 Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AG Comment: Book in the shelf filled to the ceiling. A lot of hardback books as well with great price. Generally we finish here, then for people who want to stay we usually find somewhere to have food and further discussions in the afternoon. *** Optional: (A 10mins walk towards King's Cross St. Pancras Station) (Feel free to leave here for public transport) 9: Hatchards St Pancras Address: Unit 7, St Pancras International Station, Euston Rd, London N1C 4QP Comment: Claims to be the oldest bookshop in the United Kingdom (Piccadilly store), though owned by Waterstone now. 10: Housmans Bookshop Address: 5 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DY Comment: A bookshop for new and second-hand publications on progressive politics. (A 10mins walk from King's Cross) 11: Word On the Water - The London Bookbarge Address: Regent's Canal Towpath, London N1C 4LW Comment: A quirky bookstore on a canal barge, good place for a picture. (Off Angel Station ) 12: Oxfam Bookshop Address: 48 Upper St, London N1 0PN Comment: Quite a bit distance for walking, though pretty close by public transport. If you like another lucky dip into charity bookshop, why not? *** Wow, you made it, hopefully you have found some books that will make you happy🎈🎉✨. For people who likes to have more socials or talk more about books (or just to show off your purchases😆), we can find some place for a cup of coffee or a late lunch. *** Google map link for the bookshops: https://goo.gl/maps/3kENnrMv9tSoZ4xB9

April is the time for recycled reads! This means that books we voted on before but didn't make the cut now can be chosen again! The winning book is: * The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Get it now!

London's Friendly Book Club's pick for April is **Evenings and Weekends** by **Oisín McKenna**. This city stops for no-one. Not the half-naked boozers, stoners, and cruisers, the hen parties glugging from bejewelled bottles, the drag queens puffing on hurried fags. It’s June 2019 in London and everyone has converged on the parks, beer gardens and street corners to revel in the collective joys of being alive. Everyone but Maggie. She’s 30, pregnant and broke. Faced with moving back to the town she fought to escape, she’s wondering if having a baby with boyfriend Ed will be the last spontaneous act of her life. Ed, meanwhile, is trying to run from his past with Maggie’s best friend Phil and harbouring secret dreams of his own. Phil hates his office job and is living for the weekend, while falling for his housemate, Keith. But there’s a problem: Keith has a boyfriend and there might not be room for three people in the relationship. Then there’s Rosaleen, Phil’s mother, who’s tired of feeling like a side character in her own life. She’s just been diagnosed with cancer and is travelling to London to tell Phil, if she can ever get hold of him. As Saturday night approaches, all their lives are set to change forever. It’s the hottest summer on record and the weekend is about to begin. Please only RSVP if you think you'll be able to make this event. **We host three sessions per book, you only need to attend one.** Everyone is welcome! Grab your copy and join us for a relaxed and engaging discussion.

A quick note to say that if you would like to help me with the running costs of the book group, you can give a small contribution via Ko-fi: [https://ko-fi.com/annabookgroup](https://ko-fi.com/annabookgroup) Thank you to everyone who helped me with the Meetup fees in 2025! We will meet from 6:30 onwards at the pub and go to the room upstairs between 6:30 and 7:00. Please check with the bar staff before going up that the room is ready and please don't go up before our start time. We will start the discussion at around 7:00pm and talk about the book for an hour or so before having a break. Then we can vote on next month's book. If you have any suggestions for short (or shortish) books for the next shortlist, please message me ahead of time. Thanks! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin (1968, 304 pages)** A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants spend most of their time without a gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction

[The Kind Exchange](https://www.facebook.com/events/3087825058070662/) A gathering to share, swap, and connect with like-minded people who care about plant-based living, sustainability, and mindful choices. This is more than a swap — it’s a space to circulate what we already have and meet others in the community. Bring any of the following to share: * **Vegan-related books** (cookbooks, sustainability, mindful living, etc.) * **Plants or cuttings** (optional) Swap for something new-to-you from others. *The more you bring, the more there is to exchange!* Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly- [https://form.jotform.com/260975490897073](https://form.jotform.com/260975490897073?utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv4&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVGxJeFRub0FQNmhUcmF3VnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4u9YhVWcSkITKfEn_NajeEUIyxFrXbcaG0HjFHoQn-MCxKlhGlUpFAnsMIzw_aem_vo9QISntFpTtGskmWaVEkQ) Unclaimed books/plants at the end of the event will be donated.

Welcome, readers! Our April read is **_Martyr!_ by Kaveh Akbar.** The story follows a young Iranian American poet grappling with grief, addiction, and the aching question of what makes a life meaningful. Drawn into an unexpected friendship with a terminally ill artist, he begins to confront faith, love, and the seduction of self-destruction. Lyrical, darkly funny, and emotionally piercing, the novel wrestles with beauty and despair in equal measure. It’s a story about longing—to be seen, to be forgiven, and to matter. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

We're meeting at 5pm local to read from and discuss Normal People by Sally Rooney. Read what you can beforehand and bring your thoughts, favorite moments, and questions. New members are very welcome.

**Our May novel is: *The Quiet Librarian* by Allen Eskens** **This month’s book is set in the 20th century and mixes historical fiction with suspense and thriller elements. It also centers on women’s stories and relationships. The novel is 368 pages in print or 8 hours and 12 minutes on audiobook.** Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared. Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head\*\*.\*\*

**� Online Speed Dating via Zoom – Connect with Columbus Singles Tonight!** A hosted online speed dating experience for Columbus locals. Join from home, get paired with Columbus singles your age, and have real conversations on Zoom. A host manages everything so you can just relax and enjoy. **Pick your age group and sign up:** - **Ages 18-32** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=476.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=city-readers-social-and-discussion-collective&ar=18-32&face_v=1.0) - **Ages 30-46** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=476.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=city-readers-social-and-discussion-collective&ar=30-46&face_v=1.0) **⚠️ Your RSVP doesn't guarantee a place.** Click your age group link below, register, and take the personality quiz to lock in your spot. Limited places. --- 🎯 **Especially useful for:** - People re-entering the dating scene after a break - ✨ People fed up with swiping who want actual conversation 🗂 **Quick details** - ⚡ **Format:** Virtual on Zoom – hosted and well-structured - ✨ **Location:** From home – all you need is Wi-Fi and a webcam 🛠 **What the flow looks like** 1. **Sign up** – Tap the link for your age range above. 2. **Take the personality quiz** – We use it to pair you with compatible Columbus singles. 3. **Log in** – Connect to the Zoom session from home. The host runs the show. 💡 **Tip:** Just be yourself. That's always the best approach. **Frequently Asked Questions** **Is my info private?** Absolutely. Contact details are only exchanged on mutual match. **What if I'm shy?** --- ✨ One Zoom call, genuine conversations, real matches. See you there. 💓 ✨ Short-form version for faster scanning. Everything important, without the extra padding.

**🥰 Speed Dating on Zoom – Personality Matched for Columbus Locals** We pair you by personality and age so every conversation feels natural. Quick, hosted rounds on Zoom with Columbus singles paired to your age group and personality. No awkward pauses — just natural conversation. **Choose your age range to register:** - **Ages 18-32** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=476.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=city-readers-social-and-discussion-collective&ar=18-32&face_v=1.0) - **Ages 30-46** → [REGISTER HERE](https://tempodating.com/product?productId=476.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Columbus&groupurlname=city-readers-social-and-discussion-collective&ar=30-46&face_v=1.0) **⚠️ Heads up — RSVPing here isn't enough.** Register through your age group link below and complete the quiz. Capacity is limited. --- 🎯 **Great fit for:** - Introverts who shine in one-on-one conversations - 🎉 People fed up with swiping who want actual conversation 🗂 **Quick details** - **Format:** Hosted on Zoom – one-on-one video dates - **Location:** From home – all you need is Wi-Fi and a webcam 🔄 **What to expect** 1. **Pick your age group** – Register through your link above. 2. **Fill in the matching quiz** – Helps us find your ideal matches for the evening. 3. **Log in** – Connect to the Zoom session from home. The host runs the show. 💡 **Tip:** Good lighting and a clean background make a big difference. --- ✨ Register, take the quiz, and connect with Columbus locals tonight. 💖 ✨ Lean version: fewer words, same core offer. Concise by design so people can decide quickly.

We're meeting at 5pm local to read from and discuss The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Read what you can beforehand and bring your thoughts, favorite moments, and questions. New members are very welcome.