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April Book Club Meeting
Book Club Meeting
with special guest
Dr Emily Horton
TBC
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Location:Wednesday, 14 January 2026
18:30
~1 hour
Regent’s Park, London*
*Paste the following coordinates into your navigator for the exact meeting point: (51.5250839, -0.1470860)Additional info:
Please make sure you wrap up warmly, wear walkable shoes, and bring a raincoat or umbrella in case it rains. Remember to also bring a bottle of water if you think you might need it!
After the walk, we can get dinner together somewhere nearby (perhaps Itsu?), if anyone is interested in joining 🙂
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Location:Friday, 16 January 2026
08:15am – 15:30pm
Full day
Unit 8, Acton Park Industrial Estate, London, W3 7QEAdditional info:
As a volunteer, you will spend the day unpacking and packing fruits and vegetables, which will then be transported by City Harvest vans across London.
Volunteers must arrive promptly at 8:15am for an 8:30am start. As Acton can be quite far, there is an option for those interested to meet first at Tottenham Court Road station (by Lola’s Cupcakes) at 7:25am to head to the warehouse together — please tick the box in the sign-up form if you would like to join us, bearing in mind that we will not be waiting if you are late.
Please wear practical clothes. There will be a 1-hour break for lunch at 12pm, and the day will finish at approximately 3-3:30pm. There will be music blasting as we all work together, and it is going to be an incredibly fun and fulfilling day!
Please note that this role requires manual labour, as some of the fruits and vegetables will be quite heavy. Although this labour is not intensive, those with existing injuries should take this into consideration before applying.
Deadline for signing up is Friday 9 January at 2pm UK time. No cancellations will be permitted after this deadline. Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive a confirmation email this weekend with further details.
About City Harvest
City Harvest are a food charity that reduces food poverty and protects the planet. They rescue nutritious surplus food–which is often otherwise wasted–from farms, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. They then deliver this food, for free, to over 130,000 people a week, providing life-changing support to communities across London.
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Location:Wednesday, 28 January 2026
18:15pm
~1.5 hours
Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar, St Paul’s
1 Paternoster Square EC4M 7DXWe are thrilled to share that we will be joined by Mary Orsak for our January book club meeting on Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Mary is a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, whose research focuses on the presentation of pregnancy, parturition and parenthood in post-socialist Czech, Slovak, and Russian literature.
Mary graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Russian from Yale University, where she also received the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize and the Warren Memorial High Scholarship Prize, having ranked highest in scholarship amongst Yale seniors majoring in humanities. She then went on to receive the Rhodes Scholarship, and began an MPhil in Slavonic Studies at the University of Oxford.
Her previous publications include:
- “An International Socialist Avant-Garde, or the Western Canon: Kundera’s Early Reflections on World Literature,” in Milan Kundera Known and Unknown: Multidimensional Analysis of Selected Works, edited by Karen von Kunes, Bloomsbury Academic, 2024.
- “Kundera, Tolstoy, and the Lightness of Being,” in Modern Czech Literature: Writing in Times of Political Trauma, edited by Andrew M. Drozd, Vernon Press, 2025.
Additional info:
The evening will begin with an opportunity to mingle with other attendees, and will be followed by a relaxed, informal conversation with Mary, who will be sharing her thoughts about the novel and its context. There will then be an opportunity to ask Mary any questions you may have had about the novel, before opening up into a wider, informal discussion about the book and any thoughts we may have had whilst reading.
This will be a great opportunity to make new friends, chat with like-minded people, and hear from someone who has studied Kundera’s work and Czech literature more generally, to gain a better understanding of the book. No worries if you don’t quite manage to finish the novel before the meeting — there will be plenty of chances to contribute and plenty of topics to discuss regardless, and you can always come just to listen and socialise. Bring a friend, bring your copy of the book — or just bring your lovely selves — and come join us for what promises to be a great, fun evening!
Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive confirmation via WhatsApp.
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Location:Friday 13 February 2026
5pm
Stay for as long as you’d like!
Waterstones (Tottenham Court Road)
19-21 Tottenham Ct Rd, London W1T 1BJAdditional info:
Have some reading you need to do for class? Haven’t gotten around to starting Never Let Me Go yet? Just want some company? Come along to our first BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) event of the month!
It’ll be a great way to finally set some time aside from your busy schedule to unwind and do some light reading. Chat with others over a coffee or a pastry, or simply let the surrounding conversation fade into white noise as you focus on your reading. If you forget to bring your own book (or simply can’t be bothered to carry one around all day), you can also browse the Waterstones shelves and pick something up for yourself. (I’ll be there to give you a recommendation, if you’d like one, and I’m sure others would love to share their favourite reads with you too.)
No requirements, no pressure, no hassle — just a nice time with friends, new or old, and an opportunity to finally start reading that book you’ve been meaning to read but still haven’t touched (an experience all too universal, I’m sure). Sign up below, and see you there!
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Location:Saturday 28 February 2026
11am – 3pm
4 hours
Railside Community Garden, Wellfield Rd, SW16 2BN
Nearest tube: Streatham Station (Thameslink)Additional info:
This is a great opportunity to spend some time outdoors and take part in Hands On London’s BrightenUp London conservation campaign. Volunteers will help with garden maintenance, including the repair of planting beds and benches, the clearing of invasive species from the orchard, the planting of fruits and vegetables and other tasks that help the garden thrive.
Volunteers must arrive promptly at 11am. There is an option for those interested to meet first at Farringdon Station at 10:20am to head to the community garden together — please tick the box in the sign-up form if you would like to join us, bearing in mind that we will not be waiting if you are late.
Please wear practical clothes suitable for outdoor activity, bearing in mind that the session will go ahead in the event of light rain. Bring a bottle of water, and please feel free to bring your own lunch if you’d like — although there is also a Tesco and an Aldi ~13 minutes’ walk away from the garden. If you have any accessibility needs or health conditions you would like us to know about, do not hesitate to reach out.
Deadline for signing up is Wednesday 25 February at 2pm UK time. No cancellations will be permitted after this deadline. Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive a confirmation email with further details.
About Hands On London
BrightenUp London is Hands On London’s conservation campaign encouraging volunteers in London’s green spaces to make them as accessible, safe and biodiverse as possible. HandsOn London works with 40+ sites, including historic parks, community gardens, and school premises in need of repair.
Read more about this initiative here.
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Location:Monday, 2 March 2026
18:15pm
~1.5 hours
Ole & Steen (Charing Cross Road)
Unit 8, 67-69 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0ANWe are so excited to be joined by Dr Emily Horton for our February book club meeting on Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. Emily is a Senior Lecturer in English at Brunel University, having received her PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2009, and she specialises in World Literatures in English, with a particular interest in exploring globalisation, cosmopolitanism and diasporic literatures. She has co-edited the Bloomsbury anthologies of contemporary British fiction from the 1980s and the 2010s, as well as the Bloomsbury Collection on Ali Smith. She published her mongraph, Contemporary Crisis Fictions, in 2014, exploring the works of three writers: Graham Swift, Ian McEwan and Kazuo Ishiguro.
Some of her previous publications on Ishiguro include:
- “Shifting Perspectives and Alternate Landscapes: Culture and Cultural Politics in the Fiction of Kazuo Ishiguro,” in Contemporary Crisis Fictions: Affect and Ethics in the Modern British Novel, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
- “‘Diaspora, trauma, spectrality and world literary writing in A Pale View of Hills,” in Kazuo Ishiguro: Twenty-First Century Perspectives, edited by Kristian Shaw and Peter Sloane, Manchester University Press, 2023.
- “‘Never Mind How Creative You Are’: Artistic Crisis and Global Dystopia in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go,” in East-West Cultural Passage, 2011.
- “‘Why would you play a game like that?’: Community and the pandemic in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun,” in Community in Contemporary British Fiction: From Blair to Brexit, edited by Sarah Upstone and Peter Ely, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022.
Additional info:
The evening will begin with an opportunity to mingle with other attendees, and will be followed by a relaxed, informal conversation with Emily, who will be sharing her thoughts about the novel and its context. There will then be an opportunity to ask Emily any questions you may have had about the novel, before opening up into a wider, informal discussion about the book and any thoughts we may have had whilst reading. There will be a short break in the middle to chat with and get to know other attendees!
This will be a great opportunity to make new friends, chat with like-minded people, and hear from someone who has studied Ishiguro’s work extensively to gain a better understanding of the book. No worries if you don’t quite manage to finish the novel before the meeting — there will be plenty of chances to contribute and plenty of topics to discuss regardless, and you can always come just to listen and socialise. Bring a friend, bring your copy of the book — or just bring your lovely selves — and come join us for what promises to be a great, fun evening!
PLEASE SIGN UP IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE EVENT. You’re welcome to bring friends — the more the merrier! — but please also make sure they sign up beforehand, even if it’s on the day of. It makes things really difficult for us to organise with venues etc. if we don’t have a rough idea of numbers beforehand.
Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive confirmation via WhatsApp.
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Location:Saturday 7 March 2026
10:30am – 3pm
4.5 hours
The Round, Peckham Rye
London SE15 3UAAdditional info:
This is a great opportunity to spend some time outdoors and take part in HandsOn London’s BrightenUp London conservation campaign. Volunteers will help with restoring Peckham’s Japanese Garden, mainly its ponds and waterways, in order to improve aesthetics and access, and provide better habitats for wildlife. There will also be an opportunity to help out with wildlife surveying!
Please wear practical clothes suitable for outdoor activity. Bring a bottle of water, and please feel free to bring your own lunch if you’d like, although we can also go purchase something on the day. If you have any accessibility needs or health conditions you would like us to know about, do not hesitate to reach out.
Deadline for signing up is Thursday 5 March at 2pm UK time. No cancellations will be permitted after this deadline. Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive a confirmation email with further details.
About Hands On London
BrightenUp London is Hands On London’s conservation campaign encouraging volunteers in London’s green spaces to make them as accessible, safe and biodiverse as possible. HandsOn London works with 40+ sites, including historic parks, community gardens, and school premises in need of repair.
Read more about this initiative here.
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Location:Friday, 27 March 2026
7pm
~1.5 hours
Ole & Steen (Charing Cross Road)
Unit 8, 67-69 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0ANThe evening will begin with an opportunity to mingle with other attendees, and will be followed by a relaxed, informal conversation about the book and any thoughts we may have had whilst reading. There will be a short break in the middle to chat with and get to know other attendees!
This will be a great opportunity to make new friends, chat with like-minded people, and gain a better understanding of the book. No worries if you don’t quite manage to finish the novel before the meeting — there will be plenty of chances to contribute and plenty of topics to discuss regardless, and you can always come just to listen and socialise. Bring a friend, bring your copy of the book — or just bring your lovely selves — and come join us for what promises to be a great, fun evening!
PLEASE SIGN UP IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE EVENT. You’re welcome to bring friends — the more the merrier! — but please also make sure they sign up beforehand, even if it’s on the day of. It makes things really difficult for us to organise with venues etc. if we don’t have a rough idea of numbers beforehand.
Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive confirmation via WhatsApp.
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Location:Thursday, 30 April 2026
6pm
~1.5 hours
Ole & Steen (Charing Cross Road)
Unit 8, 67-69 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0ANThe evening will begin with an opportunity to mingle with other attendees, and will be followed by a relaxed, informal conversation about the book and any thoughts we may have had whilst reading. There will be a short break in the middle to chat with and get to know other attendees!
This will be a great opportunity to make new friends, chat with like-minded people, and gain a better understanding of the book. No worries if you don’t quite manage to finish the novel before the meeting — there will be plenty of chances to contribute and plenty of topics to discuss regardless, and you can always come just to listen and socialise. Bring a friend, bring your copy of the book — or just bring your lovely selves — and come join us for what promises to be a great, fun evening!
PLEASE SIGN UP IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE EVENT. You’re welcome to bring friends — the more the merrier! — but please also make sure they sign up beforehand, even if it’s on the day of. It makes things really difficult for us to organise with venues etc. if we don’t have a rough idea of numbers beforehand.
Spots for this event are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with upgraded members receiving priority. Those who have successfully signed up for a spot will receive confirmation via WhatsApp.
Sign up for this event
This event has passed.