English Books & Literature

⚠️日本語の案内は下にあります⚠️ Fee: ＄5(Every 5th time is free!) Girls’ Night Promotion is ongoing!(If you have a promotion pass, you can join for free.) Payment :Cash or E-transfer If you choose E-transfer, we recommend sending it before arrival to: 📩 hanano.ishida1@gmail.com (This is recommended, not mandatory.) 🗣 Event Style •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（※5回参加ごとに1回無料) ⚠️女子会プロモーション開催中！特典をお持ちの方は無料でご参加いただけます。 支払い方法 : 現金 or E-transfer ※E-transferをご利用の方は、到着前に 📩 hanano.ishida1@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🌏✨ ⏰ 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 🌱 参加にあたってのお願い ・2回以上の No-show(キャンセル無しの無断欠席のこと)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目的・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。

**❄️ Winter Ravines Walk: Finch West to Downsview Park ❄️** If winter has been making you want to hibernate, this is your sign to bundle up, step outside, and do something that feels genuinely good for the soul. This winter walk is all about fresh air, movement, conversation, and discovering just how much green space is quietly tucked into the city — even in the colder months. We’ll start at **Finch West Subway Station** and head out together along the **Finch Corridor Trail**, an unexpectedly peaceful stretch that eases you into the walk. From there, we’ll move through **Derrydowns Park** and **Downsview Dells Park**, where winter turns the ravines into a calm, almost meditative landscape — snow-dusted paths, bare trees, and that crisp, quiet feeling you only get this time of year. This isn’t a power walk and it’s not a hike that leaves you gasping for air. It’s an **easy-to-moderate winter stroll**, paced so people can chat, get to know one another, and actually enjoy where they are. These walks have a way of breaking down walls — conversations flow more easily when you’re walking side by side, and by the time we reach the end, strangers often feel like familiar faces. We’ll finish our journey at **Downsview Park**, wrapping up at **Downsview Park Subway Station**, feeling refreshed, accomplished, and very glad we didn’t stay inside. 📱 **Don’t forget to join our WhatsApp group** – [CLICK HERE!](https://chat.whatsapp.com/H59mSCbsAi018gYANrKAnc?mode=ac_t) *** ### ❄️ Meetup Details ❄️ ⚠️ **Please Note:** This is a true winter walk. Don’t sign up if you’re not comfortable walking in cold or snowy conditions. ✔️ The walk happens in *almost* all weather ❌ The event will be cancelled only if it’s **-20°C or colder** 📍 **Meetup Location:** Outside **Finich West Subway Station** — look for Mathew in his iconic **Moose Hat** 🫎 ⏰ **Meetup Time:** **11:00 AM** — I will only wait **5 minutes** (this is a firm 5 minutes because… winter ❄️😉) 💲 **Meetup Fee:** $5 cash in person **or** e-transfer to **mathewmaclean@hotmail.com** 🏁 **End Spot:** Yorkdale Mall *** ### 🧣 What to Bring 🧣 • Water • Good winter boots • Gloves & hat • Something warm to drink ☕ • A small snack • A friend, family member or guest *** 🚶‍♂️ **Can I Leave Early?** Absolutely — leave anytime you like. This walk may take up two hours. *** 💛 **REMEMBER:** You can just show up — or decide on the day if you’re not 100% sure. ⚠️ **NOTE:** Sometimes things happen and plans may change — please keep an eye out for updates. *** 👤 **Organizer:** Mathew Questions? Post on the event wall or email **torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com**

***TRIVIA NIGHT AT AXIS CAFE*** ***$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 . 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!!***

Join Lawrence, your top hatted host, for an evening of wonder, joy, and imagination with the return of ILLUMINITE: Downtown Yonge’s annual winter celebration of light, art, and public space. At 6 pm, we will meet-up inside Pogue Mahone pub, where we will share some pub grub and suds. https://fabrestaurants.ca/restaurant/pogue-mahone/ At 7 pmish, we will head over to the first of 5 stops, Oval Swings, by Prevail Activations where glowing LED swings invite you to pause, connect, and capture the moment. Then we walk to Horizon by M2att Creations, this immersive installation invites you to shape shifting patterns of light in real time, turning College Park into a dynamic playground of sight and sound. Our third stop is Daria Domnikova, Granby Parkette comes alive with Hearts at Play, a vibrant trio of interactive sculptures that celebrate community, creativity, and connection in Downtown Yonge. Off to Sankofa Square, near TMU station, five quirky characters just waiting to burst out and start the party. To set them free, you’ll need to call out, sing, or dance your way into their world. Final stop is DOMINO EFFECT invites visitors of all ages to play, collaborate, and co-create a symphony of sound and light using giant pastel-coloured dominos. https://downtownyonge.com/illuminite/ Afterwards, if you are looking for more there is.... Skating at College Park - Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail

**❄️ Winter Ravines Walk: Finch West to Downsview Park ❄️** If winter has been making you want to hibernate, this is your sign to bundle up, step outside, and do something that feels genuinely good for the soul. This winter walk is all about fresh air, movement, conversation, and discovering just how much green space is quietly tucked into the city — even in the colder months. We’ll start at **Finch West Subway Station** and head out together along the **Finch Corridor Trail**, an unexpectedly peaceful stretch that eases you into the walk. From there, we’ll move through **Derrydowns Park** and **Downsview Dells Park**, where winter turns the ravines into a calm, almost meditative landscape — snow-dusted paths, bare trees, and that crisp, quiet feeling you only get this time of year. This isn’t a power walk and it’s not a hike that leaves you gasping for air. It’s an **easy-to-moderate winter stroll**, paced so people can chat, get to know one another, and actually enjoy where they are. These walks have a way of breaking down walls — conversations flow more easily when you’re walking side by side, and by the time we reach the end, strangers often feel like familiar faces. We’ll finish our journey at **Downsview Park**, wrapping up at **Downsview Park Subway Station**, feeling refreshed, accomplished, and very glad we didn’t stay inside. 📱 **Don’t forget to join our WhatsApp group** – [CLICK HERE!](https://chat.whatsapp.com/H59mSCbsAi018gYANrKAnc?mode=ac_t) \*\*\* \#\#\# ❄️ Meetup Details ❄️ ⚠️ **Please Note:** This is a true winter walk. Don’t sign up if you’re not comfortable walking in cold or snowy conditions. ✔️ The walk happens in *almost* all weather ❌ The event will be cancelled only if it’s **-20°C or colder** 📍 **Meetup Location:** Outside **Finich West Subway Station** — look for Mathew in his iconic **Moose Hat** 🫎 ⏰ **Meetup Time:** **11:00 AM** — I will only wait **5 minutes** (this is a firm 5 minutes because… winter ❄️😉) 💲 **Meetup Fee:** $5 cash in person **or** e-transfer to \*\*[mathewmaclean@hotmail.com**](http://mathewmaclean@hotmail.com%2A%2A/) 🏁 **End Spot:** Yorkdale Mall \*\*\* \#\#\# 🧣 What to Bring 🧣 • Water • Good winter boots • Gloves & hat • Something warm to drink ☕ • A small snack • A friend, family member or guest \*\*\* 🚶‍♂️ **Can I Leave Early?** Absolutely — leave anytime you like. This walk may take up two hours. \*\*\* 💛 **REMEMBER:** You can just show up — or decide on the day if you’re not 100% sure. ⚠️ **NOTE:** Sometimes things happen and plans may change — please keep an eye out for updates. \*\*\* 👤 **Organizer:** Mathew Questions? Post on the event wall or email \*\*[torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com**](http://torontomoviesandoutings@hotmail.com%2A%2A/)

We welcome you to the Bitcoin Bay Office for a workshop on "Blockspace Value Theory" (BVT). What is Blockspace Value Theory? Blockspace Value Theory (BVT) is a term originating from the Bitcoin Ordinals space, though it applies beyond ordinal inscriptions. BVT states that "Tokenized Blockspace" (inscriptions, runes, brc20 tokens and more) has a floor value proportional to the amount of blockspace used, and that the value roughly tracks price of transaction fees. BVT originates from Bitcoin, but can apply to other blockchains too. Come attend the workshop to find out more!

Hi girls!!! 💕 No pressure at all for this first meetup! let’s keep it fun and easy! Since it’s our first one, bring 1–2 of your favourite books so we can chat about them and share why we love them. Also, come with 1–2 ideas of books that you’re really wanting to read. We’ll write them down, put them in a bowl, mix them up, and pick our next read together! I’m so excited to meet you all 🥰📚✨ ALSO: if you can’t attend at this time or date and prefer Friday, let me know!

Set in Jim Crow Florida, follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead. Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late. The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

For February, we'll read The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad 304 pages First published in 1907 About the book: Mr Verloc, the secret agent, keeps a shop in London's Soho where he lives with his wife Winnie, her infirm mother, and her idiot brother, Stevie. When Verloc is reluctantly involved in an anarchist plot to blow up the Greenwich Observatory things go disastrously wrong, and what appears to be "a simple tale" proves to involve politicians, policemen, foreign diplomats, and London's fashionable society in the darkest and most surprising interrelations.

ABCD Reads "**Heart the Lover**" by Lily King. [[RESULTS](https://opavote.com/results/6289524441481216) of the poll for this event] **:: ABOUT THE BOOK ::** "For its first half...a wry, witty, exquisitely evocative campus tale, a fevered fiction of a youthful love triangle, and a reflection,...on the growth and development of a writer. By the end, it stands as one of the most emotionally devastating and soulfully wise novels I have ever read ... Literary without pretension, emotional without maudlin sentimentality. It must be said, however, that King skirts perilously close to the latter in Part 3, and it is a tribute to the power of her moral vision, the precision of her prose, and her animating empathy that the novel avoids bathos and pulls off these wild swerves convincingly ... Heartrending, swoonily romantic, rigorously clear-sighted." (from [The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/23/arts/lily-king-heart-the-lover/)) "Our narrator understands good love stories—their secrets and subtext, their highs and their free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the simple rules. In the fall of her senior year of college, she meets two star students from her 17th-Century Lit class: Sam and Yash. Best friends living off-campus in the elegant house of a professor on sabbatical, the boys invite her into their intoxicating world of academic fervor, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. They nickname her Jordan, and she quickly discovers the pleasures of friendship, love and her own intellectual ambition. Youthful passion is unpredictable though, and she soon finds herself at the center of a charged and intricate triangle. As graduation comes and goes, choices made will alter these three lives forever. Decades later, Jordan is living the life she dreamed of, and the vulnerable days of her youth seem comfortably behind her. But when a surprise visit and unexpected news brings the past crashing into the present, Jordan returns to a world she left behind and is forced to confront the decisions and deceptions of her younger self. Written with the superb wit and emotional sensitivity fans and critics of Lily King have come to adore, *Heart the Lover* is a deeply moving story that celebrates love, friendship, and the transformative nature of forgiveness. Wise, unforgettable, and with a delightful connective thread to *Writers & Lovers*, this is King at her very best, affirming her as a masterful chronicler of the human experience and one of the finest novelists at work today." (from [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228110489-heart-the-lover)) **:: ABOUT THE EVENT ::** You are welcome to arrive 30 minutes before the event and stay 30 minutes or longer afterward to connect with other attendees outside the book talk. Please ensure you have read the book before attending (though finishing any book is not a barrier to participating, as long as you don't mind spoilers). First-time attendees can join for free. If the event is full, we maintain an unofficial waitlist. Please send [Michael](https://www.meetup.com/members/55295192/) a direct message for more information, in either case. We request a $3 contribution from regular attendees to help cover our monthly meetup costs. **:: ABOUT OUR NEXT BOOK ::** At the end of each event, we will ask for nominees for our next book. If you have a good one in mind, please ensure it is between 200-400 pages long, available from the Toronto Public Library, and counts as contemporary literary fiction (though these are not hard and fast rules). When enough nominees are collected, Michael will send the members a direct message with a link where you can vote.

CANADIAN. CBC Massey Lectures - National Bestseller. Brilliant, jubilant insights into the glory and anguish of life from one of the world’s most treasured Indigenous creators. Trickster is zany, ridiculous. The ultimate, over-the-top, madcap fool. Here to remind us that the reason for existence is to have a blast and to laugh ourselves silly. Celebrated author and playwright Tomson Highway brings his signature irreverence to an exploration of five themes central to the human condition: language, creation, sex and gender, humour, and death. A comparative analysis of Christian, classical, and Cree mythologies reveals their contributions to Western thought, life, and culture—and how North American Indigenous mythologies provide unique, timeless solutions to our modern problems. Highway also offers generous personal anecdotes, including accounts of his beloved accordion-playing, caribou-hunting father, and plentiful Trickster stories as curatives for the all-out unhappiness caused by today’s patriarchal, colonial systems. Laugh with the legendary Tomson Highway as he illuminates a healing, hilarious way forward. ═════ Discussion questions: TBD Facilitator: Eli ═════ $$ Refundable deposit: We'd like to make sure everyone on the RSVP actually intends to join us and enjoy the event. Please make a **refundable** deposit of $5 to hold your spot, via Paypal or Interac e-transfer to [toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com](mailto:toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com), when you RSVP or shortly thereafter. If you are waitlisted please wait until a spot opens up for you before making a transfer. You'll get your $5 back in cash if you join us at the event. If you decide to drop out later or not attend, consider this a donation to support our meetup and zoom subscriptions, which aren't cheap. Thank you! ═════ Meeting format: * We meet to discuss the book after having read it beforehand. * A facilitator guides the discussion ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak, one person at a time. * Warning: Participation in a book club is a dangerous activity. You may encounter opinions different from yours. By joining the group you agree to assume all risks.

#### **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! 😊

The next event is happening on Saturday February 21 at 2:30PM at Danu Social House! Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

This Month's Book: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. Join us for discussion at the Granville Public Library from 6 to 7pm. Follow us on Instagram: @granvillepridebookclub

**I’m planning future book club meetups and would love your input. Please choose your top three from the list below—your picks will help decide what we read next!** **Book Options** *The Hong Kong Widow* – Kristen Loesch *American Spy* – Lauren Wilkinson *God of the Woods* – Liz Moore *Listen for the Lie* – Amy Tintera *The Swallows* – Lisa Lutz *The Drowning Kind* – Jennifer McMahon *The Eights* – Joanna Miller *The Quiet Librarian* – Allen Eskens Thanks so much for sharing your pick! Please **reply in the comments** with your top three. I can’t wait to see which books rise to the top and to discuss them together at our next meetups.

**Our February novel is: Julia by Sandra Newman** **This month is a classic, dystopian, fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, and science fiction novel. The book is 394 pages in print and 14 hours and 20 minutes on audiobook.** **An imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell’s 1984, from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover, Julia, by critically acclaimed novelist Sandra Newman.** Julia Worthing is a mechanic, working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. It’s 1984, and Britain (now called Airstrip One) has long been absorbed into the larger trans-Atlantic nation of Oceania. Oceania has been at war for as long as anyone can remember, and is ruled by an ultra-totalitarian Party, whose leader is a quasi-mythical figure called Big Brother. In short, everything about this world is as it is in Orwell’s 1984. All her life, Julia has known only Oceania, and, until she meets Winston Smith, she has never imagined anything else. She is an ideal citizen: cheerfully cynical, always ready with a bribe, piously repeating every political slogan while believing in nothing. She routinely breaks the rules, but also collaborates with the regime when necessary. Everyone likes Julia. Then one day she finds herself walking toward Winston Smith in a corridor and impulsively slips him a note, setting in motion the devastating, unforgettable events of the classic story. Julia takes us on a surprising journey through Orwell’s now-iconic dystopia, with twists that reveal unexpected sides not only to Julia, but to other familiar figures in the 1984 universe. This unique perspective lays bare our own world in haunting and provocative ways, just as the original did almost seventy-five years ago.

Welcome, readers! Our February read is **_1984 by George Orwell._** In 1984, George Orwell imagines a world where the government watches everyone, rewrites reality, and punishes even private thoughts. Winston Smith dares to question this system, believing that truth and love might still exist. His rebellion draws him into a chilling struggle against a power that knows him better than he knows himself. The novel leaves readers asking whether freedom is possible when reality itself can be controlled. 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! 📖

This meeting will be an open discussion about the book "an Immense World" by Ed Yong

Join us for The Fisherman by John Langan. In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it.