Book Swaps Toronto

Literary Dinner with Harriet Alida Lye

**What if your next great book conversation happened over dinner?** Join Fifth Edit for an intimate evening with author **Harriet Alida Lye**, celebrating her new novel *Motherclown*. This is more than a traditional author event. Come for dinner, wine and an engaging conversation with Harriet about motherhood, identity, family, creativity and the strange, funny and unsettling territory explored in *Motherclown*. **Your ticket includes:** 🍷 Wine 🍽️ Dinner 📖 A conversation with Harriet Alida Lye 💬 Plenty of time to connect with other readers Whether you've already read *Motherclown* or are simply curious about the book, you're invited to pull up a chair. **Wednesday, October 1 · 7:30 PM** Downtown Winery · Toronto **Limited seats available. Tickets here:** https://luma.com/yrh8pz4h

Fall Wardrobe Refresh: Women’s Clothing & Halloween Costume Swap Meet

**Ready to refresh your wardrobe without spending a fortune?** Join us for a community clothing swap (and Halloween costumes). **Date:** Thursday, October 15, 2026 **Time:** 4:00 PM – 8:00PM **Venue:** Alternity (353 Bloor Street West) **You must [buy your ticket here on Eventbrite to secure your spot](http://eventbrite.ca/e/fall-wardrobe-refresh-womens-clothing-halloween-costume-swap-meet-tickets-2000748255892?aff=meetup)**[ ](http://eventbrite.ca/e/fall-wardrobe-refresh-womens-clothing-halloween-costume-swap-meet-tickets-2000748255892?aff=meetup)\- an RSVP on Meetup does not count\. **Clothing swaps are a fun, eco-friendly way to upgrade your style, meet great women, and keep fashion out of landfills.** Whether you're clearing space or hunting for new favourites, you’ll leave feeling good and looking even better. Bring at least 5 clean, gently worn items to swap — or come without clothes and take home a few pieces for a small fee. **Don't worry** \- any unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity \(Kidney Clothes\-see below info\)\, so nothing goes to waste\! This is an intimate event \- **only 40 spots available with limited free spots.** Just women’s clothing, Halloween costumes, and accessories (bags/purses, belts, scarves, shoes) please. No lingerie or underwear and do NOT bring stained or damaged items). **Limit of 20 items per person max**. We are looking for 5 volunteers to help with the swap meet. Volunteers will not be required to bring any clothing to swap OR can bring up to 30 items. They will also receive up to 5 items complimentary and a credit for a future Toronto Event Hub or Toronto Dating Hub event! If interested, please contact Andrea before Oct 1 at info@torontoeventhub.com. ✨ **Come see why [Toronto Event Hub](https://torontoeventhub.com/) networking events are rated one of the best in Toronto!**

Book Bar Girl’s night 🍸📚💕

Join us for a cozy girls’ night at Book Bar Toronto! 📚🥂 Come meet fellow book lovers, make new friends, sip on drinks, and chat in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re an avid reader, serial hobbyist or just looking for a fun night out with a great group of women, we’d love to have you! 💕 This venue does not take reservations, as such this event will be for a small group of people, please update your RSVP no later than 72 two hours in advance to ensure that those who would like to attend, have a spot to attend. Late cancellations and no-shows will be removed from the group out of courtesy towards others. Please note this venue, serves snacks and drinks, books are available to read and purchase, however, the venue does not serve full meals.

Tough Guy Book Club - Toronto ON

Join us for the Toronto Chapter of Tough Guy Book Club. You can find out this month's book here [https://toughguybookclub.com/books](https://toughguybookclub.com/books?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExcTVleWRsd0ZYSWdqZXV4QXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5aL8E3xpn05czDIaY5kEiHH3oABs4hICFLOrNXUsW-0gY5HePBTW1ni0SYzw_aem_qNxAzG9ij-sVr5-Rf8Uw3Q) If you have the chance, try to pick up the book and read a couple of pages before the night. If you haven’t, come anyway, no one gives a damn. We are not your boss. If you got one, make sure to bring your copy of the books down, it’ll help you talk about bits of it, we suggest underlining stuff that sticks out to you as important. Also like all months, we will be announcing next month’s book at the meeting and handing them out to those of you who were wise enough to pre-order last month. See you there. Want to know more about Tough Guy Book Club? Read this - [http://toughguybookclub.com/about-us](http://toughguybookclub.com/about-us?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExcTVleWRsd0ZYSWdqZXV4QXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5QrDxxQmsaiuIfgbomTP4b6948UogKCm9U4Dudq5-VU_8aUx5RnTiUjO_R1Q_aem_n5AIic3b6NMTZ5TUJGTLkw)

Bookish Bi Reading Club

Short Reads Social #15: Will we ever escape from 'beauty'?

Short-Read Socials are back! Come meet with like-minded and unlikeminded people to talk about the topic of the month. This time, we're thinking about **beauty standards and looksmaxxing.** *Who gets to decide who are what is considered 'beautiful'? Is 'looksmaxxing' and the pursuit of beauty self-empowerment or self-harm? Is attractiveness a privilege?* \-\-\- **\*\*\*Note: this event and future events (at least until 2027) will be on second and last Wednesdays! we won't be there on Tuesday :(** \-\-\- **How does it work?** * The event is casual. You can talk to anyone there with or without our prompt sheets, either about the month's topic or about whatever you want. * Open philosophical discussion, including for controversial topics, is welcome but be respectful. Every has had different experiences so aim to have good-faith discussions :) * If you've read/watched/heard anything related to the topic of the month, feel free to bring it in! Not necessarily physically, but you can if you want... * If not, here are some thought-provoking reads to start you off (read as many or as few as you want): * On lookism * [If Pretty is a Privilege, Ugly is a Curse](https://youtu.be/FnACzwV7Mwc) (19:16 to 1:18:39) * [Lookism as Epistemic Injustice](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02691728.2022.2076629?needAccess=true) * On looksmaxxing * [How Many Bones Would You Break to Get Laid?](https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/incel-plastic-surgery.html) * [Looksmaxxing and the Rise of Male-to-Male Transsexuals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uox4OMC50-4&t=2033s) * On the beauty industry * [The New Face](https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-new-face-how-unnatural-beauty-standards-became-a-multi-billion-dollar-medical-industry/) * [The Age of Instagram Face](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face) (bypassed paywall version [here](https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face)) * Feel free to post other recommendations (blogs, movies, tv episodes, video essays, etc.) in the comments! \-\-\- Finally, Short Read Socials have a 'pay what you can' policy. They'll always be free to attend--but if you've been having a good time with us and want to pass along a couple of bucks to help cover Meetup platform costs for future events, there is a contribution bucket on the table that night and a [Paypal](https://paypal.me/bookclubforhumans?country.x=CA&locale.x=en_US) link :)

Silent Bookclub Meeting #96

The next event is happening on Tuesday October 13, starting at 6PM in the Wellington Market Food Hall at The Well! We'll be meeting in front of the Nord Lyon in The Wellington Market (food court!) Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

Silent Bookclub Meeting #95

The next event is happening on Tuesday October 6 at 6:00 PM at the Deck located in Clarence Square! Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately! To help cover the costs of meetup fees, we will be taking optional donations for this event. If you're inclined to, feel free to send any amount you're comfortable with to harresh.s@hotmail.com, or bring cash to the event. Please note that this is entirely optional and not required to join the event! All proceeds will go towards fees for this event and future events, as well as meetup fees

Let's talk about "Crying in H Mart"

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her. Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, *Crying in H Mart* is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

VIRTUAL LIT BOOK CLUB: October 2026 - The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

OSC #6 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January

October's book has been selected and it is The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow! The first thirty minutes of the event is open social time while we allow attendees to arrive. The book discussion will begin at 8:00 PM. At the end of the meetup, we will accept nominations for the next book. We encourage attendees to stay afterwards and chat if they would like to as well. To ensure spots go to engaged members, RSVPs for this event will open two weeks before the date. "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" by Alix E. Harrow In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut. In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own. Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut--step inside and discover its magic.

Chinese Book Club (First meeting)