Book Swaps Sydney

June Books and Bevvies

**Welcome along to Books & Bevvies** — a casual book swap + 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** - 1 book (any genre, any reading level) **Good to know** *All genres and reading levels are welcome - No fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue - The venue relies on accurate numbers for staffing. If you can't make it please change your RSVP. Repeated no-shows = removal from the group. **Where we’ll be** We’ll be in the **Market Street Garden Bar**, with a table full of books and bevvies.

The Upanishads (800-400BCE)

The Upanishads are among the most important literature in the history of Indian religions and culture, dealing with meditation, philosophy, consciousness and ontological knowledge. 'Ontological' refers to the philosophical study of being, existence and reality. I don't have any ontological knowledge which is why I am very bad at giving directions. How can I tell you how to get somewhere else if I can't be certain I'm here? There are 108 texts considered part of the Upanishads (Upanishad having multiple meanings, but can generally be understood to mean "secret / esoteric doctrines) and as there are bound to be a large variance among English translations, we'll be focusing primarily on what is known as the mukhya Upanishads. They're the main ones, about 12 or so. I didn't want to proscribe a set text as translations are bound to differ in terms of selection, but as long as you're reading the mukhya Upanishads we should be ok. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer was deeply impressed by the Upanishads and called them "the most profitable and elevating reading which ... is possible in the world." That's high praise from a man who also said "one can never read too little of bad, or too much of good books; bad books are intellectual poison; they destroy the mind." As we're dealing with a religious text for the first time, please advise we'll be examining the texts primarily from a literary / secular lens - there is no intention to convert anyone, nor is there an intention to be flippant or disrespectful towards religious beliefs. All are welcome, regardless of experience with books like this (certainly I will be diving in with complete ignorance.)

June Book Club on AI: Empire of AI

Welcome to Meet the Moment Book Club, where we read books that meet the moment and make sense of it all together. Please see our [group page](https://www.meetup.com/meet-the-moment-book-club/) for a list of upcoming books. After discussing collapse, our third book club will examine one of the key drivers of collapse: artificial intelligence. Karen Hao's international bestseller "Empire of AI" is as illuminating as it is brilliantly written. It's precisely the book we need to be clear-eyed about the much-hyped sector of AI. "An eye-opening account of the tech arms race shaping out planet, from an award-winning journalist and AI insider to the world of Sam Altman and OpenAI... In exhilarating prose and with unparalleled access to those closest to Sam Altman, Hao recounts the meteoric rise of OpenAI and shows us the sinister impact that this industry is having on society." https://www.amazon.com.au/Empire-AI-Inside-reckless-domination/dp/1802064656/ We will be meeting at the Erko Hotel, in the open area in the back. There's no fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue. If you have trouble getting the book, message me. It's okay if you haven't finished the book by the time of the event, but please at least try -- the more the merrier! If the RSVP list is full, please join the waiting list as there will likely be fluctuations closer to the date. If you RSVP'ed and can't make it, please edit your RSVP so that others can attend. No-shows will be noted and barred from the book club. Please try to be on time as we start and end on time. Look forward to seeing you there.

Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

**Meeting at the usual place, The Shakespeare Hotel (upstairs) at 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills on Thursday 11 June 2026 at 7.00pm, we will be discussing *Kiss of the Spider Woman* (1976) by** Manuel Puig. The novel explores the relationship between two cellmates in an Argentine prison. One has been imprisoned for 'corrupting a minor,' while the other is a Marxist revolutionary. The narrative has a unique structure, primarily consisting of the two men's dialogue and the use of (fictional) footnotes discussing the psychology of homosexuality and gender. The novel is celebrated for how it weaves together themes of political oppression and sexual liberation, suggesting that personal and political freedom are inextricably linked. The novel was faithfully adapted into the 1985 film of the same name, available on youtube. Available from local libraries. Soft copies available from the usual places. Contact [dalemills@cantab.net](mailto:dalemills@cantab.net) for a free pdf. We meet upstairs in a semi-private room conducive to discussion. We talk about the book in a fairly focused way for about 45 mins and then the meeting formally ends. Almost everyone stays back to talk more about the book or anything else. Although the meeting starts at 7.00pm, people start to arrive up to an hour earlier for drinks and food.

Western Classics Social

Give the vast success of our last social, this is another social meet-up for those who physically come along to meetings of the Western Classics Book Club. 7.00pm to late. We will be meeting in the Two Tables Room. There will be no set book to discuss. Just a social for people who regularly come along. See you there! Dale

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: * Nov: * Dec: Carol by Patricia Highsmith

Book Club - 'The Names' by Florence Knapp

Gay Ladies First Sunday Bookclub share what you have been reading

Queer Cinema

Let's celebrate Pride Month together! June's film can't be named due to copyright, however, here is a description to give you a clue: Three drag queens leave Sydney in a bus called 'Priscilla', and travel across half of Australia to climb a rock, in a frock, and put on a show at a resort in the middle of the country. Along the way, they break down, paint the bus lavender, dress up a lot, perform where they shouldn't and encounter hilarity, hostility and incomprehension. This is an iconic Australian classic road movie musical about a collision between three people in the wrong costumes and an environment that does not want them. 1994 M CC 1h 44m Director: Stephan Elliott Stars: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, Bill Hunter *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)*

To Kill a Mockingbird (play at the Genesian Theatre)

I (Dale) will be going along to the Genesian Theatre on Sunday June 14, 2026, for a production of To Kill a Mockingbird. This was discussed at our recent book group discussion - just over a week ago. I will be sitting in seat H1. Tickets are around $35. Grab a ticket and come along! We can chat about the play in the pub afterwards.

Pachinko - by Min Jin Lee

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty | Sun 7 Jun 2026