Book Swaps London

Book Swap Social Event - Make New Friends Who Love Books

Do you have spare books lying around your home? Do you want to read new interesting books for free while socializing with interesting people? This is the event for you. We will enjoy nice drinks and snacks together at a beautiful lounge bar in London. You can bring your books and exchange them with whoever has the books you want to read. Since this is a Science and Philosophy book club, it would be great for you to bring non-fiction books that are insightful and thought-provoking. If you want to bring fiction books that are scientifically or philosophically insightful, feel free to bring those as well. Since it is a social event, I encourage everyone to make deep meaningful conversations and make new friends. You can come alone or bring your friends with you. If you come alone, there is no need to be shy or scared. I will welcome you and introduce you to cool interesting people to speak with. Also feel free to come even if you forget to bring any books.

Book Swap Meetup 📚📚📚

Basic Ideas: 🌞 📚☕ Any books sitting there collecting dust? Some holiday gifts? Or it’s a book that has changed your life that you want to share? Feel free to bring book(s) to discuss or swap, we usually have more books than people in the end, so feel free to pop along just to have a chat as well. Aiming for every 4 weeks book swap meetup. Note: The event is free to attend, so the only cost for you will only be buying a drink at the location, so coffee/tea/beer etc.

LGBTQ+ Queer Fiction Book Club - Fruit Fly by Josh Silver

**QUEER FICTION BOOK CLUB!** Our next read will be ‘Fruit Fly’ by Josh Silver ***Synopsis:*** A mordantly dark literary satire about our insatiable desire for authenticity, the gripping adult debut from the author of Happy Head sees a struggling writer begin to unravel when she attempts to tell a troubled young addict's story. Anyone can write a bestseller. Here’s how… **Go gay.** It’s been seven years since Mallory shot to fame as a literary sensation. But after years of struggling with writer’s block, she’s desperate to resurrect her career before it spirals into obscurity. She needs inspiration to strike – and fast. **Go sad.** Enter Leo – a young struggling addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival. He’s vulnerable. He’s enigmatic. He’s exactly what Mallory has been looking for. **Go dark.** Mallory needs Leo if she wants another bestseller. Authenticity sells, and there’s nothing more authentic than real life. She’s the perfect person to tell Leo’s story. Gay, sad, dark – just what the world needs right now. But as secrets threaten to unravel more than just her career, Mallory must decide: just how far will she go to pen the perfect story? A darkly funny literary satire that examines privilege, queer identity, and our modern obsession with authenticity, perfect for fans of Detransition, Baby, Evenings and Weekends and Eliza Clark. Purchase the book here: [LINK](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fruit-Fly-Savage-darkly-hilarious/dp/1836432399/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0) At the end of the meeting we will set the next book, based on ideas and feedback from the group, giving everyone two months to read the book. All the books will be LGBTQ+ themed, by LGBTQ+ writers, or with themes likely to be of interest to LGBTQ+ people and communities. Please read the book ahead of the meeting and come with a view to share your opinions and views. If you would like to attend but are unable to afford the book, please email Chris on cwray@kingstonlgbtforum.org.uk who will be able to help out. **Support us**: Kingston LGBTQ+ Forum is run by unpaid volunteers and funded by the generosity of the local community. If you'd like to donate to Kingston LGBTQ+ Forum, [please click here](https://www.kingstonlgbtforum.org.uk/donate).

Fantasy Book Club - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened. Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who. Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood. In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group delivers another searing, completely original novel and further cements his status as a “horror master” (NPR).

Book shop exploring (Liverpool Street → Brick Lane)

In the digital age💻📡📱, do you still like getting a physical book to read? Where do you buy them? Amazon? Waterstone? Blackstone? How about join us for a bookshop crawl, let's try to find some hidden gems of independent bookshops. (Or just tag along for a chat😁) Don't worry, it's not a marathon, don't feel under any obligation to finish all the bookshops. The two hour time is just a guidance, some shops take longer and some are less. If you ever want to stay in one shop for longer (I know, been there, done that😂) feel free to do so, you can join us at other shops. (See itinerary below) Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the shops, so you are not obliged to buy any books, just get whatever you like. *** 📚💃🏼 📖💃🏿☕️ ITINERARY ☕️💃🏾🍷💃🏻🍴📚 We will all meet outside the Liverpool Street Station at street level. Don't worry if you are late, join us in along the walks. Then the tour shall begin! 1: Libreria Bookshop Address: 65 Hanbury St, London E1 5JP 2: Books Iconica Address: The Tea Rooms Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Ln, London E1 6QL 3: Brick Lane Bookshop Address: 166 Brick Ln, London E1 6RU *** Wow, you made it, hopefully you have found some books that will make you happy🎈🎉✨. For people who likes to have more socials or talk more about books (or just to show off your purchases😆), we can find some place for a cup of coffee or a late lunch. *** Google map link for the bookshops: (Not ready yet, will update in the future)

BOOKCLUB: Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin

This month we will be reading/discussing [Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin.](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/406235.Giovanni_s_Room) If you have not read the book, you are more than welcome to join. Be aware, there will be spoilers! 18:30 - 18:45 - Meet, get drinks, get settled (at the back and upstairs) 18:45 - 19:45 - Discuss the book 19:45 onwards - pick book for next meet and socialize **The Venue: [Shinner and Sudtone](https://shinnerandsudtone.co.uk/)**[ ](https://shinnerandsudtone.co.uk/) A lovely little pub with a variety of craft beer. Usually quiet on a Monday and we get the upstairs area. They serve food and dogs are most welcome. **The Book:** [Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin.](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/406235.Giovanni_s_Room) Set in the contemporary Paris of American expatraites, liasons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. James Baldwin's brilliant narrative delves into the mystery of loving with a sharp, probing imagination, and he creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the heart.

👗 Women’s Clothing Swap — Bring a Friend +1 🌿

A small, relaxed afternoon for women to swap clothes, meet new people and enjoy good company over tea. ☕️✨ Bring **at least 3 clean clothes in good condition** that you no longer wear and give them a new home. Swap, chat, enjoy some tea and meet new people in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. 👗 Women-only clothing swap 🤝 Meet new people & make new connections ☕ Tea, food & drinks 🌿 Private garden in East London 💬 Relaxed, friendly and pressure-free vibes **Bring a friend +1 — your friend comes FREE!** 💕 Please bring only **clean clothes in good condition**. 💷 **£10 contribution** to cover food, drinks and hosting costs. 📅 **27 September** ☕ **Tea time** 📍 **Private location in East London — location will be shared privately with confirmed participants.** If it rains, we'll move inside to the living room. 🌧️🏡 **Good vibes, clothes swapping and new connections. 🌸**

Make New Friends At A Bookshop

Do you want to meet new people in a relaxing chill atmosphere surrounded by new books? Do you dislike loud and smelly places like pubs and clubs? This is the event for you. Science and Philosophy Book Club is creating a new kind of meetup where people who love books and knowledge can meet new friends in a big book shop. We will explore around different sections of the book shop together as a group while making interesting conversations with each other. We will go to both fiction and non-fiction areas. If you feel shy and feel nervous to come alone, I will make sure you will feel comfortable and accomodate to your needs. I will help introduce you to others so you can go over the barrier of anxiety when approaching a new person. We will meet on the ground floor lounge area of Doubletree Hilton Hotel at 6 p.m. It is an amazing cosy bar with classy vibes. We will wait for everyone to show up while getting some drinks and socializing. At 7 p.m we will head to the Waterstones book store near Russel Square and UCL. After we explore the book store, we will come back to the hotel bar and stay there for the rest of the night. This event requires £5 donation to cover the venue fees. You can pay via cash or card. Thank you for helping the book club!

Discuss September's Book

This month, we’re diving into historical fiction—a genre that brings the past to life through compelling characters, stories and settings. This month's read is: True Grit - Charles Portis

Silent Chapters🤫☕️📖🧁

September Book Club Meetup: The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams

London's Friendly Book Club's pick for September is **The Vivisectors** by **Missouri Williams**. In a famed but crumbling university city overrun by vegetation, where power is held in a fragile balance between the academics and a contingent of rogue gardeners, Agathe spends her days listlessly propping up the career of her fraudulent professor boss. One day, a campus scandal erupts: Adam, a contrarian and the pet student of her boss, comes into heated conflict with a rising young professor, with both men claiming discrimination. As the crisis consumes the university, Agathe’s boss instructs her to gather information by befriending Adam. Agathe soon finds herself both caught up in the events tearing the city apart and increasingly drawn towards the alluring student at the heart of it all. But can anyone be taken at their word in a struggle over the truth? Coursing with icy suspense and rendered with violent precision, The Vivisectors is a new kind of love story for a broken era. Missouri Williams holds up a mirror to humanity’s most intimate contradictions in a novel of blazing spiritual reckoning. Please only RSVP if you think you'll be able to make this event. **We host three sessions per book, you only need to attend one.** Everyone is welcome! Grab your copy and join us for a relaxed and engaging discussion.

In-Person SBC at the London Night Cafe