Canberra Horror Book Club

We Used To Live Here - Marcus Kliewer - Saturday 24 January 2026

Details:

• Venue: The Old Canberra Inn, Lyneham (subject to change - watch this space)
• Time: From 2:00pm

This is my first book club meeting under my new group, so please be patient with me while I get a sense of how to best host these meetings. I've chosen the Old Canberra Inn, but if this is not a good venue I may hold future bookclub meetings elsewhere, perhaps Dickson Taphouse, The Duxton, Edgars, or similar. Also happy to try a cafe, it can just sometimes be a bit difficult to ensure a table is free at a cafe, as opposed to a pub. It's also going to be mid summer, when a cool cider is nice and refreshing, perhaps colder weather meetups can be held at a cafe.

The host is open to suggestions, feel free to use any of the messaging tools on meetup to put forward your ideas.

The vibe: You don't need to have read the book to attend the book club. Especially as this is the first book club meeting, I understand that not everyone has instant access to the book on Kindle and I imagine that the book may not always be easy to find in a book store, so you are welcome to just come along and hear what other people thought of the book. At the first meeting I intend to select the next (at least) 3 books using the random number generator, so people will have a bit more notice so they can find a copy of the book.

RSVP: If no one has RSVP'd by 19 January 2026 the host may cancel the meetup.

How to find us: We'll have a laminated sign on the table.

Next book: This meetup's book is a captain's pick, but the host plans to have a list of horror novels ready, and the next book will be selected from the list using a random number generator.

If you want to add a book you like or want to read to the list, feel free to add it using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-vygCRdIOLu7t3as3x7EGkGXulTAAlmy18uL3g6S6WA/

The current list of books to randomly select from is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aPhVwLTGmYpiv1-EaJVgNOXImUb50TLo6lgHwuSNGWU/edit?usp=sharing

**About this book **

• Pages: 312
• The host has not yet read the book, so cannot verify how scary it is or advise of any particular trigger warnings.
• Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From an author “destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), a haunting debut—soon to be a Netflix original movie—about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house’s previous residents unexpectedly visit.

As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it” (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh)."

Cancellations and No-Shows:

• I hate to do this, but if someone RSVP's and is a no-show on 3 occasions, that member will be removed from the group. Do not be a no-show - if you can't attend please let the host know so the host is not sitting around for hours waiting for people to show up.
• If no one shows up within 30 minutes of the start of the meeting, the host may leave.
• If you cannot attend, please let the host know as soon as practicable. The host understands that things happen.
• If no-one RSVP's, or if everyone but the host cancels, up to 5 days before the event, the host may cancel the event.
• If it is just the host and one other person, the book club will likely go ahead.

Change of venue:

• What if the host plans a meetup and the venue is closed unexpectedly? The host will choose an alternative location and both message everyone who has RSVP'd, plus also update this listing. Please keep an eye on the listing for venue changes.

Waitlist:

• I was not expecting this group to become so popular so quickly... if you want to be added to the waitlist for this meeting, message me and I'll start a waitlist.