Book Clubs Melbourne

📚 #InPursuit – A Book Club for Builders, Thinkers, and Doers

📚 #InPursuit is a book club for entrepreneurs, creatives, and curious minds who know personal growth fuels business growth. **See a lot of RSPVPs and wonder how it works? We'll break up into groups of 6-8 to share our insights, then swap groups after 30-45min so you can maximise learning from everybody!** *Note: this even is not organised by or affiliated with The State Library of Victoria* **That's what #InPursuit is all about** It’s not a traditional book club, it’s a space for people who are actively designing a better life through the pursuit of business, creativity, and personal growth. This event is for anyone #InPursuit of better business, life and relationships. Instead of reading the same book, we each come prepared to share one powerful insight from something we’ve read in the past 3-months. Anything non-fiction that’s moved us forward. Whether it’s a mindset shift, a productivity system, a new philosophy, or just a truth that punched us in the gut. This is a place to unpack it together and hear what others are learning too. We’re not just here to *read*. We’re here to *integrate*. Because when we grow, our business and our lives grow too. **🔍 Why Join? You'll leave with:** * 5–10 fresh insights from books you may never have picked up * Deeper awareness of how others think, lead, and evolve * New connections with people walking a similar path toward purpose, results, and impact This isn’t a lecture. It’s a room full of people building themselves while they build the thing. **📖 How It Works** First time? No pressure to share, just come curious. We'll break up into groups of 6-8 and share our insights, then swap groups so you can maximise the learning! Returning? Bring one idea you’ve read about in the last 3-months and be ready to speak on: 1. What did you learn? 2. How did it shift your perspective about the world or yourself? 3. How has it changed the way you show up or behave? We keep it structured, but flexible. After sharing, we open up to Q&A, personal stories, challenges, and deep dives. Some of the best insights come from the conversations *after* the share. **🧠 Who This Is For** * Entrepreneurs or side-hustlers finding their footing * Business owners, and doers building toward better * Curious minds who love ideas but care more about action * People tired of shallow conversations and hungry for growth If you’re working on something—or becoming someone—this space is for you. It’s a practice ground for people who want to grow forward. We’re all #InPursuit of mastery, momentum, and the kind of success that starts from within. **Map on how to get there** We're in the Create Quarter on the ground level (back right of the Quad as you enter from Swanson St). We'll likely be on a long table together. https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/SLV-EnglishMap_Jan25.pdf

Growth Minded Book Lovers: Coffee and Conversation

Like books, ideas and conversations that make you think? This is a relaxed afternoon catch up for people who are into personal growth. Psychology, personal development, business, finance, mindset, human behaviour - whatever you've been reading, listening to or turning over lately. It isn't a round of book reviews. It's more: here's what I took from it, here's the bit I disagreed with, here's what happened when I tried it. You're welcome to: * bring a book you loved, or none at all * talk about an idea you're still chewing on * listen more than you speak Bring your opinions, and leave the judgement at home. Somewhere in there you'll get a bit of practice at saying what you think, asking better questions and following someone else's thinking. That tends to be what happens in a good conversation, rather than anything you need to prepare for. **Where to meet** At the "Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek" sculpture, to the right-hand side of the library entrance. See the photos for the exact spot. We wait about 10 minutes here, so please arrive on time. **How the afternoon runs** We start at 1:30pm, so have lunch before you come. BYO coffee if you'd like one. 1:30pm — meet and greet 1:45pm — we can sit on the grass or find a spot inside the library and split into smaller groups depending on numbers. Talk about your book.... What stood out to you, what you tried, what worked, what didn't, and what you'll try next. The more real examples, the better the conversation. 3:00pm - wrap up. There are cafés nearby, so if you feel like coffee or a snack afterwards with the people you've met, you're welcome to head off together. Anything you order is your own. **Your part is simple** Read this description before you come, arrive on time, and stay with the group. This one's a free meetup, open to everyone. Your host is Sabina, a volunteer who's also there to enjoy the afternoon. HOST RESOURCES: [https://mastercoaches.net/good-conversation-club-questions.pdf](https://mastercoaches.net/good-conversation-club-questions.pdf)

SILENT BOOK CLUB @ FITZROY GARDENS

Welcome! Now that Spring has arrived, we're moving our book club back outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and the feel of grass under our feet. **HOW TO FIND US** We'll be on the lawn outside KereKere Green Cafe and the Visitor Information Centre with our picnic blankets. **ITINERARY** 11am: Say hi and find yourself a spot to read. No obligation to sit together - we're introverts! Order a drink or snack to support the cafe. (Their toasties are yummy.) 12.15pm: Let's gather to chat about what we read, what we loved, and why. 1pm: End of event. [OPTIONAL EXTRA] For those who are not too tired, we can go for lunch together after the event. **COST:** There is an organizer fee of $5 for this event. You can bring cash on the day or PayID me at 0403 413 056 (Serena Low). **GETTING THERE:** The closest train stations are Jolimont (4 min) and Parliament (10 min).

Melbourne Horror Book Club

Come and join our friendly group of horror fans as we talk about horror books and movies. You don't need to read or watch everything to come and participate! I kindly ask that everyone purchases dinner and/or a drink to cover the room hire costs. If you're new, we meet in the function rooms on the left hand side of the dining area. The books and film for this meetup are: **Contemporary Book** Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito **Classic Book** Necroscope by Brian Lumley **Film** Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Paranormal Romance Book Club and Culture

Hi all, Welcome to the October Paranormal Book Club!! If you love books that are lighter and fluffier to read, with supernatural elements (magic, vampires, werewolves, etc.) then you will enjoy this group. After book club we head off and become a tourist in our own city, by attending an exhibition or some other cultural activity. For October, we are going to meet at Market Lane Coffee at Queen Vic Market, where we will buy food/coffee and then go find somewhere to chat about books. After book club we will go for a walk around Queen Vic, find any second hand books we need, more food, and other interesting stalls to look at... or we might just stay seated and chat for a while! The books for Sunday 11 October 2026 are: Zucchini Cake & Zombies by RaShelle Workman [Zucchini Cake and Zombies (Broomstick Bay #1) by RaShelle Workman | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61260200-zucchini-cake-and-zombies) The Wolf King by Lauren Palyphreyman [The Wolf King (The Wolf King, #1) by Lauren Palphreyman | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196920718-the-wolf-king) The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt [The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236900512-the-dark-lord-s-guide-to-dating-and-other-war-crimes) If you would like to look at all the books that we have read so far, click [here](https://1drv.ms/x/s!Am2wjNpl1c1ijCNvt-hrWM8gPaem?e=riV48x). Finally, if you can't make it, please change your RSVP to a NO. Spaces are limited, so it will give other people a chance to attend. Happy reading until then!! 🤓

September 2026 - Flesh *Note: At Standard Hotel!*

Hello book lovers, We return to the Standard Hotel in September! Our book for September is Flesh by David Szalay. David Szalay's captivating and astonishingly moving novel about the forces that make and break our lives. Through chance, luck and choice, one man's life takes him from a modest apartment in Hungary to the elite society of London – in this captivating new novel about the forces that make and break our lives. Fifteen-year-old Istvan lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. New to the town and shy, he is unfamiliar with the social rituals at school and soon becomes isolated, with his neighbour – a married woman close to his mother's age – as his only companion. As these encounters shift into a clandestine relationship, Istvan's life spirals out of control. **Winner of The Booker Prize 2025** https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781529932423/flesh--david-szalay--2026--9781529932423

Dirt Music, Tim Winton (Miles Franklin, 2002)

Shortlisted for the Booker and turned into a film (not great), Tim Winton's Dirt Music is his eighth novel and the second of his three Miles Franklin wins. The story centres on two broken characters living in a coastal town North of Perth. Some critics complain about cliched rough blokes and sheilas and a slowish plot. But others claim Winton is the "most important writer of his generation." I wouldn't go that far, but this is a beautifully written novel evoking cinematic landscapes. And I know a few members are looking forward to going back to Tim Winton again after Cloud Street. Since starting this book club a few years ago we have formed a nice core membership. If you haven't come yet, please look out for the books on the table, pull up a chair, order a wine and join us. We like to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy the conversation, we're not cliquey at all! Oh, and to defray the Meetup monthly bill I will accept gold coin contributions or wine if you want to pay for multiple in one hit. I hope to see everyone again at this one with some new faces.

A Horse Walks into a Bar, David Grossman (International Booker, 2017)

With only 9 Booker prize winners left to read, most from the '70s, we have expanded to include International Booker prize winners. This is our first. Grossman has won the Israeli Prize, that country's highest literary award for his lifetime literary contribution including children's novels, poetry and a novel drawing on his sons' experiences in the Israeli Defense Forces, one of whom was killed on the last day of the 2006 Lebanon War. Last year he called his country's campaign in Gaza a "genocide". Despite being an "unexpected delight" about a comic *A Horse Walks into a Bar* is not an easy read. It has been described as a parable about the losses of parents and nation. Through the narrator, a judge in the audience, it explores our roles as spectators and participants as he listens to the offensive comic. For those that have had enough Magic Realism lately, looks like we're dropping the "Magic" out this month! Since starting this book club a few years ago we have formed a nice core membership. If you haven't come yet, please look out for the books on the table, pull up a chair, order a wine and join us. We like to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy the conversation, we're not cliquey at all! Oh, and to defray the Meetup monthly bill I will accept gold coin contributions or wine if you want to pay for multiple in one hit. I hope to see everyone again at this one with some new faces.

Book swap brunch meet up

Magda Szubanski: I Can't Tell You But I Will

Yarra and Botanics Walk discussing 'My Friends' by Fredrik Backman

We'll meet at the spot where Fed Square meets the Princes Bridge over the Yarra (near the pedestrian crossing closest to the river from Flinders St, on the Fed Square side). We'll walk for about 6km along the Yarra River, through the Botanic Gardens and back along the river to Federation Square for a coffee after the walk. This month, we're reading and talking about 'My Friends' by Fredrik Backman. **The Blurb:** **"#1 *New York Times* bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.** Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art." Goodreads rating: 4.35 How does a walking bookclub work? Like a normal bookclub, we talk about the book, what else we're reading, have read, or want to read (as well as a few tangents into life outside literature!) but we do it while walking around Melbourne and then over a coffee. We often split into smaller groups as we walk, but we also regroup through the walk. Should I read the book beforehand? The conversation will be more interesting if you do, but you can still come along if you haven't finished it yet! Do I need to bring anything? **Comfy** walking shoes, drinking water, some money for coffee or a bite to eat after if you wish. No need to bring the book unless you want to. No shows No shows (RSVPing yes and not attending) mean the group waits unnecessarily for those who are not coming, thinking you are running a little late. It’s absolutely fine to change your rsvp for any reason up until the walk begins, and you don’t need to leave a comment, send a message or give a reason, but if you don't click that 'change rsvp' button, you may be removed from the group. Membership Fee Did you know that while it is free to attend most events, Meetup charges organisers about $600 a year to organise a group? Members of the Walking Book Club are asked to pay a membership fee of $10 per year (not per event) to help cover this cost. When you join the group, you'll be automatically given a three month trial so you can see what the group is like, without needing to make any payment. If you would like to continue attending events after this, please follow Meetup's instructions to pay the $6.50US/approx $10AUD fee once per year (or contact group organisers if you would prefer to make payment using paypal, payID, cash or bank transfer).

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - Thursday 17 September 2026