Book Swaps Toronto

Silent Bookclub Meeting #96

The next event is happening on Tuesday October 13, starting at 6PM in the Wellington Market Food Hall at The Well! We'll be meeting in front of the Nord Lyon in The Wellington Market (food court!) Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

Fall Wardrobe Refresh: Women’s Clothing & Halloween Costume Swap Meet

**Ready to refresh your wardrobe without spending a fortune?** Join us for a community clothing swap (and Halloween costumes). **Date:** Thursday, October 15, 2026 **Time:** 4:00 PM – 8:00PM **Venue:** Alternity (353 Bloor Street West) **You must [buy your ticket here on Eventbrite to secure your spot](http://eventbrite.ca/e/fall-wardrobe-refresh-womens-clothing-halloween-costume-swap-meet-tickets-2000748255892?aff=meetup)**[ ](http://eventbrite.ca/e/fall-wardrobe-refresh-womens-clothing-halloween-costume-swap-meet-tickets-2000748255892?aff=meetup)\- an RSVP on Meetup does not count\. **Clothing swaps are a fun, eco-friendly way to upgrade your style, meet great women, and keep fashion out of landfills.** Whether you're clearing space or hunting for new favourites, you’ll leave feeling good and looking even better. Bring at least 5 clean, gently worn items to swap — or come without clothes and take home a few pieces for a small fee. **Don't worry** \- any unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity \(Kidney Clothes\-see below info\)\, so nothing goes to waste\! This is an intimate event \- **only 40 spots available with limited free spots.** Just women’s clothing, Halloween costumes, and accessories (bags/purses, belts, scarves, shoes) please. No lingerie or underwear and do NOT bring stained or damaged items). **Limit of 20 items per person max**. We are looking for 5 volunteers to help with the swap meet. Volunteers will not be required to bring any clothing to swap OR can bring up to 30 items. They will also receive up to 5 items complimentary and a credit for a future Toronto Event Hub or Toronto Dating Hub event! If interested, please contact Andrea before Oct 1 at info@torontoeventhub.com. ✨ **Come see why [Toronto Event Hub](https://torontoeventhub.com/) networking events are rated one of the best in Toronto!**

📕October’s book: The Surrogate Mother

Join us for a cozy, spooky evening discussing The Surrogate by Freida McFadden! 🕯️🍂🎃 Come ready to share your thoughts, theories, and favorite twists while enjoying good conversation, drinks, and a little Halloween magic. 📚✨ Please update your RSVP no later than 48 hours in advance of the event, to ensure all members who would like to attend, have a fair chance of getting a spot. As per the groups policy, late cancellations and no-shows will be removed from the group.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

October is the month where we celebrate all things spooky, dark, and scary. Our novel this month, *The Island of Dr. Moreau*, promises to leave you disturbed - or at least, uncomfortable. It is a powerful, short, philosophical novel examining human cruelty and pain and the moral choices attached to scientific invention. Sound familiar? Written by the father of science fiction, H.G. Wells, in 1896, it explores questions such as, what happens when human intelligence challenges the very structure of nature? Highly accessible, about 115 pages, *The Island of Dr. Moreau* is a famous work that has been adapted to film, audiobooks, and other media.

VIRTUAL LIT BOOK CLUB: October 2026 - The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Bookish Bi Reading Club

Short Reads Social #15: Will we ever escape from 'beauty'?

Short-Read Socials are back! Come meet with like-minded and unlikeminded people to talk about the topic of the month. This time, we're thinking about **beauty standards and looksmaxxing.** *Who gets to decide who are what is considered 'beautiful'? Is 'looksmaxxing' and the pursuit of beauty self-empowerment or self-harm? Is attractiveness a privilege?* \-\-\- **\*\*\*Note: this event and future events (at least until 2027) will be on second and last Wednesdays! we won't be there on Tuesday :(** \-\-\- **How does it work?** * The event is casual. You can talk to anyone there with or without our prompt sheets, either about the month's topic or about whatever you want. * Open philosophical discussion, including for controversial topics, is welcome but be respectful. Every has had different experiences so aim to have good-faith discussions :) * If you've read/watched/heard anything related to the topic of the month, feel free to bring it in! Not necessarily physically, but you can if you want... * If not, here are some thought-provoking reads to start you off (read as many or as few as you want): * On lookism * [If Pretty is a Privilege, Ugly is a Curse](https://youtu.be/FnACzwV7Mwc) (19:16 to 1:18:39) * [Lookism as Epistemic Injustice](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02691728.2022.2076629?needAccess=true) * On looksmaxxing * [How Many Bones Would You Break to Get Laid?](https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/incel-plastic-surgery.html) * [Looksmaxxing and the Rise of Male-to-Male Transsexuals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uox4OMC50-4&t=2033s) * On the beauty industry * [The New Face](https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-new-face-how-unnatural-beauty-standards-became-a-multi-billion-dollar-medical-industry/) * [The Age of Instagram Face](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face) (bypassed paywall version [here](https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face)) * Feel free to post other recommendations (blogs, movies, tv episodes, video essays, etc.) in the comments! \-\-\- Finally, Short Read Socials have a 'pay what you can' policy. They'll always be free to attend--but if you've been having a good time with us and want to pass along a couple of bucks to help cover Meetup platform costs for future events, there is a contribution bucket on the table that night and a [Paypal](https://paypal.me/bookclubforhumans?country.x=CA&locale.x=en_US) link :)

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

This time we'll be reading *Childhood's End* by Arthur C Clarke. Here's the blurb: The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city—intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began. But at what cost? With the advent of peace, man ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a malaise settles over the human race. To those who resist, it becomes evident that the Overlords have an agenda of their own. As civilization approaches the crossroads, will the Overlords spell the end for humankind . . . or the beginning? The book is available here: Amazon- Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook: https://a.co/d/0eZeVgUd Indigo- Paperback: https://www.indigo.ca/products/childhoods-end?variant=46163574915249 Kobo- eBook: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/childhood-s-end-7?sId=520163aa-c060-4248-86af-2c164df50fb6&ssId=RxtwaKpaq26cozXPzWgY4&cPos=1 Toronto Public Library: https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S234C509506 Looking forward to seeing you there!

Silent Bookclub Meeting #97

The next event is happening on Tuesday October 27, starting at 6PM in the Wellington Market Food Hall at The Well! We'll be meeting in front of the Nord Lyon in The Wellington Market (food court!) Please RSVP if you're planning on coming so we can plan appropriately!

Let's talk about "Crying in H Mart"

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her. Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, *Crying in H Mart* is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

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.

ABCD Reads "Salvation of a Saint" by Keigo Higashino

ABCD Reads "**[Salvation of a Saint](https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S234C2888913)**" by Keigo Higashino. [RESULTS of the poll for this event] **:: ABOUT THE BOOK ::** "The Devotion of Suspect X was a hit with critics and readers alike. The first major English language publication from the most popular bestselling writer in Japan, it was acclaimed as "stunning," "brilliant," and "ingenious." Now physics professor Manabu Yukawa—Detective Galileo—returns in a new case of impossible murder, where instincts clash with facts and theory with reality. Yoshitaka, who was about to leave his marriage and his wife, is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee and dies. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect—except that she was hundreds of miles away when he was murdered. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, is immediately smitten with her and refuses to believe that she could have had anything to do with the crime. His assistant, Kaoru Utsumi, however, is convinced Ayane is guilty. While Utsumi's instincts tell her one thing, the facts of the case are another matter. So she does what her boss has done for years when stymied—she calls upon Professor Manabu Yukawa. But even the brilliant mind of Dr. Yukawa has trouble with this one, and he must somehow find a way to solve an impossible murder and capture a very real, very deadly murderer. Salvation of a Saint is Keigo Higashino at his mind-bending best, pitting emotion against fact in a beautifully plotted crime novel filled with twists and reverses that will astonish and surprise even the most attentive and jaded of readers." (from [Macmillan Publishers](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250036278/salvationofasaint/)) "When a man is discovered dead by poisoning in his empty home his beautiful wife, Ayane, immediately falls under suspicion. All clues point to Ayane being the logical suspect, but how could she have committed the crime when she was hundreds of miles away? As Tokyo police detective Kusanagi tries to unpick a seemingly unrelated sequence of events he finds himself falling for Ayane. When his judgement becomes dangerously clouded his assistant must call on an old friend for help; it will take a genius to unravel the most spectacular web of deceit they have ever faced… SALVATION OF A SAINT is a magnificently complex and page-turning thriller starring international crime fiction’s most enigmatic sleuth.This is essential reading for all fans of exceptional crime fiction." (from [Hachette UK](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/keigo-higashino/salvation-of-a-saint/9780349138817/)) **:: ABOUT THE EVENT ::** You are welcome to arrive 30 minutes before the event and stay 30 minutes or longer afterward to connect with other attendees outside the book talk. Please ensure you have read the book before attending (though finishing any book is not a barrier to participating, as long as you don't mind spoilers). First-time attendees can join for free. If the event is full, we maintain an unofficial waitlist. Please send [Michael](https://www.meetup.com/members/55295192/) a direct message for more information, in either case. We request a $3 contribution from regular attendees to help cover our monthly meetup costs. **:: ABOUT OUR NEXT BOOK ::** At the end of each event, we will ask for nominees for our next book. If you have a good one in mind, please ensure it is between 200-400 pages long, available from the Toronto Public Library, and counts as contemporary literary fiction (though these are not hard and fast rules). When enough nominees are collected, Michael will send the members a direct message with a link where you can vote.