Comic Book Clubs Toronto

September Books n’ Brunch: The Courage to be Disliked

Book Description: An international bestseller and TikTok sensation with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, The Courage to Be Disliked is a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfillment. Now you can unlock your full potential and free yourself from the shackles of past traumas and societal expectations to find true personal happiness. Based on the theories of renowned psychologist Alfred Adler, this book guides you through the principles of self-forgiveness, self-care, and mind decluttering in a straightforward, easy-to-digest style that’s accessible to all. The Courage to Be Disliked unfolds as a dialogue between a philosopher and a young man, who, over the course of five enriching conversations, realizes that each of us is in control of our life’s direction, independent of past burdens and expectations of others. Wise, empowering, and profoundly liberating, this book is a life-changing experience that shows you a path to lasting happiness and how to finally be the person you truly want to be. Millions are already benefiting from its teachings—and you can be next. PLEASE NOTE: There is no cost to attend but it is a restaurant so please plan to purchase at least a drink. It would be even better if you join us for brunch. 😁

Such Is My Beloved

A Canadian classic, written in 1934, by one of our nation's leading writers, Morley Callaghan. Such Is My Beloved, is the story of Father Stephen Dowling's efforts to realize the true meaning of God's love by befriending two sex workers in the hope of saving them. Despite contending with their reluctance as well as the hostile resistance of society, Dowling is determined to help these two women. Selfless love comes at a great cost. Set in Toronto during the Great Depression, it is a recognizable story; tragic and beautiful, Such is My Beloved, is a timeless contemplation about faith, love, sacrifice, and redemption in a deeply flawed society.

September's Book: Katabasis

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world. That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault. Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams…. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion. With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like. But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom.

[NEW DATE] Why we're polarized -- by Ezra Klein

One of Barack Obama's favorite books of 2022. One of Bill Gates’s “5 books to read this summer,” this New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller shows us that America’s political system isn’t broken. The truth is scarier: it’s working exactly as designed. In this “superbly researched” (The Washington Post) and timely book, journalist Ezra Klein reveals how that system is polarizing us—and how we are polarizing it—with disastrous results. “The American political system—which includes everyone from voters to journalists to the president—is full of rational actors making rational decisions given the incentives they face,” writes political analyst Ezra Klein. “We are a collection of functional parts whose efforts combine into a dysfunctional whole.” “A thoughtful, clear and persuasive analysis” (The New York Times Book Review), *Why We’re Polarized* reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction. Neither a polemic nor a lament, this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture. America is polarized, first and foremost, by identity. Everyone engaged in American politics is engaged, at some level, in identity politics. Over the past fifty years in America, our partisan identities have merged with our racial, religious, geographic, ideological, and cultural identities. These merged identities have attained a weight that is breaking much in our politics and tearing at the bonds that hold this country together. Klein shows how and why American politics polarized around identity in the 20th century, and what that polarization did to the way we see the world and one another. And he traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions that are driving our system toward crisis. “Well worth reading” (New York magazine), this is an “eye-opening” (O, The Oprah Magazine) book that will change how you look at politics—and perhaps at yourself. ═════ Discussion questions: TBD Facilitator: Susan ═════ $$ 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.

Game of the Month: Big Walk

***Big Walk*** Developer: House House ***Join our Discord to find people to play with!*** ***NOTE:*** This month will be an in-person meetup exclusive to members of the Discord server. Join our server for more details. Platforms * PC * MAC * PS5 * SWITCH 2 Looking for others to play with? Join our Discord! Message me (Jake) or go to ivgbc.com \*\*\*

Writers' Pub Night

In another of our highly advisable moves, we're back with another pub night! Join us for a pint, a bite, and much writerly debate the night before Word on the Street! We'll be at our usual haunt: The Bishop and Belcher near Bloor and Church. Hope to see you then!

October's Book: Weyward

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.

The Girls Book Club: Fantasy/Romance Book Club Meetup #10

Hi everyone!! 💖 This is now our TENTH book club meetup! I can’t wait to get to know you all more, hang out and talk books. For this meeting we’ll be FINISHING Gild by Raven Kennedy!!! Please read the whole book before coming so that we have lots to discuss! Don’t stress if you’re new or didn’t make it to the last meetup! This is a super chill group and we’re mostly here to chat, vibe, and obsess over books together. Can’t wait to see you all!! 📚✨ P.S this MAYBE will be our last meetup on this site. If you haven’t had a chance to attend a meeting but would like to in the future, send me your number and I will add you to the WhatsApp group chat! I will be messaging every member this as well if I do decide to close down this page :)

OSC #5 - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Welcome to our 5th meetup for the Open Shelf Collective. We have selected Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid as our selection for this event. The first thirty minutes of the event is open social time while we allow attendees to arrive. The book discussion will begin at 8:00 PM. At the end of the meetup, we will accept nominations for the next book. We encourage attendees to stay afterwards and chat if they would like to as well. Out of respect for the venue and people on the waitlist, if you do not intend on attending please cancel as soon as possible and at the very latest 48 hours in advance. To ensure spots go to engaged members, we have limited new sign ups to two weeks before the event — existing RSVPs are not affected. We would like to keep these events free of charge, and continued last minute cancellations or no-shows may require us to introduce a small fee in the future. "Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane. As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant. Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, *Atmosphere* is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.

OSC #6 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January

October's book has been selected and it is The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow! The first thirty minutes of the event is open social time while we allow attendees to arrive. The book discussion will begin at 8:00 PM. At the end of the meetup, we will accept nominations for the next book. We encourage attendees to stay afterwards and chat if they would like to as well. To ensure spots go to engaged members, RSVPs for this event will open two weeks before the date. "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" by Alix E. Harrow In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut. In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own. Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut--step inside and discover its magic.

🎬 "MANHUNTER: THE FINAL CUT" (1986) | Downtown screening

Book Club Meeting

I am hoping we can decide on a book this week and meet in person for the first time in around a month! please join if you’re interested! Hi everyone! Please join the whatsapp group 😊 https://chat.whatsapp.com/FbFTEjLJuvp8KRxI0WaJNR