Book Drives London

Epping Book Club - Normal People by Sally Rooney

Welcome to our Epping book club — a welcoming space for people who love reading, meaningful conversation, and meeting like-minded book lovers. We’ll explore a mix of thought-provoking fiction, contemporary favourites, and empowering reads, creating engaging discussions in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Our meet-ups will take place at The George and Dragon on Epping High Street, the perfect cosy venue to unwind, connect, and share perspectives. There’ll be plenty of options to enjoy during the evenings too, including tea, coffee, alcoholic drinks, and non-alcoholic options, so everyone feels comfortable and included. Whether you’re an avid reader or just getting back into books, everyone is welcome! This is not a paid event, though we do ask that you purchase a copy of the book we will be reading.

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.

In Every Face I Meet by Justin Cartwright. Suggested by Matt

Friendly book group Please remember to change your RSVP if you can't make it so someone on the waitlist can take your slot. New books chosen by popular vote and read 2 months later. We look forward to seeing you there!

Brain Worms 119 / The Inheritors by William Golding

When the spring came the people - what was left of them - moved back by the old paths from the sea. But this year strange things were happening, terrifying things that had never happened before. Inexplicable sounds and smells; new, unimaginable creatures half glimpsed through the leaves. What the people didn't, and perhaps never would, know, was that the day of their people was already over. From the author of *Lord of the Flies*, *The Inheritors* is a startling recreation of the lost world of the Neanderthals, and a frightening vision of the beginning of a new age. Available from all good libraries and book shops. You don't have to have read it to join us - but it'll probably help. We will be meeting in The Ludski Bar in the Rio Cinema. [https://www.riocinema.org.uk/your-visit/](https://www.riocinema.org.uk/your-visit/) You are welcome to bring outside food in with you but please buy your drinks from inside the cinema. Thank you. We hope to see you there. ... To join the Brain Worms WhatsApp Group please click here: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/EvFibn1d6AsEwdVGmwkhko](https://chat.whatsapp.com/EvFibn1d6AsEwdVGmwkhko) (in order to stop spam bots this will take you to a Waiting Room. Once in please write your name and we will join you to the main chat). Meetup charges subscription fees. If you would like to make a donation please click here: [https://paypal.me/philosophycollective](https://paypal.me/philosophycollective)

June Book Club: Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Hi everyone, in June our theme was books set in or related to places we’ve recently travelled to. Dust Child was the winner! Synopsis below: Finalist for the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. From the bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a richly poetic and suspenseful saga about two Vietnamese sisters, an American veteran, and an Amerasian man whose lives intersect in surprising ways, set during and after the war in Việt Nam. "Powerful and deeply empathetic. A heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption. Dust Child establishes Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as one of our finest observers of the devastating consequences of war, and proves, once more, her ability to captivate readers and lure them into Viet Nam's rich and poignant history."―Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer and The Committed In 1969, sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay off debts, leave their rural village to work at a bar in Sài Gòn. Once in the big city, the young girls are thrown headfirst into a world they were not expecting. They learn how to speak English, how to dress seductively, and how to drink and flirt (and more) with American GIs in return for money. As the war moves closer to the city, the once-innocent Trang gets swept up in an irresistible romance with a handsome and kind American helicopter pilot she meets at the bar. Decades later, an American veteran, Dan, returns to Việt Nam with his wife, Linda, in search of a way to heal from his PTSD; instead, secrets he thought he had buried surface and threaten his marriage. At the same time, Phong--the adult son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman--embarks on a mission to find both his parents and a way out of Việt Nam. Abandoned in front of an orphanage, Phong grew up being called "the dust of life," "Black American imperialist," and "child of the enemy," and he dreams of a better life in the United States for himself, his wife Bình, and his children. Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war--decisions that reverberate throughout one another's lives and ultimately allow them to find common ground across race, generation, culture, and language. Immersive, moving, and lyrical, Dust Child tells an unforgettable story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies with hard-won wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy. See you there 🍹 Steph & Christina

BOOKCLUB: Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister

This month we will be reading/discussing ***[Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59947696-wrong-place-wrong-time?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=r5vHCnZ5rg&rank=1)***. 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:** ***[Wrong Place, Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59947696-wrong-place-wrong-time?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=r5vHCnZ5rg&rank=1)*** It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger. She doesn’t know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd’s, have been shattered. After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up… it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd’s terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.

June 2026 - Family & Self - To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf - IN PERSON

For our June meeting, we will be reading a book from the Family and Self category of The Guardian's "*[1000 Novels Everyone Must Read](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jan/23/bestbooks-fiction)*" list. The winner of the poll was 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf. To find out why this was nominated please see the [discussion page](https://www.meetup.com/1000-books/discussions/?eventOrigin=home_groups_you_organize). You can find our Code of Conduct [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s3kphOY8w_uH_ay5RVpdwVkHgG6O3QYsCZ5wpaE6A1E/edit?usp=sharing).

"Blindness" by Jose Saramgo

Join us to discuss "Blindness" by Jose Saramgo. We will be in the function room (please ask at the bar if you can’t find us) Please arrive from 6.30pm and order any food or drink for a 7pm start. Your first meet up is free and then it is £1.50 to cover Meet Up's costs. You are welcome to bring suggestions for August (we vote 2 months in advance) 😊

June Meeting 1 - Wordslut (Amanda Montell)

We start June by reading Amanda Montell's 2019 effort, *Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language*. Our first non-fiction of 2026 is a 'brash, enlightening, and wildly entertaining work of pop linguistics and a feminist look at gendered language and the way it shapes us.' (Book jacket) '[Montell], reporter and feminist linguist, deconstructs language—from insults, cursing, gossip, and catcalling to grammar and pronunciation patterns—to reveal the ways it has been used for centuries to keep women and other marginalized genders from power.' -Waterstones https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53066379-wordslut In the eternal hope of good weather in London in the spring/summer, we will have the meeting in Haz St Paul's lovely outdoor area. So come along for some great atmosphere, delicious Turkish food, and insightful discussion. N.B. We will be charging an event fee of £3, non-refundable, to discourage no-shows and contribute to the running costs of the group. Please only sign up if you intend to come along as space is limited to make for an effective discussion!

Archipelago by H R Hawkins (6th July 2026)

London Queer Books Group 189th Meetup - The Darkness Outside Us - Eliot Schrefer

Der erste letzte Tag: Kein Thriller von Sebastian Fitzek

WAS GESCHIEHT, WENN ZWEI MENSCHEN EINEN TAG VERBRINGEN, ALS WÄRE ES IHR LETZTER? Ein Roadtrip voller Komik, Dramatik und unvorhersehbarer Abzweigungen von Deutschlands Bestsellerautor Nr. 1 Sebastian Fitzek - mit zwei skurrilen, ans Herz gehenden Hauptfiguren, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. Livius Reimer macht sich auf den Weg von München nach Berlin, um seine Ehe zu retten. Als sein Flug gestrichen wird, muss er sich den einzig noch verfügbaren Mietwagen mit einer jungen Frau teilen, um die er sonst einen großen Bogen gemacht hätte. Zu schräg, zu laut, zu ungewöhnlich - mit ihrer unkonventionellen Sicht auf die Welt überfordert Lea von Armin Livius von der ersten Sekunde an. Bereits kurz nach der Abfahrt lässt Livius sich auf ein ungewöhnliches Gedankenexperiment von Lea ein - und weiß nicht, dass damit nicht nur ihr Roadtrip einen völlig neuen Verlauf nimmt, sondern sein ganzes Leben! "Sebastian Fitzek ist in einem für ihn untypischen Literatur-Genre unterwegs - und macht dabei keine schlechte Figur. (...) Ein mit Leichtigkeit geschriebenes Werk voller Humor und Komik." Passauer Neue Presse "Spitzbübisch, ironisch und voll humoriger, aber tiefgründiger Dialoge." Belletristik-Couch(.)de