Comic Book Clubs Sydney

Books and Bevvies

Welcome to **Books & Bevvies** — a casual book swap and 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** One book, any genre and any reading level. **GOOD TO KNOW** The venue relies on accurate numbers for staffing, so if you can’t make it, please change your RSVP to “not going”. Repeated no-shows may result in removal from the group. The venue is kindly not enforcing a minimum spend, but please support them by buying a drink, soft drink, or some lunch during the swap if you can. There is no mandatory entry fee, but voluntary contributions are **very much** appreciated. The group costs around **$65 a month to keep running**, so if you enjoy the swap and are in a position to chip in, even $5 or $10 makes a real difference. I’ll have a jar near the sign-in list on the day. Please feel free to contribute at any stage through the swap. **WHERE WE’LL BE** We’ll be in the Market Street Garden Bar, with a table full of books and bevvies.

Western Classics Book Club social

A social for those who come along to the Western Classics Book Club. There is no set book to discuss. People are encouraged to bring their literary heads along for uplifting discussion and witty repartee. Also, do bring along a book to swap! Although meeting at the usual place (The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills) we will be meeting in one of the smaller rooms on the same floor. Look for the sign! Contact dalemills@cantab.net for more info.

The Odyssey by Homer

Join us upstairs at **The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills,** on **Thursday 1 October 2026**, at 7.00pm (sharp) as we discuss ***The Odyssey***, one of the foundational works of Western literature. We will have special guests and will be warmly welcoming two members of the Greek diplomatic mission to Australia: Mr. Georgios Skemperis, the Consul General, as well as Mrs. Paraskevi Tsintzou, First Secretary for Public Diplomacy. Originating in an oral tradition about 3,000 years ago, *The Odyssey* tells the story of the 10-year journey of King Odysseus after the Trojan War. King Odysseus is a soldier, at a time when Kings had to prove their authority by their bravery and skill in fighting the enemy. Along the way back to his homeland, he outwits the **Cyclops -** the one-eyed giants who were so uncivilised that they ate their meals alone. He resists the goddess **Circe**: despite her skill at sexual pleasure (hey, she is a goddess), Odysseus enjoys her sexual delights, but really just wants to re-unite with his (ageing, but real) wife back in Ithaca. And he passes by the **Sirens**, whose irresistible song lures sailors to their deaths. He wants to listen to their songs, but gets his men to tie him to a mast, and to get his own sailors to fill their ears with wax, so that only he can hear them sing. That way, the sailors will not hear his orders that they should sail ever closer to their seductive voices (and to certain death). Meanwhile, his wife Penelope cleverly delays the suitors trying to seize his kingdom in his absence. There are multiple translations. For newcomers, I (Dale) recommend the 2017 translation by **Emily Wilson**, available in print, audiobook (about 13 hours), and as a free PDF from me on request ([dalemills@cantab.net](mailto:dalemills@cantab.net)). There are lots of criticisms of the recent Nolan film and the Wilson translation, but one has to start somewhere. If you're short on time, I recommend reading: * Books 1–5 (Telemachus and Calypso) * Book 9 (Cyclops) * Book 12 (The Underworld and the Sirens) * Books 13–16 (Return to Ithaca) * Books 21–23 (The Bow Contest and Reunion) Also, perhaps, see several podcasts on this at [https://www.secretlifeofbooks.org/podcast-1/episode/975654db/the-odyssey-1-mary-beard-on-homers-masterpiece](https://www.secretlifeofbooks.org/podcast-1/episode/975654db/the-odyssey-1-mary-beard-on-homers-masterpiece) Fortunately, the most famous painting of Odysseus and the Sirens is by John William Waterhouse, at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. There will be about 30 of us speaking in a big group for about 30 mins. After that, people break up into groups of 4 or 5 to speak more about the book or anything else. We are a friendly lot, and newcomers are welcome. Contact Dale on dalemills@cantab.net for more info.

Stoics in the park: Sydney Park

Unlike other philosophies, Stoicism was named after a place not a person, making it accessible to ALL people. In ancient greco-roman times people would meet at the Stoa, where they would discuss Stoic Philosophy. We can meet in the park just as the stoic sages 1000s of years ago. Join us to read through and discuss Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Google books has a FREE PDF you can download. No need to do any homework, we will read together and discuss. Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Event fee (optional) is $2, this goes to admin costs of running the group, please consider I am from Wollongong and wanted to keep this group when original organiser stepped down. I have significant travel expenses and am generally organising creative events that take resources. A gratuity would be a wonderful way to make me feel appreciated. Pay on the day, payID 0416147804, PayPal: paypal.me/jonnikaren or private message for direct deposit details. In lieu of event fee, you can buy me a coffee :)

Stoics in the park: NEW LOCATION- Sydney Park

Unlike other philosophies, Stoicism was named after a place not a person, making it accessible to ALL people. In ancient greco-roman times people would meet at the Stoa, where they would discuss Stoic Philosophy. We can meet in the park just as the stoic sages 1000s of years ago. Join us to read through and discuss Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Google books has a FREE PDF you can download. No need to do any homework, we will read together and discuss. Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Event fee (optional) is $2, this goes to admin costs of running the group, please consider I am from Wollongong and wanted to keep this group when original organiser stepped down. I have significant travel expenses and am generally organising creative events that take resources. A gratuity would be a wonderful way to make me feel appreciated. Pay on the day, payID 0416147804, PayPal: paypal.me/jonnikaren or private message for direct deposit details. In lieu of event fee, you can buy me a coffee :)

Romance Writers of Australia - Sydney Meetup

This is our monthly meet-up!! This is a social group for local romance writers to discuss all things craft, publishing, and overall a chance to connect with other writers and refill the creative well. This is a group designated for ROMANCE writers (romantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, etc.). Please review the group's description for further information. We do not read sections/give feedback during these meetings unlike many other writing groups. Please save some trees and do not print/bring copies of your work during the meet-up.

Stoics by the beach Reading and Discussion Group

RESCHEDULED DUE TO OCTOBER LONG WEEKEND Unlike other philosophies, Stoicism was named after a place not a person, making it accessible to ALL people. In ancient greco-roman times people would meet at the Stoa, where they would discuss Stoic Philosophy. We can meet in the park just as the stoic sages 1000s of years ago. Currently reading SENECA: Moral Letters to Lucia. FULL-TEXT: Moral letters to Lucilius - Wikisource, the free online library No need to do any homework, we will read together and discuss. Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Event fee (Optional) suggested $2. Pay on the day, payID 0416147804, PayPal: paypal.me/jonnikaren or private message for direct deposit details. In lieu of event fee, you can buy me a coffee :)

The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry

**Meeting at the usual place (upstairs) at The Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, on Thursday 24 September 2026, we will be discussing The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry.** Louise Perry argues from an alternative feminist perspective. She says that that the sexual revolution (with its emphasis on casual sex, pornography, and the idea that 'consent is the only rule') has not liberated women. The main beneficiaries have been a small group of high-status men, while it disadvantages ordinary men and women, and particularly those who are young, poor, or vulnerable. Her work rests on many of the insights of evolutionary biology and her writing it was prompted by her working in a rape crisis centre. She argues that many 'traditional practices' such as monogamous marriage, restraint and chivalry need to be revived for the benefit of all. Louise Perry is a British journalist, author, and broadcaster and has written for the right-wing *Daily Mail* and the left-wing *New Statesman.* The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book in a focused way for about 50 mins. Opinions for and against the arguments in the book are encouraged. After the meeting formally closes, almost everyone stays back to talk more about the book or anything else. Many of us start arriving just after 6.00pm, so feel free to arrive early for food or drinks. Copies of the book are available from the usual places. A pdf copy is available from Dale on request at [dalemills@cantab.net](mailto:dalemills@cantab.net)

September Book Club: The Hundred Years' War on Palestine

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 examining the economic system, we now understand how economic growth fuels many of the crises in our world today, including historical and ongoing colonialism. This leads us to one of the most salient examples of our time: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I've long known I needed to understand more about Palestine, and how the horrors there are interlocked with the current crises we face. Civil rights leaders have long spoken of collective liberation, that "none of us are free until we are all free." But what does that really mean? Of all the issues today, why must we care about this one that is so far away? Recently I came across this interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUyIjQLh9J0), then read his book *The Message*, and feel like I am on my way to the very beginnings of understanding. *The Hundred Years' War on Palestine*, long recommended to me, feels like the natural next step in my learning journey. If you'd like to join me on this quest to understand more about Palestine, please join me in reading -- the author, Rashid Khalidi, is not only a renowned historian and Columbia professor, but his family's history is interwoven with Palestine's -- his great-great-great uncle was the mayor of Jerusalem in the 1800s and was the first Palestinian leader on record to write to the Zionist founder Theodor Herzl when the Zionist movement was still nascent. Khalidi weaves his own and his family's history into this history of the conflict in this acclaimed international bestseller. \*\*\* "A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history." https://www.amazon.com.au/HUNDRED-YEARS-WAR-PALESTINE-Colonialism/dp/1627798552# "Rigorous and lucid . . . Rashid Khalidi, the intellectual heir to Edward Said, has written one of the great books on the Israeli-Palestinian question." --Financial Times "Rashid Khalidi makes clear that the Zionists could not have created modern day Israel without abundant help from Britain and the United States. A must read for the growing number of people who are interested in understanding the real roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." --John J. Mearsheimer, coauthor of The Israel Lobby \*\*\* We will be meeting at The Erko Hotel, at the big square raised table next to the bar. We will start and end on time. There's no fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue. \*\*\* If you have trouble getting the book, message me. On reading a book: I encourage people to read books over just interviews or summaries, because nothing beats the slow digesting of the beauty and nuances in a book. Especially for the books in this book club that challenge our worldviews and help us see the world as it truly is, these books need to be really grappled with, to be fully engaged with, to receive the full benefits. For reference, I use book clubs to motivate me to finish the books I want to read, so the date of the book club becomes a deadline to finish the book by. I calculate the number of pages in a book and the number of days I can realistically read, and work out how many pages on average I need to read each day. That's how I've finished many books. Invariably, they're worth reading to the end. Of course, life happens and we're all busy. If you really can't finish a book or can only watch videos this time, that's okay. Come by with an attitude of listening, open to being inspired, and take in what others have to say; perhaps you'll want to read/finish the book afterwards. Just know that books are like most things in life: what you put in is what you get out of it. A podcast or ChatGPT can give you the high-level points, sure, perhaps to BS your way to a decent grade in class; but we're not in school anymore, and we read these books because they better our lives and help us see more clearly. But they can only do so if we read them, because reading is what makes all the new concepts come to life enough to maybe change yours. For the full magic, you just gotta read. Alright, thanks for reading my ode to reading. \*\*\* 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. Look forward to seeing you there!

Book Club - 'Black Bag' by Luke Kennard and 'Whistler' by Anne Patchett

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: We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Samantha Irby * Nov: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar * Dec: Carol by Patricia Highsmith

Sydney Affirming Gay Speed Dating Space

**UPDATE: This gathering has been rescheduled and is moving to a new start time of 8:00 PM on Sun, Oct 4 (local time).** Virtual speed dating via Zoom for gay men in Sydney. Enjoy brief individual sessions with local guys who share your age range, all from the comfort of home. It is a laid back night for gay singles that focuses on genuine dialogue without the pressure of a crowded bar. [Register here to join](https://theliveround.com/product?productId=652.0&productType=onlineSpeedDatingGay&city=Sydney&groupurlname=triathlon-training-squad-and-social-club&face_v=7.0) Please note: simply clicking RSVP will not reserve your spot. You must finish the registration process via the link provided above because availability is restricted and the event might be called off if participation is insufficient.