Book Clubs Toronto

October's Book: Weyward

**This event has been rescheduled to October 27th. If you are unable to make it due to this scheduling change, please contact our organizer, Melis Tokgoz.** 2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century. 1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom. 1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom. Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Vaughan Queer Gay Speed Dating Event

**💓 Vaughan Gay Zoom Speed Dating – Personality & Age Matched** **⚠️ Your RSVP doesn't confirm a place.** Click your age group link below, register, and take the personality quiz to secure your spot. Limited places. **Select your age group below:** - **Ages 18-32** → [REGISTER HERE](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=698.0&productType=onlineSpeedDatingGay&city=Vaughan&groupurlname=hot-glass-friends-and-social-studio&ar=18-32&face_v=157.0) - **Ages 30-46** → [REGISTER HERE](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=698.0&productType=onlineSpeedDatingGay&city=Vaughan&groupurlname=hot-glass-friends-and-social-studio&ar=30-46&face_v=157.0) - **Ages 40-58** → [REGISTER HERE](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=698.0&productType=onlineSpeedDatingGay&city=Vaughan&groupurlname=hot-glass-friends-and-social-studio&ar=40-58&face_v=157.0) - **Ages 55+** → [REGISTER HERE](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=698.0&productType=onlineSpeedDatingGay&city=Vaughan&groupurlname=hot-glass-friends-and-social-studio&ar=55+&face_v=157.0) --- We pair you by personality and age so every conversation feels natural. It's simple: complete a short personality quiz, jump on Zoom, and meet Vaughan gay singles in guided one-on-one rounds. Matches shared afterwards. 🎯 **Perfect for:** - Busy professionals who don't want to waste evenings - First-timers new to speed dating - Introverts who shine in one-on-one conversations - Anyone curious about gay speed dating in a relaxed setting - People re-entering the dating scene after a break ⭐ *"I was nervous but the host made it effortless. Met someone wonderful first try."* – Vaughan single **Event Details** - **Format:** Zoom video event – short timed rounds - **Location:** Your place – couch, desk, wherever works - **Host:** Experienced host running the evening - **Vibe:** Casual, easy-going conversations with Vaughan gay singles - **Duration:** Roughly 1–1.5 hours - **Matching:** Based on personality quiz results - **Rounds:** Several short one-on-one rounds - **Tech:** Zoom, webcam, and decent Wi-Fi **How It Works** 1. **Choose your age group** – Register through your link above. 2. **Do the matching quiz** – Helps us find your best matches for the night. 3. **Get on Zoom** – Join the call and your host will guide you through. 4. **Meet your matches** – Rotate through quick chats with compatible Vaughan singles. 5. **Get matches** – Mutual matches revealed after the event. 💡 **Tip:** Test your Zoom and find a quiet, well-lit spot beforehand. --- ✨ One Zoom call, genuine conversations, real matches. See you there. 🌟 ✨

November Meetup: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Book Description: One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why… His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers. Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their “rightful owners.” With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered. A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.

The almost nearly perfect people : the truth about the Nordic miracle

The Christian Science Monitor's #1 Best Book of the Year. A witty, informative, and popular travelogue about the Scandinavian countries and how they may not be as happy or as perfect as we assume, “*The Almost Nearly Perfect People* offers up the ideal mixture of intriguing and revealing facts” (Laura Miller, Salon). Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely book he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success, and, most intriguing of all, what they think of one another. Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders as feral as they sometimes appear? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastic oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? In *The Almost Nearly Perfect People* Michael Booth explains who the Scandinavians are, how they differ and why, and what their quirks and foibles are, and he explores why these societies have become so successful and models for the world. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterized by suffocating parochialism, and populated by extremists of various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn’t easy being Scandinavian. ═════ Discussion questions: TBD Facilitator: Andrii ═════ $$ Refundable deposit: We'd like to make sure everyone on the RSVP actually intends to join us and enjoy the event. Please make a **refundable** deposit of $5 to hold your spot, via Paypal or Interac e-transfer to [toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com](mailto:toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com), when you RSVP or shortly thereafter. If you are waitlisted please wait until a spot opens up for you before making a transfer. You'll get your $5 back in cash if you join us at the event. If you decide to drop out later or not attend, consider this a donation to support our meetup and zoom subscriptions, which aren't cheap. Thank you! ═════ Meeting format: * We meet to discuss the book after having read it beforehand. * A facilitator guides the discussion ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak, one person at a time. * Warning: Participation in a book club is a dangerous activity. You may encounter opinions different from yours. By joining the group you agree to assume all risks.

November's Book: Wild Dark Shore

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together. A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, *Wild Dark Shore* is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

Books Up October Meetup

**Books Up Circle** Join our monthly Books Up Circle! It is a relaxed, social gathering where we share our current reads, exchange recommendations, and meet fellow book lovers. **What to expect:** We’ll start with casual introductions and a little socializing, then take turns putting our books in the spotlight. **Bring a book you’re currently reading and give us your mini review:** 📚 What is it about? 💭 Why did you pick it up? ⭐ What are you enjoying or not? 👍 Would you recommend it? Who is it for? Give us a short synopsis and your honest take.. After each share, the circle can ask questions and chat about the book. Once everyone has shared, we’ll open things up for socializing, open conversations, and discovering our next great reads. **Comment below with the book you’re bringing!** 👇📖 Come with a book, leave with recommendations and maybe a few new bookish friends. ✨

Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome was published in 1911 by Pulitzer Prize winning American author, Edith Warton. Her novel explores a deterministic vision of the life of Ethan Frome. The main character, Ethan, is surrounded on all sides by adversity making his life barely sustainable. Random chance gives him the opportunity to find love and this opens his mind to the possibilities of life beyond what he's known. Can he go forward? Ultimately, Ethan will be forced to contend with the oppression of his circumstances. The novelist, Edith Warton, is known as a realistic writer. Her themes revolve around the interplay between psychology and the cultural barriers of society. Ethan Frome is available at the Toronto Public Library, especially in e-book and audiobook formats. Additionally, a film has been made of this story and it's free on YouTube. The novel is 99 pages long, making it highly accessible.

📚December’s Book: The Nightingale

❄️📚 December Book Club: The Nightingale 📚❄️ Join us for a cozy December evening as we discuss The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. We’ll chat about the unforgettable characters, sisterhood, courage, love, and the choices people make during extraordinary times—all over good food, drinks, and great conversation. 🤍✨ Come ready for a thoughtful discussion, a little holiday coziness, and plenty of bookish girl talk! 🕯️📖☕

Book Bar Toronto x BODA bookshop meet-cute

Want your own meet-cute moment - starting in a bookstore? Grab a ticket: **https://www.fatsoma.com/e/v19sdzp6/book-bar-toronto-x-boda-bookshop-meet-cute** Book Bar is hosting Toronto’s first Bored of Dating Apps singles night - an evening designed to bring people together in a way that feels natural, effortless, and actually enjoyable. Inspired by the charm of a 90s rom-com, this is a reimagined meet-cute moment set inside an intimate, thoughtfully designed bookstore. Expect organic conversations over wine, cocktails (or mocktails), books, and a room full of genuinely interesting people. No apps. No algorithms. No catfishing. No speed dating, no forced rotations, no awkward timers. Just good energy, meaningful connection, and a space designed to make meeting people feel easy again. Our hosts (think professional wingwomen) will be there throughout the night to welcome you, help spark conversations, and ensure the atmosphere stays comfortable, respectful, and fun for everyone. We’ve also built in a few thoughtful moments to make connecting feel more natural: – Bring a pre-loved book that made you laugh, cry, or think – Write a short handwritten note inside - something personal, or why you chose it – Gift your book to someone you’d like to continue the conversation with It’s a simple, intentional way to break the ice - and a little more memorable than exchanging numbers in your notes app. At its core, this night is about creating a space where people feel safe, open, and genuinely excited to meet someone new. Whether you’re looking to connect romantically, expand your circle, or just step outside the apps for a night - this is your invitation to try something different. No pressure. No expectations. Just the potential for something real. **Event Details** Time: 6:30pm – 10:30pm Ticket includes: $10 off your drink of choice **What to Expect** – A curated, intimate bookstore setting – A 90s rom-com inspired “meet-cute” atmosphere – Organic mingling and genuine conversation – Hosts to guide the energy (without pressure) – A respectful, welcoming environment – Thoughtful interaction moments throughout the evening **Need-to-Know** – Your ticket includes $10 off any beverage at the bar – Please bring a pre-loved book with a handwritten note inside – This event is designed for singles of all backgrounds and orientations – While we aim for a balanced mix of guests, we cannot guarantee gender ratios – All ticket sales are final (no refunds or transfers unless to the same ticket type) – By attending, you consent to photo and video capture for event and social use Questions? Feel free to DM us anytime or visit @boredofdatingapps We can’t wait to meet you.

The worlds I see : curiosity, exploration, and discovery at the dawn of AI

One of Barack Obama's recommended books on AI. Financial Times Best Books of 2023. From Dr. Fei-Fei Li, one of TIME's 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL in AI, comes "a powerful plea for keeping humanity at the centre of our latest technological transformation" (Financial Times). Wired called Dr. Fei-Fei Li “one of a tiny group of scientist — a group perhaps small enough to fit around a kitchen table— who are responsible for AI’s recent remarkable advances.” Known to the world as the creator of ImageNet, a key catalyst of modern artificial intelligence, Dr. Li has spent more than two decades at the forefront of the field. But her career in science was improbable from the start. As immigrants, her family faced a difficult transition from China’s middle class to American poverty. And their lives were made all the harder as they struggled to care for her ailing mother, who was working tirelessly to help them all gain a foothold in their new land. Fei-Fei’s adolescent knack for physics endured, however, and positioned her to make a crucial contribution to the breakthrough we now call AI, placing her at the center of a global transformation. Over the last decades, her work has brought her face-to-face with the extraordinary possibilities—and the extraordinary dangers—of the technology she loves. *The Worlds I See* is a story of science in the first person, documenting one of the century’s defining moments from the inside. It provides a riveting story of a scientist at work and a thrillingly clear explanation of what artificial intelligence actually is—and how it came to be. Emotionally raw and intellectually uncompromising, this book is a testament not only to the passion required for even the most technical scholarship but also to the curiosity forever at its heart. ═════ Discussion questions: TBD Facilitator: Andrii ═════ $$ Refundable deposit: We'd like to make sure everyone on the RSVP actually intends to join us and enjoy the event. Please make a **refundable** deposit of $5 to hold your spot, via Paypal or Interac e-transfer to [toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com](mailto:toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com), when you RSVP or shortly thereafter. If you are waitlisted please wait until a spot opens up for you before making a transfer. You'll get your $5 back in cash if you join us at the event. If you decide to drop out later or not attend, consider this a donation to support our meetup and zoom subscriptions, which aren't cheap. Thank you! ═════ Meeting format: * We meet to discuss the book after having read it beforehand. * A facilitator guides the discussion ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak, one person at a time. * Warning: Participation in a book club is a dangerous activity. You may encounter opinions different from yours. By joining the group you agree to assume all risks.

Holiday Book Exchange & December's Book: Don't Let Him In

**We'll be doing our annual holiday book exchange! Please bring a wrapped book (new or gently used), with a few words of description written on the outside. This is optional, but it's a fun way to get a book you never might have picked up.** Don't Let Him In: Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller. He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie. Nina Swann is intrigued when she received a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling… Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more and more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him about his frequent absences, he always has a legitimate explanation, but Martha can’t share the feeling that something isn’t right. Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.

Friday night dinner at Cafe Renee