English Books & Literature

平日の午後にボードゲームをしながらカジュアルに英語を練習しましょう！North York Centre のフードコートでやります。公共のスペースなので、料金はありませんが、周りに配慮をお願いします。 私がボードゲームは用意しますが、もしやりたいゲームがあれば、持ってきて貰って構いません。 会えるのを楽しみにしてます！ Let's have a casual weekday evening playing board games and practicing English. We'll play in the food court of North York Centre. This is a public space so there is no cost, but please be kind to other people in the area. I will bring my own board games, but if you have any you would like to play feel free to bring them as well. I look forward to meeting you!

Join us for ESL Cafe on Mondays nights at St Paul's Bloor Street. We have groups for all levels of English: Basic English, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. At ESL Cafe, you can practice English conversation, drink coffee (or tea) and have lots of fun meeting other interesting people!!

\*These classes are not a language exchange, but instead are meant to be a step in between so that students feel confident maintaining in depth and grammatically correct oral conversations outside of class\* \***Meetup event numbers only tend to show new students registering and do not include returning students attending class.** **Per class, there is an average of 7 students.** The first 2 classes are free and then only cost between $18 and $35 depending on which type of class you want to continue with\* These French, English (For Spanish and French speakers only), and Spanish classes are primarily meant for adults who are travellers, or who are planning to live in a French, English, or Spanish-speaking country. The classes are primarily oral-based through guided conversations. They will teach you how to handle conversations in situations such as **"Going to the Convenience Store"**, **"Making Plans"**, **"Negotiating Prices"**, and **"Going out for a Drink"**. To ensure that students get used to using the language automatically, students will learn to maintain contextual conversations with timing before moving on to the next lesson. Call (647)787-9953, e-mail us info@monkeylingo.ca, or visit monkeylingo.ca for more information! **Online and private classes are also available!** No other language classes are as conversational as these ones. We guarantee it! Cheap parking can be found using the "Spot Hero" app.

Call on 416-938-2223 to find me :) -Ritik

\*These classes are not a language exchange, but instead are meant to be a step in between so that students feel confident maintaining in depth and grammatically correct oral conversations outside of class\* \***Meetup event numbers only tend to show new students registering and do not include returning students attending class.** **Per class, there is an average of 7 students.** The first 2 classes are free and then only cost between $18 and $35 depending on which type of class you want to continue with\* These English (For Spanish speakers or advanced learners only), French, and Spanish classes are primarily meant for adults who are travellers, or who are planning to live in an English, French, or Spanish-speaking country. The classes are primarily oral-based through guided conversations. They will teach you how to handle conversations in situations such as **"Going to the Convenience Store"**, **"Making Plans"**, **"Negotiating Prices"**, and **"Going out for a Drink"**. To ensure that students get used to using the language automatically, students will learn to maintain contextual conversations with timing before moving on to the next lesson. Call (647)787-9953, e-mail us info@monkeylingo.ca, or visit monkeylingo.ca for more information! **Online and private classes are also available!** No other language classes are as conversational as these ones. We guarantee it! Cheap parking can be found using the "Spot Hero" app.

⚠️日本語の案内は下にあります⚠️ 🎟Fee: $5 🌱Payment: Cash or E-transfer If you choose E-transfer, we recommend sending it before arrival to: ✉️canasianstation@gmail.com 🗣Event Style ・This event is 18 + only ・Group-based language exchange ・Small groups of 3–4 people ・Use both Japanese and English to communicate 🕒Schedule 6:15 – 6:30 Check-in 6:30 – 7:10 Round 1 7:10 – 7:15 Seat change 7:15 – 7:55 Round 2 7:55 Wrap-up 💫Friendly Guidelines • Participants with 2 no-shows may be removed from future events • This is not a dating or matchmaking event. You cannot request specific people to talk to. If you have an NG (someone you prefer not to be matched with), please let us know in advance • Photos may be taken for Instagram and event pages. If you do not wish to appear in photos, please inform the organizer beforehand • Harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment, solicitation, or inappropriate behavior is strictly prohibited. If you notice any issues, please inform the organizer 🤝About This Event (Important) This is a group-based Language Exchange event. • One-on-one conversations with Japanese participants • Conversations with participants of a specific nationality ➡️are not guaranteed. ・Anyone who is interested in using Japanese and/or English is welcome to join, regardless of nationality. Thank you for your understanding🦄🌱 🎟️参加費：5ドル 🌱支払い方法：現金 or E-transfer ※E-transferをご利用の方は、到着前に ✉️Canasianstation@gmail.com へ送金していただくことを推奨しています 🗣️イベント形式 3〜4人のグループで、日本語と英語を使った国際交流🌏 本イベントは18歳以上限定です。 🕖タイムスケジュール 6:15 – 6:30 Check-in 6:30 – 7:10 第1ラウンド 7:10 – 7:15 席替え 7:15 – 7:55 第2ラウンド 7:55　解散 💫参加にあたって ・2回以上のNo-show（キャンセル無しの無断欠席）があった場合、以降の参加をお断りします ・本イベントはデート・マッチング目的の場ではありませんので、特定の「話したい人」の指定はできません。 ※NGの方がいる場合は、事前にお知らせください ・Instagram・イベントページ用に写真撮影を行う場合があります。写りたくない方は事前にお知らせください ・セクハラ、差別的発言、嫌がらせ、勧誘行為は固く禁止しています。もし見かけた場合は、主催者までご連絡ください 🫶イベントについて 本イベントは Language Exchange（言語交流）を目的としたグループ形式のイベントです。 ・カナダ人との一対一での会話 ・特定の国籍の参加者との会話 →これらを保証するものではありません。 ・日本語・英語を使って交流したい方であれば、国籍に関わらずご参加いただけます🦄🌱

***TRIVIA NIGHT AT AXIS CAFE - MONDAY, MAY 11TH 2026*** ***$5 event fee + $5 minimum purchase (hopefully more) from the Axis Cafe.*** ***$3 from everyone's $5 event fee will go to the 1st place team.*** ***For instance, if 25 play, the 1st place team gets to split $75 between them.*** 3 ***other food voucher prizes from the Axis Cafe will be in play as well.*** ***TRIVIA QUESTIONS BEGIN AT APPROX 7:15 PM.*** ***The Axis Cafe, located minutes N of High Park, on Dundas St. West. There's lots of room and we will have most of the restaurant to ourselves.*** ***As always, we'll be able to set up multiple teams of 4-5 max per table. If possible, try to sit with other group members you've never met before. This way you'll be able to "meetup" with some possible new friends!! That's what it's all about!!*** ***Look for us near the front stage. This is where our emcee, Tony Krolo will be doing his thing.*** ***Please bring exactly $5 cash. Thanks.*** ***After our own grand prize The Axis Cafe's normal prize structure is $20 $15 and $10.*** ***Just see me (Alex) when you arrive and I'll get you set up!!*** ***IMPORTANT NOTE*** ***Outside food or drink is an absolute NO-NO!!*** ***The (no pressure) Trivia consists of 3 parts, music, visual and general knowledge. Playing on a team is a great way to break the ice with other members of our group. It's all for fun and we always have a lot of laughs at our Trivia events.*** ***IMPORTANT NOTE*** ***The Axis Cafe is mainly made up of low tables, unlike what we had at Kramer's.*** ***The Axis Cafe is accessible. Use the side entrance ramp.*** ***There is one washroom located at the back and 2 more downstairs.*** ***Our Quiz Master Host, Tony Krolo is also a stand-up comic with Yuk Yuk's, so this makes it even more fun!!*** ***TRIVIA START TIME is approx 7:15pm, so do your best to get there early!!*** ***Trivia ends at around 9:15PM and after that we'll all have a chance to hang out together and socialize a bit more if you wish.*** ***TRANSIT*** ***From Line 2 take the #40A or 40B Dundas W bus to Pacific Ave. The Axis Cafe is located about 2 minutes west of there.*** ***PARKING*** ***There is street parking on McMurray Ave. right by Axis. There is a Green P Lot on Pacific Ave. S of Dundas St. W., a short walk east of Axis.*** ***As always, let's come with a positive attitude and a great big smile. I'm sure that we'll have a lot of laughs!! We always do!!*** ***WE WILL HAVE SEPARATE CHEQUES*** ***LET'S ALL HAVE A BLAST TOGETHER!!*** ***WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU @ THE AXIS CAFE!!***

Note you will need to RSVP to attend our event this Saturday May 16 at Danu Social House. You can RSVP here: [https://luma.com/icabijip](https://luma.com/icabijip)

Welcome to the inaugural meetup of the Open Shelf Collective! Our first three books have been selected to set the tone, and following the end of each meetup we will begin with the nominations for the next meetups. The first thirty minutes of the event is open social time while we allow attendees to arrive. The book discussion will begin at 8:00 PM. At the end of the meetup, we will accept nominations for the next book and have our book swap. We encourage attendees to stay afterwards and chat if they would like to as well. If the event is full, please DM us and we can put you on a waitlist. Our first book is "Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman. **"#1 *New York Times* bestseller** **From the #1 *New York Times* bestselling author of *A Man Called Ove* and “writer of astonishing depth” (*The Washington Times*) comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.** Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths. First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle\*\*,\*\* an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car. As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people. Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (*Shelf Awareness*), *Anxious People*’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day."

#### **This event page is for English speakers only.** **こちらのイベントページは英語話者の方向けです。** **日本人の方は、別のイベントページからお申し込みください！** *** We host a Japanese & English language exchange meeting every Sunday at 9:30 AM. Participants practice in pairs or small groups, with 50 minutes of Japanese practice and 50 minutes of English practice. The study materials used in our sessions are created by professional language teachers. ### **Before Signing Up, Please Read the Following** * **Please make sure to check the comments section of the event page, as all event details and materials will be shared there around Saturday.** * This meeting is intended for people who are genuinely interested in language learning. Participants joining for other purposes may be asked to leave. * We prioritize creating a safe and comfortable environment for all attendees. * Disruptive behavior, solicitation, or sales activities are not allowed. Anyone who does not follow the instructions of the organizer or staff may be removed from the group. * **Participation fee : Refunds and carryovers are not available.** ### **Participation Fee & Donation** Your participation fee will be used by Emiko Tanaka, a Yosakoi Ambassador, to promote Yosakoi Naruko Dance from Kochi, Japan, to the world. For more details, please visit our website: [Yosakoi Ambassador Project](https://yosakoiambassador.com/) We look forward to seeing you at the event!

*My Dark Vanessa* by Kate Elizabeth Russell is an all-consuming, explosive debut that explores the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher. We will start our discussion at 7:30. Food and drink are available for purchase.

Join our **Spanish–English Language Exchange Meetup** and improve your conversation skills in a relaxed, social environment. This free event is perfect for anyone looking to practice Spanish or English while meeting new people in a cozy coffee shop setting. ### **🗣️ What You’ll Do** * Practice Spanish and English through real conversations * Join small groups and switch languages throughout the event * Learn practical vocabulary and everyday expressions * Build confidence speaking in a supportive environment ### **👥 Who Should Attend** * Spanish learners (all levels) * English learners (all levels) * Native speakers who want to help others * Anyone interested in language exchange and cultural connection ### **☕ Venue** We meet at a local coffee shop—just grab a drink and enjoy the conversation! ### **💸 Cost** **FREE event** (please support the venue by purchasing a drink) ### **🌟 Why Join?** Language exchanges are one of the most effective ways to learn. You’ll improve faster by speaking with real people, hearing authentic accents, and using the language in everyday situations. Whether you're a beginner or fluent speaker, you’ll find a welcoming community ready to practice and connect. **👉 RSVP now and start speaking with confidence!** **Héctor**

Let's get together at the Reference Library's Balzac Cafe and discuss books that interest us! Books we're reading, books we've read or books we'd like to read. Fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, magazine articles, comic books...

**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\*\*.\*\*

Welcome, readers! Our May read is **_Kindred_ by Octavia E. Butler.** The story follows Dana, a Black woman living in 1976 California, who is suddenly pulled back to a Maryland plantation before the Civil War. She learns her survival is tied to a white slaveholder’s son. Forced to move between centuries, she must endure the brutal realities of slavery while fighting to hold on to her identity. Tense, intimate, and unforgettable, Kindred explores how the past refuses to stay buried. 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! 📖

The theme for May is Thriller. • The book we will be discussing is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. (determined by votes from April Book Club. Let me know if you'd like a free digital copy of the book) • This event will be at the main library. Feel free to come whether or not you've started or finished the book. • Small snacks will be provided. You're welcome to bring your own snacks & drinks too! Let me know if you’d like to volunteer to bring snacks or drinks for the group.

This month we’ll be reading Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. Feel free to come and chat even if you don’t finish the book!

Join us for our May Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *[Cantoras](https://caroderobertis.com/books/cantoras/)*[ ](https://caroderobertis.com/books/cantoras/)by [Caro de Robertis](https://caroderobertis.com/bio/) in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

Join us for lunch/tea at Asterisk Supper Club to discuss our May book "Under the Oak Tree" by Suji Kim Lady Maximilian is the daughter of the powerful Duke Croyso, but she is rarely allowed outside her family’s sprawling castle for fear that her stutter will tarnish their noble name. When she is forced to marry Sir Riftan, a lowborn knight caught in one of her father’s schemes, Maxi doesn’t dare hope for happiness, let alone love. Her stumbling communication and his gruff manner sour their relationship before it can begin, and Riftan leaves without a word the morning after their vows are exchanged. Now, three years after their disastrous wedding night, Riftan has returned as a war hero. To Maxi’s surprise, despite rumors that he was offered marriage to Princess Agnes, a beautiful and renowned sorceress, Riftan still wants Maxi for his wife. And when he comes to claim her, his longing becomes a desire that bewilders Maxi, even as she is overcome by the scorching heat that Riftan’s presence ignites within her. As she learns to navigate the intricacies of her new life, Maxi will find herself and her courage, and discover that she is anything but powerless.