English Books & Literature

🗓 **English Speaking Club — Sunday Meetup at Grabli (Pyatnitskaya Street, 27с1)** Want to practice your English, meet new people, and have some fun? *Join our English Speaking Club this Sunday at 15:00 at Grabli (Pyatnitskaya Street, 27с1)! ☕️* 💬 **What to Expect:** We meet in a **friendly atmosphere to chat 1-on-1 in English — every 15–20 minutes you’ll switch partners**, so you get to talk to many different people. **After that, we play some English board games** — it’s a great way to relax, laugh, and keep practicing naturally. 🎲✨ ⏳ **Duration:** *Around 2 hours total:* 🗣 *1.5 hours of chatting* ☕️ *5-min break* 🎯 *25 min of English games* 👥 **Who Can Join:** *Our club welcomes everyone from Intermediate to Advanced (B2–C2) levels. We’re here to practice and get better together.* 💵 **Price & Registration:** * 🇷🇺 **For locals: 600₽** *+ a drink at the café* * 📱 **Sign up in advance** *via* [Telegram-bot](https://t.me/Payment_RealTalkEnglish_bot) * ✨ **If it’s your first time**, *you can pay at the meeting — welcome!* * 🌍 ***For foreigners: FREE entry — no sign-up required!*** ⚡️ **Club Rules:** * ***Speak English only.*** * ***Don’t “teach” or correct others unless they ask for help.*** * ***Be respectful and open-minded — we’re all here to connect and learn together.*** * ***Don’t impose your religious, political, or other personal views on others.*** * ***Please order a drink or snack to support the café that hosts us.*** ☕️ ✏️ **Questions?** *Don't hesitate to reach out to Kirill via* [WhatsApp ](https://wa.me/+79857387761) / [Telegram](https://t.me/RealTalkSpeakingClub). **💻 Stay connected:** [Our Telegram channel](https://t.me/RealTalk_english_speaking_club) [Our VK](https://vk.com/yourrealtalk)

🗓 **English Speaking Club — Sunday Meetup at Grabli (Pyatnitskaya Street, 27с1)** Want to practice your English, meet new people, and have some fun? *Join our English Speaking Club this Sunday at 15:00 at Grabli (Pyatnitskaya Street, 27с1)! ☕️* 💬 **What to Expect:** We meet in a **friendly atmosphere to chat 1-on-1 in English — every 15–20 minutes you’ll switch partners**, so you get to talk to many different people. **After that, we play some English board games** — it’s a great way to relax, laugh, and keep practicing naturally. 🎲✨ ⏳ **Duration:** *Around 2 hours total:* 🗣 *1.5 hours of chatting* ☕️ *5-min break* 🎯 *25 min of English games* 👥 **Who Can Join:** *Our club welcomes everyone from Intermediate to Advanced (B2–C2) levels. We’re here to practice and get better together.* 💵 **Price & Registration:** * 🇷🇺 **For locals: 600₽** *+ a drink at the café* * 📱 **Sign up in advance** *via* [Telegram-bot](https://t.me/Payment_RealTalkEnglish_bot) * ✨ **If it’s your first time**, *you can pay at the meeting — welcome!* * 🌍 ***For foreigners: FREE entry — no sign-up required!*** ⚡️ **Club Rules:** * ***Speak English only.*** * ***Don’t “teach” or correct others unless they ask for help.*** * ***Be respectful and open-minded — we’re all here to connect and learn together.*** * ***Don’t impose your religious, political, or other personal views on others.*** * ***Please order a drink or snack to support the café that hosts us.*** ☕️ ✏️ **Questions?** *Don't hesitate to reach out to Kirill via* [WhatsApp ](https://wa.me/+79857387761) / [Telegram](https://t.me/RealTalkSpeakingClub). **💻 Stay connected:** [Our Telegram channel](https://t.me/RealTalk_english_speaking_club) [Our VK](https://vk.com/yourrealtalk)

Posting this early because seemingly all Sundays in May are holidays or busy! I picked a shorter thriller that's hopefully a fast read/listen. [Columbus library link to book](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3458940) Location: Grandview Cafe, *1455 W. 3rd Ave*, Columbus, OH 43212 [Menu](https://www.grandviewcafe.com/menu) Book summary: Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He's got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy -- despite the fact that he's suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he's not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he's almost sure he sees her being kidnapped.

**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\*\*.\*\*

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.

This month we’ll be ready 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 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.