English Books & Literature

Von oben betrachtet sieht die Welt gleich ganz anders aus: Sechs Astronauten schweben in einer Raumstation durchs All. Den Planeten Erde umkreisen sie einmal in 90 Minuten, sechzehnmal in 24 Stunden. Die zwei Frauen und vier Männer aus ganz unterschiedlichen Nationen arbeiten, essen und schlafen auf engstem Raum - und doch ist alles losgelöst vom Alltag, Schwerkraft und Zeitempfinden sind außer Kraft gesetzt. Was passiert, wenn man seine Heimat nur aus weiter Ferne durch ein kleines Fenster sieht? Wie verändern sich Denken und Fühlen? In dem Zeitraum von nur einem Tag, während die Sonne sechzehnmal auf- und untergeht, betrachtet dieser ungewöhnliche, kraftvoll poetische Roman die großen und kleinen Fragen der Menschheit und bringt uns der Schönheit des Universums ganz nahe. Quelle: Klappentext Man muss gar nicht selbst im All gewesen sein, um wunderbar überzeugend und "augenöffnend schön" über einen Tag auf einer Raumstation zu schreiben, lernt Kritikerin Christiane Lutz von Samantha Harvey, die für dieses Buch den Booker Prize gewonnen hat. Eine richtige Handlung oder einen Spannungsbogen gibt es nicht, für Lutz steht eher die "atemberaubende Gleichzeitigkeit der Dinge" im Vordergrund, die die sechs aus unterschiedlichen Nationen stammenden Astronautinnen und Astronauten bei ihren 16 Erdumrundungen erleben - und alle großen Fragen nach dem Sinn der menschlichen Existenz. In einem immer wieder zwischen der Winzigkeit des Menschen und der Großartigkeit des Alls changierenden Wechsel schreibt Harvey der Rezensentin zufolge in einem fließenden, gefühlvollen, aber nie pathetischen Strom über Mutter Erde und Vater Weltraum. Quelle: Süddeutsche Zeitung via Perlentaucher

Inspired by Nigeria's folktales and war, Under the Udala Trees is a deeply searching, powerful debut about the dangers of living and loving openly. Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is 11 when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child, and the star-crossed pair fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls. When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie. As Edwidge Danticat has made personal the legacy of Haiti's political coming of age, Okparanta's Under the Udala Trees uses one woman's lifetime to examine the ways in which Nigerians continue to struggle toward selfhood. Even as their nation contends with and recovers from the effects of war and division, Nigerian lives are wrecked and lost from taboo and prejudice. But this story offers a glimmer of hope - a future where a woman might just be able to shape her life around truth and love. **Suggest and vote for future books in this google sheets document**: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lIdNT7Z_nyzkpSq9jjnQe_jZoZDEHU0dACEFEvLaf40/edit?gid=855607985#gid=855607985 *\*\* Our venue, Cranberry in Zurich, do not charge us to use their space - therefore I would like to request that everyone buys at least one drink and / or food from Cranberry, so that they continue to be happy to have us be there. \*\**

\*\*\* Event in Italian \*\*\* 🎭 Carnevale sul palco 🎭 Una serata di letture, teatro e improvvisazione, dove maschere, parole ed emozioni prendono vita sul palcoscenico. Un Carnevale fatto di storie, gioco teatrale e sorprese… e un contest per il cappello più bello 🎩✨ 📅 Martedì 17 febbraio 🕢 Ore 19.30 📍 ABZ – Wollishofen 🎟 Ingresso libero 👉 Aperto a tutti! Prenota il tuo posto scrivendo a libriamozurigo@gmail.com

**Ready to Speak Up with Confidence? Join Us at WintiSpeakers! 🎤💥** Discover how fun and rewarding public speaking can be with WintiSpeakers! Whether you're a beginner or looking to sharpen advanced skills, our club offers a friendly and supportive environment for learning, practicing, and growing as a speaker. **Why Join WintiSpeakers?** * **Develop Public Speaking Skills**: Get hands-on experience with prepared speeches, impromptu speaking, and structured feedback. * **Build Confidence**: Speak in front of an encouraging audience and see your self-confidence soar. * **Improve Your English**: Practice and refine your English communication skills in a supportive setting. * **Leadership Opportunities**: Gain experience leading meetings and teams, perfect for enhancing workplace and international communication. **What to Expect:** Our meetings are relaxed yet structured, making it easy to jump in and learn. Each session includes: * **Prepared Speeches**: Members present speeches to improve their speaking abilities. * **Impromptu Speaking**: Fun, quick-speaking activities to help you think on your feet. * **Feedback & Encouragement**: Gain valuable insights from peers to refine your skills. **Guests Are Always Welcome!** Curious to try it out? Guests can join for free, and we usually have 2–3 new faces each meeting. It’s a great way to experience the club and see how Toastmasters can help you become the confident speaker and leader you want to be! *** *“Joining WintiSpeakers changed my life – I went from avoiding the stage to owning it!”* – Nico *“The skills and friendships I’ve gained here have been incredible. This is the best step you can take for your career and personal growth!”* – Kai **Connect with us to learn more:** [Website](https://winti-speakers.ch/) \| [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/wintispeakers) \| [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wintispeakers) \| Email: info@winti\-speakers\.ch

**Zurich's only competitive social game night where winning can pay off \| Every 3rd Tuesday** 🎟️[ ](https://eventfrog.ch/ZFGJackpotnight)**[\[Get Your Ticket - CHF 5\]](https://eventfrog.ch/JackPotnight)** **🏆 THE CHALLENGE** Tonight isn't just about playing — it's about winning together. **Play** → Join a hosted table (70+ games available) **Win** → Win any 2 different non-cooperative games **Jackpot** → Earn a Golden Raffle Ticket **Draw** → At 22:30, one winner takes a CHF 50 Coopers Pub voucher No experience needed — just a bit of luck, strategy, and good vibes 🍀 **🎲 JUST HERE TO PLAY & HAVE FUN?** Totally fine! If you want to skip the challenge and simply play, chat, and enjoy the evening, we've got you covered. We always run casual tables alongside the jackpot challenge — same great games, zero pressure, pure fun. **🎲 GAMES & CROWD** **70+ curated games:** Party, strategy, bluffing & social deduction — something for every taste and skill level. 🌐 **See full game list:** **[Website](https://zurichfungamers.com/list-of-games)** **The vibe:** Mixed and welcoming — expats & locals, beginners & experienced players all share tables. English-speaking, all languages welcome. 💡 **Pro tip:** Arrive early for smoother table placement and more time to play! **🤔 WHY ZFG?** We're Zurich's most vibrant non-profit board gaming community. No cliques, no awkward standing around — just sit down, roll dice, and make friends. 🎟️ **[\[Secure Your Spot - CHF 5\]](https://eventfrog.ch/JackPotnight)** 🎟️ **Regular player?** See our Annual Legends Pass in Dopi/Ladies Night events 📲 **Join Switzerland's biggest board gaming WhatsApp community** for weekly updates : **[Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/GhVuGiUwPpi3BkhskOUJgp)** 👉 **Official [Website](https://zurichfungamers.com/)** 📲 **Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/zurichfungamers/)** 🎟️ **[\[Reserve Your Ticket\]](https://eventfrog.ch/JackPotnight)**

**60 seconds to Napoli** has recently opened in Sihlquai near HB, where previously Cucina was. We go there for a cozy pizza\, \[https://60secondstonapoli\.de/standort/zuerich/\]\(you can check the menu here\) 📅 Tuesday 17 Feb, 19:30 📍[Kasernestrasse 77A, 8004 Zurich](https://maps.app.goo.gl/QqfZTaSHT2EHZaXS6) Pay for what you order Table: Marco Azzari

**Kon-Tiki Comedy Tuesday!** Zurich's longest standing weekly Comedy Night : English Standup at Kon-Tiki Bar since 2018! **Tickets :** [https://shorturl.at/fgjmM](https://shorturl.at/fgjmM) Kon-Tiki Comedy has long become a staple of Tuesday Nights in Zurich! Veterans, regulars, amateurs & newbies from all around the world show up to make people laugh. This Comedy Open Mic is regularly Hosted by Ahmet Bilge. Kon-Tiki Comedy is the place for English Standup in central Zurich. Come join & laugh with us! **Early Show starts at 19:30 pm // Late Show starts at 21:30 pm** **Frequently Asked Questions:** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Q: Is the show in English?** A: YES. Kon-Tiki Comedy is always in English. **Q: What's the difference of a Comedy Open Mic from a regular Comedy Show?** A: Anybody who wants can go on stage at a Comedy Open Mic. A bunch of Comedians will be there, but they will be trying out jokes, because this is how Comedians find out if something is funny or not, so you get to be there at the birthplace of jokes. Often Comedy Open Mics are more casual & but also funny as well! **Q: Can I perform Comedy also?** A: Yes of course! Just contact theamericanstandupshow@gmail.com if you're interested in performing. Or directly go to the event page on facebook & write "SPOT" inside the event discussion. You'll be confirmed later & will get 5minutes to start off with. Anybody can sign up! **Q: What about these seats?** A : We have enough seats for everyone but the first come first served rule applies! Especially since Kon-Tiki Comedy is popular, often it is packed inside, so come early for good seats. What's early? Anything before 19:00 & you will have your seat of choice. **Q : What about the late show?** Depending on the turnout a late show is also available most of the time, please check the ticket page to see if there is a late show option. Basically if you can buy tickets to the late show, it's happening, if it's not an option for a ticket it's not! Both shows might be consolidated into one if there's not enough ticket sold for the late show. In this case you will recieve an e-mail telling you so. **Q : Can I refund my ticket?** There are no refunds allowed because it becomes too much work for a simple Comedy Open Mic, so only buy your ticket if you know you're for sure going to be able to make it. But if for some reason you can't make it, you are welcome to use your ticket for any future Kon-Tiki Comedy Shows. Just write an e-mail to exchange. **Q : Can I buy tickets at the door?** No please don't. Technically we can but it complicates everything, so just buy them online. Just to persuade you NOT to ask to buy at the door: Tickets at the door are 15.-CHF. Please buy online : ) **Q: Will it be funny?** A : You betcha. You can't do a regular show since 2018 & not be funny. **Any other questions:** Email: theamericanstandupshow@gmail.com with the title "Kon-Tiki Comedy" But if it's any of the questions covered by the FAQ above, I will still answer it, *but first I will insult you.* **Legal Disclaimer:** Comedians may film their sets as well as the audience during the comedy show. By buying a ticket you consent to being filmed in this public space. If you ever have a problem with any clip published online you are very welcome to contact us & ask to have it removed, we are happy to accomodate you. Thank you for your understanding.

Every last Sunday of the month ( Women only event) A chance to meet - swap books, grab a coffee and have a chit chat How it will work • Bring a book or two you have read and happy to swap (please do not expect it to be returned we are swapping ) • Grab a coffee have a chat and browse through the books on offer • Rule - please take the same amount of books you donate ( this enables all who donate get a book and also means the host is not carrying home left over books 😅) * If you dont have a book - please still feel free to join for coffee and chit chat join the WhatsApp chat here https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ44Sqnm2iIDanJAEzqAzb

📚 **Zug Book Club: A Gathering of Minds** ✨𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙✨ A moment for the curious, the reflective, and the wildly bookish. Park Hotel - Industriesstrasse 14, Zug 🗓️ **Date & Time:** 21 of Feb at 10:00 AM 📍 **Location:** https://maps.google.com/maps/place//data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x479aaa57f042687f:0x1ba31b802080ab32?entry=s&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja9-3U4vyRAxWfbEEAHZ_6AlsQ4kB6BAgVEAA&hl=en 📦 **WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?** This isn’t your typical book club. Just a space to explore ideas, share perspectives, and connect through stories — both on the page and in our lives. Each month, we gather around a theme, a book, or a question that stirs something in us. We read to remember we’re not alone. We meet to be reminded why that matters. 📓 **HOW DOES IT WORK?** * Bring your favorite book * We open with a short reflection or quote * Phones off. Minds on. 🧧 **HOW TO JOIN?** Everyone is welcome. 💛 **WHO IS THIS FOR?** Readers and thinkers. You don’t need to be eloquent. Just honest. You don’t need to be well-read. Just open-hearted. 💛

Join us for our “Open Topic Night,” where any issue — current or timeless — is fair game. Bring a topic you’re passionate about, along with your sharpest arguments, toughest questions, and an open mind. Friends of the Salon is an extension of our more formal events, focussing on facilitating similar discussions, but in more intimate settings. We also hope to provide a chance to get to know one another. You are encouraged to purchase drinks at the bar of The Alehouse. Because of the limited capacity, attendance is per reservation only.

**⚠️ Ticket needed :** [https://social-circle.ch/](https://social-circle.ch/) 🎉 **Pub Quiz Night at Boho** 🎉 (Host : Nina) Join us for a night full of **mind-bending questions**, **unexpected twists**, and **more laughs than right answers** (probably). Whether you're a trivia wizard or just really good at pretending you know stuff, this night’s for you! Join our whatsapp group for updates on this event : [https://chat.whatsapp.com/FY1WpeStk5x8WyIXQ5hl66](https://chat.whatsapp.com/FY1WpeStk5x8WyIXQ5hl66) 📍 **Location:** Boho 💰 **Price:** 15.- (includes tasty snacks + a bottle of Prosecco for the winning team 🍾) 👥 **How Teams Work:** 🔹 Got a crew? Awesome, bring your squad and show us what you've got! 🔹 Looking to mingle with singles? We’ve got you! → Think 2 girls + 2 guys = the perfect cocktail of brainpower and awkward icebreakers 🔹 Not single? No problem! We’ll still team you up with some brilliant minds and maybe a few terrible guessers for balance 🏆 **What’s in it for you?** Glory, bragging rights, and the sweet, sweet taste of Prosecco-fueled victory. 💬 **Come for the trivia, stay for the chaos.** Spots are limited, so grab your seat before your smarter friend does! 🎟️ ​**Important:** Tickets are **non-refundable**. Pictures might be taken during the event, if you do not want it please let the organizer know. ​💬 Want more events like this? Join our WhatsApp community to stay updated: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/DNCKCapTzlSKqBqS8EQckJ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/DNCKCapTzlSKqBqS8EQckJ)

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.