Croydon Bookworms 📚🐛 (Book Club in-Person)

Jade City by Fonda Lee (496 pages)
Genre: Fantasy • Urban Fantasy • Crime

Summary:
In the bustling island city of Janloon, jade isn’t just a precious stone—it grants enhanced strength, speed, and supernatural abilities to those trained to wield it. Powerful clans control the flow of jade, blending tradition, family loyalty, and brutal street-level politics.
At the heart of it all is the No Peak Clan, locked in a deadly rivalry that threatens to erupt into all-out war. As tensions rise, honor, loyalty, and ambition collide in a gripping saga of crime families, magical power, and the cost of legacy.
Jade City is an addictive, character-driven fantasy with sharp political intrigue, intense action, and a richly built world inspired by East Asian culture—think The Godfather meets martial arts fantasy.

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Join the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series Squad! 🚀📚
If you’ve ever gotten halfway through a fantasy or sci-fi series and needed a little group support to finish, this is your crew. We’re reading one book a month together—so you can keep pace, stay motivated, and enjoy deep-dive discussions without feeling overwhelmed.

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How It Works:
🪐 Series Focus: We're tackling one sci-fi or fantasy book per month. This May, we’re diving into Jade City by Fonda Lee. If it’s a hit with the group, we’ll continue with the rest of the Green Bone Saga.
🙌 No Pressure Zone: Didn’t finish the book? No stress. Come anyway—we’ll chat about the world-building, characters, favorite quotes, and wildest twists.

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📍 Join us at the Dog & Bull (Surrey Street) in Croydon on Wednesday 27th May at 7:00 PM
Grab a drink, pick a side in the clan rivalry, and let’s dive into the dangerous, jade-fueled streets of Janloon together.

Jade War by Fonda Lee (608 pages)
Genre: Fantasy • Urban Fantasy • Crime

Summary:
The Kaul family’s struggle for control of jade—and the soul of Janloon—intensifies in this action-packed sequel to Jade City. With rival clans still locked in a brutal power struggle, the No Peak Clan faces growing threats not just from within the city, but from foreign interests eager to exploit the island’s most valuable resource.
As loyalties are tested and the battlefield expands beyond Janloon’s borders, the Kauls must navigate shifting alliances, political intrigue, and the heavy burden of legacy. War is no longer contained to the streets—it’s global, and the cost will be devastating.
Jade War raises the stakes with deeper character arcs, explosive confrontations, and a sweeping look at power, family, and survival in a world where jade is everything.

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Join the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series Squad! 🚀📚
If you’ve ever gotten halfway through a fantasy or sci-fi series and needed a little group support to finish, this is your crew. We’re reading one book a month together—so you can keep pace, stay motivated, and enjoy deep-dive discussions without feeling overwhelmed.

***

How It Works:
🪐 Series Focus: We’re continuing the Green Bone Saga this June with Jade War. If you're hooked (and you probably will be), we’ll keep going with the series together.
🙌 No Pressure Zone: Didn’t finish the book? No stress. Come anyway—we’ll chat about the world-building, characters, favorite quotes, and wildest twists.

***

📍 Join us at the Dog (Surrey Street) in Croydon on Wednesday 17th June at 7:00 PM
Grab a drink, choose your clan loyalties wisely, and let’s dive back into the high-stakes, jade-fueled world of Janloon together.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
📖 336 pages (approx.)
Genre: Literary Fiction • Contemporary • Philosophical

Summary:
Haunted by loss and searching for meaning, Cyrus Shams is a young poet grappling with grief, addiction, and the legacy of his Iranian heritage. Orphaned by tragedy and untethered in his adulthood, he becomes obsessed with martyrs—those who die for a cause—and what it means to live a life worth sacrificing.
As Cyrus spirals through art, memory, and self-destruction, Martyr! unfolds as a raw, lyrical exploration of identity, faith, and the fragile line between despair and transcendence. It’s a bold, intimate novel about longing to matter in a world that often feels indifferent.

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Join Our Book Club Bingo! 🧿📚
For July, we’re diving into something introspective, intense, and thought-provoking. Expect existential questions, messy humanity, and plenty of moments perfect for ticking off your Bingo card.
How It Works:
🧿 Grab Your Bingo Card: Filled with themes of grief, identity, addiction, art, and moments of existential crisis.
✅ Mark Your Cards: Check off squares as we discuss quotes, character struggles, philosophical ideas, and emotional turning points.
🎉 Shout “Bingo!” Be the first to complete two rows, columns, or diagonals.
📚 Win a Book: Two readers will leave with a new addition to their TBR pile!

Expect poetic chaos, uncomfortable truths, dark humour, and a search for meaning that hits a little too close to home.

📍 The Dog on Surrey Street, Croydon
📅 8th of July at 7:00 PM