Book Swaps Sydney

Social and Book Swap: Gay Men of Letters Sydney

A book swap and social for the book group. Bring along your witty conversation and sparkling repartee and an optional book or two to swap.

Books and Bevvies

Welcome to **Books & Bevvies** — a casual book swap and drinks social in the Sydney CBD. This is not a book club with homework. It’s a simple, low-key way to meet people, chat about what you’ve been reading, and walk out with something new. **HOW IT WORKS** Bring a book you’re happy to part with. Pop it on the swap table when you arrive. Mingle, chat, and swap recommendations. When the swap opens, take a book that catches your eye. Stay for a drink and a conversation after. **WHAT TO BRING** One book, any genre and any reading level. **GOOD TO KNOW** The venue relies on accurate numbers for staffing, so if you can’t make it, please change your RSVP to “not going”. Repeated no-shows may result in removal from the group. The venue is kindly not enforcing a minimum spend, but please support them by buying a drink, soft drink, or some lunch during the swap if you can. There is no mandatory entry fee, but voluntary contributions are **very much** appreciated. The group costs around **$65 a month to keep running**, so if you enjoy the swap and are in a position to chip in, even $5 or $10 makes a real difference. Please feel free to contribute with cash or via PayID at any stage through the swap. **WHERE WE’LL BE** We’ll be in the Market Street Garden Bar, with a table full of books and bevvies.

The Four Agreements Book Club Discussion

Join us as we explore The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Meet in person for an evening of reflection, conversation and connection in a warm, intentionally held space. Specific location TBC. • Explore the book's content • Gain fresh insights from the collective wisdom of the group • Connect through meaningful conversation Whether you've finished the book or are just getting started, you're warmly welcome. Come with curiosity, an open mind and a willingness to connect.

The Bay BookClub - The Daily Stoic 📖

Get ready for the first meetup by the Bay Run on the benches next to the Waterfront Green Amenities. 📍 Please see location pin You don't need to have read the book, come along and meet like-minded people, have meaningful chats and make new friends. We'll be discussing and taking notes on 'The Daily Stoic' by Ryan Holiday. (Optional) BYO: 📖 book 📓 journal & pen 🥤 drinks / snacks

The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis

As usual, we will be meeting upstairs at The Shakepeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, on Thursday 12 November 2026. *The End of Eddy* is a semi-autobiographical novel about a gay boy growing up in a poor, working-class village in northern France. It follows Eddy, as he struggles against a violent culture of poverty and social exclusion. It was orginally titled *En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule* (2014) Growing up in a very rough environment, Eddy is mocked for his effeminate voice, mannerisms and interests. He gets bullied at school and treated with contempt at home. A central theme is Eddy’s attempt to escape the identity imposed on him. Education is his escape, where he leaves his village and constructs a new identity. The book ends not with a simple triumph but with the painful recognition that escaping poverty and prejudice also means distancing himself from his family and origins. It is a relatively short book, and easily available online and through the inter-library loan service of local libraries. Copies available from our friend Anna. Contact Dale for a pdf on dalemills@cantab.net We meet upstairs. Look for the sign or ask at the bar. We are a friendly lot and welcome newcomers.

The Counterweight Handbook by Helen Pluckrose

Meeting at the usual place, The Shakespeare Hotel (upstairs), 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, at 7.00pm, we will be discussing *The Counterweight Handbook* (2024) by Helen Pluckrose. Opponents of woke are often from the political right, but Helen Pluckrose calls herself a feminist (but later distanced herself from that word). Her academic focus was religious writing by women in the late medieval and early modern period. Distancing herself from the label 'right-wing,' she advocates anti-woke strategies in favour of a classical liberal alternative grounded in universalism, individual rights, open inquiry and the ability to disagree. Unlike some anti-woke writers, Pluckrose writes beautifully. The book is easily available from bookshops, local libraries and our friend Anna. Contact me for a free pdf on dalemills@cantab.net As a book group, people should really read the book beforehand. The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book in a fairly focused way for about 45 mins. The conversation will be guided, so that everyone gets a chance to contribute. The purpose of the discussion will be to critique and play with the author's ideas, rather than to cheer-lead existing viewpoints. If you leave the meeting being a little less sure of your fixed opinions, we will have hit our benchmark. We meet in a semi-private room on the top floor. Look for the sign or ask at the bar. There will be about 10 of us. Newcomers are very welcome.

Queer Reads

Reading list for 2026: * Feb: Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend by Dan Jones * Mar: Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin * Apr: Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard * May: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado * Jun: Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell * Jul: Pageboy by Elliot Page * Aug: Milk Fed by Melissa Broder * Sep: Jack Charles: Born-again Blakfella by Jack Charles * Oct: We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Samantha Irby * Nov: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar * Dec: Carol by Patricia Highsmith

A Christmas Carol (play)

In preparation for our next book discussion, some might wish to take advantage of a stage production of *A Christmas Carol* by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Michael Wilson. I (Dale) have bought a ticket for the Saturday November 14 play at 4.00pm. Everyone is welcome to join me. I will be sitting in seat E8 (which is an aisle seat). People can go online and book a seat next or near to me, or anywhere else in the theatre. The play is being shown at the Zenith Theatre / Pymble Players, about a 5 mins walk from Chatswood train station. Just buy a ticket and we can meet up there! More info and (scroll to the bottom of the page) ticket purchase options at https://pymbleplayers.com.au/a-christmas-carol Tickets are $30 + $3 concession, or $5 extra full price. Contact me on dalemills@cantab.net for more info.

Joyland (2022)

Join us for a special Trans Day of Remembrance film screening November's film is: Joyland (2022) Amanullah, the patriarch of the Rana family, yearns for the birth of a grandson to continue the family line. However, the youngest son, Haider, secretly lands a job as a backup dancer at a Bollywood-style burlesque theatre. Where he falls for an ambitious and strong-willed trans woman, Biba. Their love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for a sexual rebellion. Set in inner city Lahore, Pakistan Language: Urdu with English subtitles Run time: 2h 7m MA 15+ *You need to be a library member to attend this event, if you haven't joined yet, we value your membership and would love you to join. Discover everything the library has to offer including free e-books, audiobooks, e-magazines, movie streaming and so much more. Access our e-library 24/7. Join our library [here](https://library.waverley.nsw.gov.au/libero/WebOpac.cls?VERSION=2&ACTION=SIGNUPAGREE&RSN=&DATA=DWL&TOKEN=75KA1hXWhx6590&Z=1&NewBreadCrumb=1)*

Inner West Writers Group - Write Club

Saturday 14 November is an in-person event at Marrickville Library. RSVP to secure a place! This group started in January 2020 in a beautiful private room granted by Marrickville Library. We have continued to meet in person fortnightly at the Library, with alternate weeks via Zoom. To keep up to date - sign up and receive our notifications. The group is flourishing! You will need to RSVP each week for the following Saturday so we can organise the right number of Zoom rooms and Library space to ensure good quality feedback. RSVP's will receive the link. The intention is to give a supportive environment to get traction on your writing project, gain useful feedback, and exchange writing and publishing information with each other. Please note that if you are attending for the first time - you are welcome to observe and listen to how we work. Your turn to read and be critiqued will be invited in the second session. So come along, bring up to 1500 words of your latest writing - fiction writers of all types, memoirists, biographers, graphic novelists, bloggists, poets - all writers welcome. You will have up to eight minutes to read out your work, an equal time of constructive critique and feedback from the rest of the group. If you want a tribe of fellow writers to be with you as you finish your writing project, build your author profile, want to get inspired by other writers, or want to just listen and give constructive feedback (we all need beta readers), you are very welcome. This is a free event, but membership is essential to attend. Many thanks to Marrickville Library! For more information, contact Maria, mariaissaris@icloud.com, or Jamie Ramjan (jamie.ramjan@gmail.com) or Sunnie Mosphilis via DM.

Wine & Chat - I Eat The Stars ✨

Come along to meet likeminded women, have meaningful chats and make new friends. We'll be discussing our most recent read ***I Eat The Stars by Sarah Wilson***, a profound and moving guide on how to navigate a changing world, move past doom and despair, and find deep meaning, connection, and beauty even when things feel like they're falling apart. Location will be at Silo Bar in Amora Hotel. The hotel is located on Jamison St in Wynyard. Head inside and up the stairs on the left to L1 to find Silo Bar. Even if you haven't finished the book, feel free to come along and have a chat! We keep the discussion high level about the topic so that anyone can join in. Please note that the venue has a minimum requirement for everyone to order at least one drink.

Christmas get together for Lunch