Downtown Toronto book club (Gen X + Millennials)

About the Book – Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981):
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the entire town knows that Santiago Nasar will be murdered by the Vicario twins, yet no one steps in to stop it. This is the unsettling brilliance of the novel and despite the killers being identified from the start, the townspeople remain paralyzed by fate, honor and cultural expectations. Márquez writes the story based on real events and examines the bizarre ways a community can justify its collective inaction. Márquez recasts the town into a pressure cooker where everyone is aware of the impending tragedy but chooses to ignore it, creating a tense, foreboding atmosphere where destiny feels both difficult to escape.

Who would enjoy this? Readers who enjoy tight, suspense-filled stories about murder and open secrets.

About the Author, Gabriel García Márquez:

• He is famous for magical realism, a writing style that blends the ordinary with the extraordinary, making the impossible feel believable.
• He is the most translated Spanish-language author of the last century.
• His most famous book is One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967).
• He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.
• His work shaped how the world views Latin America, especially the Colombian Caribbean, where his stories reflect the local culture and identity.

About the Event:

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez Series: From February to June, we'll read 5 selected books from GGM.
• Before Coming: Reading the book is encouraged but not required—just be okay with spoilers!
• Socializing: Join 30 minutes early and stay for a drink after the discussion.
• Contribution: $3 suggested to cover $24/month meetup costs; extra funds go to Amnesty International. Pay cash at the end of the event.

CBC’s Best Canadian Fiction of 2023. Join us for an exclusive dialogue with author Christine Estima, who many of us know as a reader in our book club :)

With imaginative aplomb and abiding passion, “The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society” masterfully traces the deep roots of the Arab immigrant experience. These unforgettable interlocking stories follow an Arab family as they flee the Middle East, settle in Montreal, and face tradition and modernity. This family includes trailblazing Lebanese freedom fighters, undercover operatives in World War II, and brave Syrian refugees finding a place in Canada — and culminates in Azurée, a young Arab woman living in the echoes of her ancestors' voices.

About the event:

You’re invited to join us 30 minutes before the event and stay for a drink with others after the book discussion.

Please read the book before attending - though we believe in the right not to finish! Completing the book isn’t a barrier to joining us, as long as you don't mind spoilers :)

We request a $3 contribution to help cover our monthly meetup platform costs of $24. Any additional funds will be donated to Amnesty International. Our conversations are lively, freewheeling, literary, and fun.

About the Book – A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes (2021):
In March 2014, Gabriel García Márquez, elderly and ill, caught a cold. "I don’t think we’ll get out of this one," his wife of over fifty years, Mercedes Barcha, told their son, Rodrigo. These pages offer the most intimate and honest account of the final days of the genius' life, written with remarkable precision and just the right touch of distance by Rodrigo himself.

Through his words, we glimpse the most human side of a universal figure, alongside the woman who was with him since they were young—his lifelong companion, who barely survived him. A beautiful farewell to the telegrapher’s son and his wife, filled with memories of a unique life.

Who would enjoy this? Lovers of memoirs, anyone curious about grief and fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

About the Author, Gabriel García Márquez:

• He is famous for magical realism, a writing style that blends the ordinary with the extraordinary, making the impossible feel believable.
• He is the most translated Spanish-language author of the last century.
• His most famous book is One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967).
• He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.
• His work shaped how the world views Latin America, especially the Colombian Caribbean, where his stories reflect the local culture and identity.

About the Event:

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez Series: From February to June, we'll read 5 selected books from GGM.
• Before Coming: Reading the book is encouraged but not required—just be okay with spoilers!
• Socializing: Join 30 minutes early and stay for a drink after the discussion.
• Contribution: $3 suggested to cover $24/month meetup costs; extra funds go to Amnesty International. Pay cash at the end of the event.

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of ‘Huck Finn’, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

“James” won the 2024 National Book Award and Kirkus Prize, and was a finalist for the Booker Prize. It appears on 33 lists of the best books of the year - with film rights acquired by Steven Spielberg.

“Genius” -The Atlantic

“Huck Finn is a masterpiece. This retelling might just be, too.” -NY Times

About the event:

You’re invited to join us 30 minutes before the event and stay for a drink with others after the book discussion.

Please read the book before attending - though we believe in the right not to finish! Completing the book isn’t a barrier to joining us, as long as you don't mind spoilers :)

We request a $3 contribution to help cover our monthly meetup platform costs of $24. Any additional funds will be donated to Amnesty International. Our conversations are lively, freewheeling, literary, and fun.