English Books & Literature

Free Spanish–English intercambio hosted by a native English speaker. We meet every week from 7–9pm in Sandwhichez in central Sabadell to chat, practise languages, and have fun. All levels are welcome — come along and join us! Please confirm your attendance here. \-\-\-\-\- ES: Intercambio gratuito de español e inglés organizado por un hablante nativo de inglés. Nos reunimos cada semana de 19:00 a 21:00 en Sandwhichez en el centro de Sabadell para charlar, practicar idiomas y pasarlo bien. Todos los niveles son bienvenidos. ¡Anímate y ven! Por favor, confirma tu asistencia aquí.

Dear all, I recently took over this group and I am eager to start our reading! I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible and have a great evening. I will try to create a new whatsapp group soon. I have not been to this location before, therefore I will keep it in just for the upcoming event and see if we decide to stick with it. Feel free to message me and suggest a different location, if you have a better alternative in mind. Just as a reminder, to cover the meet up costs, there will be a charge of 3 Euros per person. Please let me know if you decide not to attend, after you RSVPed. For May the book is: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator) Pages: 163 Published: 2016 *Convenience Store Woman* offers a captivating glimpse into the life of Keiko Furukura, a woman who has found an unexpected sense of belonging in the orderly, predictable world of a convenience store. While those around her question her choices and push her toward a more "conventional" life, Keiko is perfectly content, until a new coworker disrupts her carefully constructed routine. What follows is both unsettling and darkly humorous, as the boundaries between “normal” and “strange” begin to blur. This novel invites readers to reflect on what it truly means to fit in and whether we should want to at all. Have fun reading! Olivia

**🇬🇧 The Language Exchange Meetup in Barcelona 🌍** Are you ready for an evening filled with language practice, new friendships, and tons of fun? Join our vibrant community in Barcelona where language enthusiasts gather to enhance their proficiency in various languages and expand their social circles. 🗓️ **When**: Every Thursday at 7pm 📍 **Where**: Space Cowboy: 31 Carders street (5 minutes from Jaume I or 8 minutes from Arc de Triomf station) Embark on a linguistic adventure with us! Our language exchange sessions take place in the heart of the city, within the unique atmosphere of Space Cowboy 🤠 🆓 **Admission: Free**, with a friendly request to support the venue by ordering a minimum drink (€4). This inclusive event welcomes everyone, so come and mingle with us! (Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.) 📸 We'll seek your permission before capturing any moments on camera. Agreeing to be in a photo means you're okay with us sharing it on social media. 🗣 A friendly host will hand you a sticker with your name, native language, and the language you're eager to practice. Feel free to stick to your mother tongue if you prefer. Let's make language learning a joyous journey! 😊 **Stay Connected**: 📸 Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/barcelonalanguageexchange/)! 👍 Like our [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/thefridaylanguageexchange) to see all the albums! 🌐 Discover more about us on [our website](https://speakquick.es). 📱 **Connect on WhatsApp**: [Join the group here](https://chat.whatsapp.com/D175hLd5PNSLed7e6dPWto) See you there for an evening of laughter, language, and lasting friendships. **Come alone, leave with friends!** 🌍🗣️ \-\-\- 🇪🇸 **¡El Intercambio de Idiomas de Barcelona!** 🌍 ¿Estás listo para una velada llena de práctica de idiomas, nuevas amistades y mucha diversión? Únete a nuestra animada comunidad en Barcelona, donde entusiastas de los idiomas se reúnen para mejorar su nivel y ampliar sus círculos sociales. 🗓️ **Cuándo**: Todos los jueves a las 19h. 📍 **Dónde**: Space Cowboy: calle Carders 31 (a 5 minutos del metros Jaume I o a 8 min de Arc de Triomf) ¡Embárcate en una aventura lingüística con nosotros! Nuestras sesiones de intercambio de idiomas tienen lugar en el corazón de la ciudad, en el ambiente único de Space Cowboy 🤠 🆓 **Entrada Gratuita**, solo te pedimos que tomes una consumición mínima (4€). Este evento inclusivo da la bienvenida a todos, así que ¡ven y únete a nosotros! (Los participantes menores de 18 años deben ir acompañados por un adulto.) 📸 Pediremos tu permiso antes de capturar cualquier momento en cámara. Al aceptar estar en una foto, nos permites compartirla en las redes sociales. 🗣 Un anfitrión te entregará una pegatina con tu nombre, idioma nativo y el idioma que deseas practicar. Siéntete libre de hablar en tu lengua materna si lo prefieres. ¡Hagamos del aprendizaje de idiomas un viaje lleno de alegría! 😊 **Mantente Conectado**: 📸 ¡Síguenos en [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/barcelonalanguageexchange/)! 👍 ¡Dale 'me gusta' a nuestra [página de Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/thefridaylanguageexchange), para ver todos los álbumes! 🌐 Descubre más sobre nosotros en [nuestra web](https://speakquick.es). 📱 **Conéctate en WhatsApp**: [Únete al grupo aquí](https://chat.whatsapp.com/D175hLd5PNSLed7e6dPWto) Nos vemos para una tarde de risas, idiomas y amistades duraderas. **¡Ven solo, márchate con amigos!** 🌍🗣️

Ever want to try ceramics or build on your skills? Then this would be the perfect opportunity. The main technique used during the session is hand-building giving you the option to make so many different things for yourself, friends or family - bowls, plates, sushi dishes, plants pots and much more. Beginners will be guided through the process of making things using techniques such as slab building, coiling, pinching, texturing, under-glazing and glazing. The more advanced will be free to create and those with experience throwing would be welcome to use my wheel (to be reserved in advance). Those of you who would like to learn about glazing would need to book 2 workshops. The workshops are run in English but I do speak Catalan and Spanish. They also provide a great opportunity for non-native speakers to chat and learn. They last 2.5 hours and basic materials are provided. Your pieces will be fired and ready for pick up around 10 days after. Cost: 37.50€/person. Bizum: 35€ (647911448) Block of 4 workshops 135€

APP: https://bit.ly/3LRPxUN WHATSAPP GROUP: https://bit.ly/3jLqd5j www.barcelonainternationalsocial.com The best event with KARAOKE at Ogham 🎤 It has two floors, where on the main one we can enjoy our Language Exchange as usual, and on the lower one, the new KARAOKE and a giant JENGA 😃🎉😃 Finally, we have the ultimate event that we all wanted, to spend a fun THURSDAY in the company of international and local people 👌 Where we can socialize, practice languages, sing (optional) & to dance SALSA-BACHTATA (optional)💃 (You only pay for your drinks) HAPPY HOUR unti 9:30pm 🍺 In the best place recently opened with very good communication, it's very beautiful You can enter LA BIBLIO DISCO (FREE) from 12:00 AM to 1 AM Guestlist: NIGHTLIFE 😃🎉😃 ______________________________________________ El mejor evento con KARAOKE en Ogham 🎤 Tiene dos plantas, donde en la principal podremos disfrutar de nuestro Language Exchange como siempre y en la de abajo del nuevo KARAOKE y un JENGA gigante 😃🎉😃 Por fin tenemos el evento definitivo que tod@s queriamos, para pasar un JUEVES divertido en compañía de gente internacional y local 👌 Donde podemos sociabilizar, practicar idiomas, cantar (opcional) & bailar SALSA-BACHTATA (opcional)💃 (Solo se paga tu consumicion) HAPPY HOUR hasta las 20:30h🍺 En el mejor lugar recientemente abierto con muy buena comunicacion, es muy bonito Podeis entrar a la BIBLIO DISCO (FREE) desde las 24:00h a 1am Lista: NIGHTLIFE 😃🎉😃

Hi and welcome to our next Socrates Café philosophy meetup! Do you have a hunger for deeper understanding of yourself and the world? Do you value deep, honest and respectful dialogue? If yes, then this meetup will be very interesting for you. • WHAT IS A MEETUP ABOUT? At every meetup we have a discussion using Socratic method: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method We ask, answer and discuss questions and ideas to stimulate critical thinking and to widen our perspectives with new concepts and thoughts. The main purpose of these meetups is to enrich ourselves with the perspectives of others, not to convince others about our own perspectives. Our meetups are about our own philosophies of life and not necessarily what the great philosophers and academics have said or written. It is not a debating club or a platform for proselytizing. Instead, we place the emphasis on questioning, open mindedness and challenging our own assumptions while listening to and respecting the views shared by others. A Socrates Café meetup is considered a success when participants leave a discussion with many more questions than they had at the beginning. • WHAT TOPIC IS DISCUSSED AT THE MEETUP? Participants suggest topics at the beginning of each meeting. We then vote and choose that event's most popular topic for discussion. No academic training in philosophy necessary; just enthusiasm for exchanging ideas and points of view. Some examples of subjects chosen on previous meetups: * What ideals are worth dying for? * Why are we never satisfied? * Why is it that human beings know that the society is going wrong, leaders are well informed about it and things continue as is? * Is identity necessary? * How can it be that people in democratic societies are so obsessed with power? (Desire to be different, better, stronger than others) * What is friendship? • WHO PARTICIPATES AT THIS MEETUP? Anybody is more than welcome to join our meetups. Our events gather people from different backgrounds, different cultures, while no philosophical background is mandatory. Our usual participants are people that have a hunger for deeper understanding of themselves and the world. People that value deep, honest and respectful dialogue. The inspiration for Socrates Cafe originates with the book of the same name, written by the philosopher Christopher Phillips. (Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy, 2002). Phillips felt that the Socratic method of dialogue and discussion should be practiced not just in academic settings, but among everyday people interested in examining deep questions together. Hundreds of Socrates Cafe groups now exist around the world. To learn more, visit [https://socratescafe.com](https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsocratescafe.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C1b245fc060a24a1b22c508dd324f736a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638722038989360624%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pLtcEu25qgDHP1XvhFs5Cx4L1rRDYmqwnNWgxalKovY%3D&reserved=0 "Protegido por Outlook: https://socratescafe.com/. Haga clic o pulse para seguir el vínculo.").

**NEW: English/ Spanish-Speaking Networking Dinner – Barcelona** Are you new to Barcelona, or living and working in the city? Would you like to meet fun, interesting international people in a relaxed and elegant setting? Join us this **FRIDAY night** for an exclusive English/ Spanish-speaking networking dinner at a beautiful Spanish restaurant in the city centre. 🍽️ Enjoy excellent Spanish cuisine at a reasonable price while connecting with like-minded people in a warm and social atmosphere. It’s a great way to meet local Spanish and Catalan people, as well as international people. ✨ What to expect: • Great conversations in English and Spanish • New connections and friendships • Relaxed, friendly and elegant environment This event is perfect for anyone looking to expand their social circle and meet new people in Barcelona. ⚠️ **Limited places available** 📲 To reserve your place, please send a WhatsApp message with: • Your name • Your age 📍 Location: Elegant Spanish restaurant – Central Barcelona 🗣️ Language: English and Spanish 👔 Dress code: Smart casual **What’s included** A thoughtfully curated set menu featuring: • Five traditional Spanish starters to share • A main course of your choice (meat, fish, Spanish rice, or fideuà) • Dessert and drinks All for **€35 per person**. **Reservations** To ensure a smooth and personal experience, bookings are handled exclusively via WhatsApp. To reserve your place for this Thursday, please send a message to 👉 **WhatsApp:** +34 **614 92 54 43** including your **name, age, and nationality** We look forward to welcoming you for an evening of great food, meaningful connections, and a truly enjoyable atmosphere. **Meet new people. Enjoy great food. Build meaningful connections.** Want to join our fun do you like to join our FUN International Community in Barcelona? If you think this group is for you, get our free list of activities every Monday! Just send us a WhatsApp with your name, nationality, and age, and we’ll send you a fun list of events and activities in Barcelona. 📲 WhatsApp: **+34 614 92 54 43** ✨ **Meet, connect, and enjoy life in Barcelona with people from all around the world!**

A casual (but coordinated) coffee break to meet new friends, take a Zoom break, and get your AM caffeine fix. Stop by for a few minutes or stay the whole time. Bring a friend or wander in solo. Come for the coffee and company, or just bring a book to read while surrounded by other in-real-life, community-seeking humans. Come by every Friday, or just when you happen to be in town. Make it whatever you need it to be that week. It's not an \*event\* per se, but we hope these Friday meet-ups can become a fixture of the bookshop! Gathering spot will be in the downstairs area of the bookshop (near the Community Library). Coffee and tea are 1.50€ and can be purchased at the cash register upstairs. Find more info on our Instagram (@backstorybookshop) or website (www.backstorybookshop.com).

Vídeo presentación: [https://youtu.be/alzG1rokS1o](https://youtu.be/alzG1rokS1o) ¡Atención! Enviad vuestros textos para la Revista: (artículos, reseñas, textos de ficción, etc.) **[https://letraheridos.es/colaboraciones/](https://letraheridos.es/colaboraciones/)** Empezaremos puntuales, así que no tardéis :) Encuentro para amantes de la literatura. Escritores, lectores o simplemente curiosos. Usuario en **Goodreads** con nuestras lecturas: [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/108384464-letraheridos](https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/108384464-letraheridos) Pedimos a los participantes que traigan un libro de lectura reciente que les haya emocionado o impactado. En vez de un club de lectura donde todos leemos el mismo libro y lo comentamos, cada uno trae una propuesta para recomendar a los demás. Ocasionalmente compartimos escritos. http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/9/7/2/600_455971090.jpeg

¿De verdad las mujeres "normales" ya no lloramos y facturamos? 💸 ¿Te has puesto a pensar en la escritura como privilegio? Si esto es así: ¿Dónde están las que escriben a pesar de no tener plata? 🤔 Con este club queremos hablar de algo que nos obsesiona: la literatura y el dinero. Cómo el capitalismo monetiza nuestro tiempo y nuestro deseo (Cristina Rivera Garza Dixit) y qué estrategias tenemos las que con grandes esfuerzos llegamos a fin de mes pero queremos reunirnos para hablar de libros o para sentarnos a escribir. 🔥 Esta en nuestra primera propuesta, 6 libros, 6 autoras que piensan la relación entre la escritura y el privilegio, entre la escritura y el zulo, lo popular, aquellas que no se avergüenzan de decir que no vienen de un "barrio bien", que su escritura es una resistencia y su migración no es un cuento de hadas. ❤️‍🔥 Hasta que la escritura deje de ser un privilegio, hasta que la lectura sea un derecho para todxs, hasta que tengamos tiempo y deseo para lo que nos hace latir el corazón. 💜 Gratuito con la compra del libro. Valor sin libro: 5€ Última fecha de sesión: por definir

come hang for a cozy beach read 🌊📚 bring whatever you need for a chill beach day; book, snacks, towel, sunnies 🧃🥪 🕶️ we’ll be reading together (but our own books), soaking up the sun now that summer’s here and sharing recs after ✨ ⭐ **if you’d like to support the meetup,** donations are always welcome and help us keep organizing these lovely gatherings 🫶✨ you can donate via bizum 605 23 31 98 or in cash at the meetup ven a pasar el rato en una lectura tranquila en la playa 🌊📚 trae lo que necesites para un día chill de playa; libro, snacks, toalla, gafas de sol 🧃🥪 🕶️ estaremos leyendo juntos (pero cada uno su libro), disfrutando del sol ahora que ya es verano y compartiendo recomendaciones después ✨ ⭐ **si os apetece apoyar el meetup**, las donaciones son siempre bienvenidas y nos ayudan a seguir organizando estos encuentros 🫶✨ podéis donar por bizum 605 23 31 98 o en efectivo durante el meetup

**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\*\*.\*\*

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!

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.

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! 📖

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.