Get in losers, we’re fighting brain rot.
If you’re in Toronto and up for an intellectual challenge, you’re in luck. The city is home to many book clubs, each with a different focus and cadence.
Earlier this year, I joined an “anti-brain rot reading challenge” with the Boundless Press online book club run by Jananie K. Velu, a Toronto-based content creator, writer, publisher and my friend. It got me out of a deep, dark reading slump, and it got me excited to chat with other book worms.
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It also got me curious: who’s reading together in Toronto these days?
If you’re wondering this too, here’s a quick round-up of book clubs you can join in the city. Who knows…maybe it’ll get you out of your reading slump, out of your house this winter and away from the seasonal blues.
Queen Books Book Clubs
Queen Books on 914 Queen St. E. is probably one of my favourite bookstores in the city, but I actually just found out it hosts not one but six book clubs that are totally free to join.
Queen Books describes those clubs as “a place to build community, meet new people, and feel a little more connected to this city and to each other.”
Upcoming discussions will cover Bad Cree, an award-winning Canadian novel by Jessica Johns; On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia and Padma Viswanathan, a 100-page novella you can finish the day before; and Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, for lovers of love in literature.
You can learn more and check the schedule here.
The Reading Type at TYPE Books
If you’re a book lover in Toronto, you’ve probably been to at least one of TYPE Books’ three locations in The Junction, Queen West or Forest Hill. If not, now’s your chance to visit and attend a free, in-person book club titled The Reading Type.
The Reading Type happens every first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at 2887 Dundas St. W.
Full disclaimer: my friend Luke Mohan, a staff member, started this book club about six months ago. He chooses some of his and his colleagues’ favourite books to discuss. Some editions feature special guests who suggest a read and lead the session. Picks are announced on Instagram, so make sure you follow @typebooksjunction.
Next up on The Reading Type is Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. You can pick up your copy in store or online. No registration needed, just drop in next month to join along.
The Queen West location also has its own book club, with details announced in its newsletter.
TYPE/SET at Soulpepper Theatre
This new book club is actually also courtesy of TYPE Books, in partnership with Soulpepper Theatre Co. Launching this fall, TYPE/SET will be led by former TYPE bookseller Ben Walsh, who’s now an English and Drama librarian at the University of Toronto.
The club is reading Motherclown by Harriet Alida Lye for Oct. 21 and Dodge City by Patrick DeWitt for Nov. 17. Both will be hosted at Soulpepper Theatre at 50 Tank House Ln. in the Distillery District.
Both events are free, with optional donation suggestions, but you need to register through Soulpepper’s website.
A Book Club, Downtown (ABCD)
ABCD meets monthly in a downtown Toronto pub to read and discuss contemporary literary fiction. The club is open to Torontonians who are 30, 40 or 50-something.
First-time attendees can join for free, but regular members are asked to contribute $3 to help run the meet-ups.
At the end of each event, organizers ask for suggestions for the next read and then members vote on their favourite. The books are between 200-400 pages long and available at the Toronto Public Library.
This month, ABCD is reading Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino. You can check out the details, as well as November and December’s lineup, on Meetup.
Toronto Silent Book Club
The Toronto Silent Book Club could be a good option for readers who want to chat with others about books but don’t want “homework.”
Every session, bring whatever piece of literature you’re currently into, read it in silence for an hour and then socialize with other book club members — only if you feel like it.
This winter, the Toronto Silent Book Club meets every other Tuesday starting at 6 p.m. at The Well’s food court, across from Nord Lyon. No RSVP is required.
The next meeting is Oct. 27, so pick your own book and head out to make some new friends.
Wine about books
If silent book clubs aren’t your thing, then Wine About Books might be for you. It describes itself as “a (very chatty) Toronto book club for women, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who want reading to feel a bit more social and a lot less quiet.”
Started by a woman who needed a structured way to stay in touch with 10 friends, Wine About Books now has 400 members across 30 Toronto chapters. With all this momentum, the club has free events throughout the month and tries to keep each to 10-15 people for an intimate feel. Some meetings explore the “romantasy” genre, and others catch up on new releases. There are also ticketed “side-quests.”
You can find the schedule and RSVP here, and learn how it works and how to join here.
Plot Twist Café
collective pick or your own current read.
Organizers write on Eventbrite that you’ll be “well read and caffeinated at our cozy monthly book club for curious, thoughtful readers.”
The club is reading The Immortal’s Secret by Alexandra Edmiston, who’s dropping by for a Q&A at Chillax Eatery & Mart on Oct. 27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. You can RSVP here for a little over $10.
Qisasna by Meem Toronto
This book club is exclusively for queer Torontonians from Arab speaking regions, so only read on if that’s your niche.
Titled Qisasna, or “our stories” in Arabic, this book club is organized by Meem, a local group for queer and trans people from the Arab speaking regions. A friend of mine, Reem Elmaghraby, leads this one.
The book club meets monthly to read books by queer Arab authors, mostly in English.
“It’s just nice to be able to read books that reflect us and then, of course, come together to share our perspectives on the stories we read,” Elmaghraby says.
Dates and meeting times are announced on Instagram and Eventbrite, so make sure to check it out. It’s free to join, but you need to RSVP here.
Toronto Ladies Book Club
This book club, organized through Meetup, brings women together to discuss a wide range of books, from “novels and science fiction to contemporary and memoirs, from popular writers to obscure anonymous ones.”
The next meeting is on Oct. 27 at Duke of York at 39 Prince Arthur Ave., and the book is Weyward by Emilia Hart. You can RSVP here.
Non-fiction Book Club
Also organized through Meetup, the Non-fiction Book Club meets monthly in downtown Toronto and occasionally online.
Members can suggest and vote on the next read, which is generally under 400 pages and available at the Toronto Public Library. Each session, a volunteer facilitator shares questions to kick off the discussion. The club encourages respectful dialogue, critical thinking, honesty and challenge.
You can check the next reads and schedule, as well as RSVP here.
Ben McNally’s Book Club
Ben McNally Books is a family-run independent bookstore in downtown Toronto that hosts a monthly book club.
You can head to the store at 108 Queen St. E. on Sunday, Oct. 25, in the morning to discuss Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi. Tickets are about $4, or you can buy the book in store.
Barks & Books Club
This is another silent club where you just grab your own book and read it in silence. The twist is you can do so with your furry friend, a.k.a. your dog. Long story short: bring your own book and dog and hang out with potential new friends for a bit.
You can learn more or check out the next meeting via Barks & Books Club’s Instagram.
Ohana Book Club & Coffee
If you want a frequent cadence, this might be the club for you. Ohana Book Club & Coffee meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Ohana Coffee on 2100 Bloor St. W.
It’s free to join, but event listings don’t specify which books will be discussed. You might need to drop by and get a surprise discussion or ask in person before the next event.
Flying Books Book Clubs
Flying Books is a bookstore, publisher and writing school at 784 College St. and 371 Queen St. W. It hosts both fiction and non-fiction book clubs at the Queen Street location.
This one is on the pricier end, though, with tickets around $50, one drink, facilitated conversations and $20 credit toward any book in the shop.
For October, Flying Books is reading The Disappearers by Marion James and The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow. You can book your tickets via Eventbrite.
Toronto Public Library book clubs
Did you know that many Toronto Public Library branches host their own book clubs? That’s right, you can browse them here or come back to The Green Line on Monday for my colleague Julia Lawrence’s list of Toronto Reference Library’s book clubs.
I’ve made this list as exhaustive as possible, but I’m sure there are more book clubs to explore in the city. You can always check community hubs near you, bookstores, coffee shops or even bars to see if they have a good reading group to join.
If you run a book club and want a shout-out, let me know in the comment section under the article or by emailing yara@thegreenline.to. Happy reading season!
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