Comic Books

"How do I get out of a reading slump? This is the book to do that." ―*Rhianna Dhillon, BBC Radio 4* Our first book for discussion in 2026 is... ***FLESH*** by David Szalay. * WINNER OF THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE * Finalist for the Kirkus Prize * Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence “Spare and detached on the page, lush in resonance beyond it” (NPR), *Flesh* traces the imperceptible but indelible contours of unresolved trauma and its aftermath amid the precarity and violence of an ever-globalizing Europe with incisive insight, unyielding pathos, and startling humanity. . . . Teenaged István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to the social rituals practiced by his classmates and is soon isolated, drawn instead into a series of events that leave him forever a stranger to peers, his mother, and himself. In the years that follow, István is born along by the goodwill, or self-interest, of strangers, charting a rocky yet upward trajectory that lands him further from his childhood, and the defining events that abruptly ended it, than he could possibly have imagined. A collection of intimate moments over the course of decades, Flesh chronicles a man at odds with himself—estranged from and by the circumstances and demands of a life not entirely under his control and the roles that he is asked to play. Shadowed by the specter of past tragedy and the apathy of modernity, the tension between István and all that alienates him hurtles forward until sudden tragedy again throws life as he knows it in jeopardy. . . . “A masterpiece, told with virtuosic economy… Pure brilliance from the first to the (devastating) last sentence." ―*India Knight* "Brilliance on every page." ―*Samantha Harvey* “So brilliant and wise on chance, love, sex, money." ―*David Nicholls* “Compelling and elegant, merciless and poignant." ―*Tessa Hadley* . . . The discussion will take place at the beautiful rooftop bar, **Las Palmas**, on Sunday, January 18th at 3:00 PM. Please support the venue by ordering at least one drink. The link below is the book discussion questions. [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NKVL1HZbPKNKc5BQE-HUcbiCtPqIkCu3N4csKreh5DU/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NKVL1HZbPKNKc5BQE-HUcbiCtPqIkCu3N4csKreh5DU/edit?usp=sharing) Please take a look at them before joining the event. Following the discussion, our next book will be chosen by a group poll—so come prepared to champion your pick. Each month, we explore a different genre, enriching our reading experience and broadening our perspectives. For the February discussion, please bring at least one **non-fiction** book recommendation. If your suggestion triumphs in our friendly voting war, your book takes center stage! And even if it doesn’t, you’ll still gain the joy of stepping beyond your usual reading horizons. FAQ) 1)"Do I have to finish reading the book to join the event?" **YES.** We’re here to discuss the book! To ensure a rich and meaningful conversation for everyone, all participants are expected to read the book in full before attending. 2)"Can I just listen and not join the discussion?" **NO.** We gather in person to *share* ideas. Your voice matters! Whether you agree, disagree, or interpret things differently, every perspective helps deepen our understanding of the book. There’s no right or wrong answer, and every opinion is equally cherished. Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions. See you in the New Year, bookflies🦋!

Welcome! Gist below! :-) 1. Bring a book to the meet! 2. Buy a drink (and a bite if you're hungry). 3. Say hi to the folks (pls note the venue is a pet cafe so there will be furry friends). 4. Read! 5. We'll do a short round of intros and a short sharing at the end too. :) Come in and find us (we're probably the only reading group)! In the event that the place is full, we'll find a back up nearby. :-) This is a limited seats, small group event, so do try to update your RSVP early if your plans change! Thanks in advance! Nearest MRT: Kovan

Welcome to the Party of Fives Meetups! If you are a gamer who wants to go beyond the usual PARTY gaming fare at boardgame meetups and cafes, this is it! We don't usually play Cards against Humanity, Exploding Kittens and Unstable Unicorns. That's just us. Make us play if you can. We will be playing an assortment of board games ranging from light strategic kinds to heavy thematic ones. Games we usually play range from light ones like Azul, Splendor, Jamaica to medium ones like Yokohama, Endeavor and Nippon and of course heavy ones like Twilight Imperium, Gloomhaven, Tainted Grail and Kingdom Death Monster! Do not be surprised if you see us painting miniatures or are engaged in some sort of insanely time-consuming enhancements towards our game elements in our games. Everyone get their kick in different ways. :) Painting groups are also in their groups of fives ... For the game designers out there, just tell us that you are a creator when you see us and we will have our own private creative sessions mapped out in a feasible way. Most others don't care so we should not disturb the force unnecessarily. We will contact you when you sign up and place you into appropriate messaging groups with different needs to facilitate further communication. Total noobs are totally welcome! While we don't serve food ourselves, we are smack right in the middle of the legendary Golden Mile premises with an huge range of eateries from super curry puffs, loud Japanese izakaya food, heavenly chicken rice with steamboat, hellish black burgers and authentic Thai food that is just sick. All within a pebble's throw away. Tea and dinner sessions (at our own expenses) usually follow the gaming sessions according to our designated groups. Due to the current Covid-19 and social distancing restrictions, you are not allowed to join us for these food consuming sessions only. For your understanding, please If you have something specific in mind, do a shout out below and we see if we can help within reasonable grounds. There will be a charge of SGD $15 (ARENA: $15), (HEAVY/CAMPAIGN GAMES: $25) collected at the door (in cash) to help with the running of the event. How to sign up for our sessions: • Join the Singapore Manga Anime Games & Cosplay Assembly as a member. • RSVP below and retain a screenshot of your RSVP as proof. • Note that without proof of RSVP you will not be allowed into the premises. • Note that those who sign up but do not show up will not be allowed to sign up for future Party of Five sessions. • Note that RSVP closes 6 hours before the event takes place. For those who will like to form groups to play other games, feel free to shout out your intentions at the comments section below: Note that there won’t be any game masters around to help you with your games on site. The meetup will run from the time stated to the time ended. By signing up for this meetup, you agree to the terms and conditions set above.

!!!Scammers have contacted new authors claiming to be me from this book club, asking them to pay to be a featured author. If you have received a similar message IT IS A SCAM!!! It’s time to start looking at all the great literature we’ll be reading in 2026! Once again I’m asking for suggestions. This meetup is NOT an actual meeting, just a place where you’re invited to add your suggestions in the comments. Do note that we’ve read quite a lot of books since our first meeting in 2010. Look in the 'About Us' section for the complete list so you're not recommending books we've already covered. Not to worry, there are still so many greats that we haven’t gotten to yet. While compiling the list, I specifically look for books from the classic cannon, as well as lesser known classics from around the world. Think essential reading lists for high school or university students. I try to select both well known English classics that everyone has heard about, plus works from other countries that may be overlooked in the West but are culturally significant in their language (must have English translations). Please leave your suggestions in the comments so others can like them or be inspired. Looking forward to the year ahead! Rachel

**For ages 13 and above.** Juggernaut Fight Club isn't your typical boxing gym; It's located within a sheltered carpark of a building in Chinatown, which means ample space for you to train. In fact, it's one of the largest fighting gyms in Singapore, and houses everything you need for all-rounded mixed martial arts (MMA) training, including an MMA cage, competition-sized boxing ring, punching bag stations and more. All the instructors are either pro boxers, boxing champions, or national wrestlers, so you'll be picking up the best techniques from the top experts themselves. ### **Address** 9 Ah Hood Rd, East Asia Institute of Management ### **Schedule** Sundays 4PM - 5PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

Welcome! Gist below! :-) 1. Bring a book to the meet! 2. Buy a drink (and a bite if you're hungry). 3. Say hi to the folks. 4. Read! 5. We'll do a short round of intros and a short sharing at the end too. :) Come in and find us (we're probably the only reading group)! In the event that the place is full, we'll find a back up nearby. :-) This is a limited seats, small group event, so do try to update your RSVP early if your plans change! Thanks in advance! Nearest MRT: Tai Seng MRT (Circle Line 11) & Macpherson MRT (Circle Line 10 / Downtown Line 26)

**For ages 7 and above. Children aged 5 to 7 require parental assistance.** Want to test your skill at the sport? Be the Willliam Tell or Robin Hood? Absolute Archery (Singapore) was inaugurated in 2020, aiming to provide training venue, competitive coaching, fun shoot events and a place for the community bring people together to advocate and support each other in pursuing the sports. Our head coach, Colin, has been active in the sports since late 90s till date. Being a competitive archer, he was with the National Team and had accumulated experiences which he could share with the archers and students. **Past Experiences** * National Team (Compound) 2000 - 2002 * National Junior Development Team Coach (Compound) 2013 - 2015 * Community Club Compound Coach 2013 - 2018 * National Team (Compound) 2018 - 2020 * Tampines Meridian Junior College Archery Coach 2018 - now ### **Address** 9 Ah Hood Rd, East Asia Institute of Management ### **Schedule** Sundays 2PM - 3PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

**For ages 13 and above.** This class is designed to train those who wish to be able to able to defend themselves as a modern day warrior. The class is exciting and brutally effective. Practitioners will learn how to fight seamlessly from stand up to the ground, using a mix of street style striking and kicking, takedowns, to ground grappling, even against a knife being drawn while on the ground. Whether it be one attacker or multiple attackers, participants will learn how to use relative positioning and the environment to defend and create the opportunity to escape. What if your attacker was to draw a knife or worst, a machete? You will learn to use street style weapons like knife, machete or stick to defend yourself, or improvised weapons like bags, chairs, umbrellas, bottles, hammers etc. No pre-requisites needed but generally an interest in martial arts. The classes consist of currently 7 topical series: ​ * Striking/Kicking Series * Gun Disarming Series * Ground Defence Series * Takedown Series * Knife Series * Control and Restraint Series * Tomahawk/Machete Series ### **Address** 144 Robinson Road, #05-01, Singapore 068908 ### **Schedule** Sundays 12PM - 2PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

**For ages 13 and above.** Juggernaut Fight Club isn't your typical boxing gym; It's located within a sheltered carpark of a building in Chinatown, which means ample space for you to train. In fact, it's one of the largest fighting gyms in Singapore, and houses everything you need for all-rounded mixed martial arts (MMA) training, including an MMA cage, competition-sized boxing ring, punching bag stations and more. All the instructors are either pro boxers, boxing champions, or national wrestlers, so you'll be picking up the best techniques from the top experts themselves. ### **Address** CIDC Building, 90 Eu Tong Sen Street CIDC Building, car park, 059811 ### **Schedule** Sundays 12PM - 1PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

Hi Everyone, With Covid19 happening, there is still a limited participants for group events of up to 8 pax happening, so this just to keep the virtual skating together going. The Challenge is to skate as much as you can during this pandemic each week. And see how we rank on leaderboard of Strava. The ranking is arranged by most distances skated each week. Do join us through on Strava App below: Leaderboard updates on a weekly basis and resets every week (Mon to Sun) Join us at https://www.strava.com/clubs/freewheelers_sg (Kindly note that with specifically the Strava app, it is unable to cater for Inline skating option, so you will have list your tracking via run or ride for your ranking to show up in leaderboard. And this is the main challenge majority of skaters will be using.) Feel feel to contact Janice on Meetup if you need help with the apps to join us on these virtual skating challenges. You can also ask Janice for link to join a telegram group where impromptu small group skating events are frequently organized if you are looking for skating buddies. Special Note: Heard feedback from some Iphone users that trouble getting apps FOC. All these apps should be free. Please make sure you download the FREE VERSION. And please download the app, before you join via Challenge Links as the Challenge Links lead Iphone users to paid versions I think. Android Phones should be automatic directed to free version. IPHONE DOWNLOAD LINKS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/strava-run-ride-swim/id426826309

**For ages 10 and above.** Krav Maga is a self defense system employed by military and law enforcement around the world (including Singapore) due to its effectiveness. Classes are designed around real-world scenarios, ensuring you acquire practical skills—like disarming an attacker wielding a knife—after each session. ### **Address** 95 Joo Chiat Rd, Level 3 & 4 ### **Schedule** Sundays 1230PM - 130PM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

**For ages 14 and above.** Designed for beginners with little to no experience Build strong fundamentals in skateboarding and learn the basic movements ### **Address** 100 Plus Promenade - Gate 21, National Stadium 397629 ### **Schedule** Sundays 10AM - 11AM ### **Booking Information** * Please contact **98225900** to find out how to book this class. * The instructor will reach out to you once you've booked the class.

☕🎨 Coffee Painting Workshop (Welcoming 2026) As we begin 2026, this workshop invites you to slow down, reflect, and ease into the new year with intention. Coffee painting is a gentle, sensory experience that uses the aroma and texture of coffee to help calm the mind and body. The scent of coffee stimulates relaxation from the nose to the brain, encouraging us to pause, be present, and allow the healing process to begin. No art experience is needed. This session is about the process — not perfection. Come as you are, take your time, and enjoy a moment of calm creativity as we reflect and start the year mindfully. 🎨 What to Expect Guided coffee painting session suitable for all skill levels Relaxing, mindful activity to help you reflect on your starting 2026 experiences Art materials provided A chance to take home your very own coffee-scented artwork as a keepsake ☕ Why Coffee Painting? Coffee painting is more than an art activity — it is a gentle form of therapy. The aroma of coffee stimulates relaxation from the nose to the brain, creating a calming effect that helps you slow down and be present. As you paint, you are invited to pause, breathe, and allow the healing process to begin. A perfect way to unwind while reflecting on the year. 📅 Event Details 📍 Venue: BLOCK71 71 Ayer Rajah Crescent, #03-25. Singapore 139951 🕒 Time: 3 - 5 PM 📝 Fee: $15 per person ( PayNow UEN : 201212341G ) Sign Up Now! https://forms.gle/seVnHkNvtTApCmYF8

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Join us for Slow Horses and a Book Exchange! In addition to our usual chat about the book, we’ll be exchanging books. Bring two books you’re willing to part with and we’ll exhange books. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Welcome to the thrilling and unnervingly prescient world of the slow horses. This team of MI5 agents is united by one common bond: They've screwed up royally and will do anything to redeem themselves. This special tenth-anniversary deluxe edition of a modern classic includes a foreword by the author, discussion questions for book clubs, and an exclusive short story featuring the slow horses. London, England: Slough House is where washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they're called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated there. Maybe they botched an Op so badly they can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle-not unusual in this line of work. One thing they have in common, though, is they want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there-even if it means having to collaborate with one another. When a young man is abducted and his kidnappers threaten to broadcast his beheading live on the Internet, the slow horses see an opportunity to redeem themselves. But is the victim really who he appears to be?

For January, we’re reading Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. For fans of Flight Behavior and Station Eleven, a novel set on the brink of catastrophe, as a young woman chases the world's last birds--and her own final chance for redemption. Franny Stone has always been a wanderer. By following the ocean's tides and the birds that soar above, she can forget the losses that have haunted her life. But when the wild she loves begins to disappear, Franny can no longer wander without a destination. She arrives in remote Greenland with one purpose: to find the world's last flock of Arctic terns and track their final migration. She convinces Ennis Malone, captain of the Saghani, to take her onboard, winning over his eccentric crew with promises that the birds will lead them to fish. As the Saghani fights its way south, Franny's dark history begins to unspool. Battered by night terrors, accumulating a pile of unsent letters, and obsessed with pursuing the terns at any cost, Franny is full of secrets. When her quest threatens the safety of the entire crew, Franny must ask herself what she is really running toward--and running from. Propelled by a narrator as fierce and fragile as the terns she is following, Charlotte McConaghy's Migrations is both an ode to our threatened world and a breathtaking page-turner about the lengths we will go for the people we love.

**Our January novel is: Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan** **This month's featured novel is a 20th-century biographical fiction, coming-of-age, historical romance, women’s fiction, world literature, student biography, heartfelt, magic, and feel-good novel. The book is 311 pages in print and 7 hours and 8 minutes on audiobook.** 1950: Margaret Devonshire (Megs) is a seventeen-year-old student of mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him it's just a book for children, and certainly not true. Homebound due to his illness, and remaining fixated on his favorite books, George presses her to ask the author of the recently released novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a question: "Where did Narnia come from?" Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C. S. Lewis and his own brother Warnie, begging them for answers. Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusion as he shares the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels farther in his imagination than he ever could in real life. After holding so tightly to logic and reason, her brother's request leads Megs to absorb a more profound truth: "The way stories change us can't be explained. It can only be felt. Like love."

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia