Book clubs (aka an excuse to eat cake and gossip) are the epitome of civility because they’re the one place where you’re assured lively conversation. Whether you focus on a particular genre or you span the centuries, the written word never fails to prompt the spoken.

Sydney lass Angela Purnell has upped the ante on the usual lounge room chitchat and launched Books and Nooks, a regular event series featuring popular authors chatting about their new releases in lavish settings.

The first of these will feature Kelly Doust espousing the virtues of ‘My Life in Frocks’, her debut novel, at The Victoria Room. Arrived sans frilly dress? Fear not; Coco Repose will be onsite with a boutique stash of emergency frou.

Books and Nooks
Sunday 21 November 2010, 12pm – 2pm
The Victoria Room, Level 1, Victoria Rd, Darlinghurst 2010
$95 includes book

Book keeping
Pre-loved books tell more of a tale than just what is in print. Those curled pages indicate a trip to the beach; the crumbs, a chocolate biscuit; the blotches, a tear shed in empathy.

Flying in the face of Sydney’s predilection for overpricing, Urchin Books in Marrickville is home to stacked shelves full of literary goodness. From self-help to poetry, the sub-sections are endless and full of barely ruffled gems.

Cheapskate or eco-bibliophile? It doesn’t matter ‘cause you’ve found a new hiding place.

Urchin Books
238 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville 2037

Book clapping
Nerd groupies can indulge their stalker whims upstairs at number 49. An illustrious line-up of authors, witsmiths and dilettantes will share their scribblings in the cramped but cosy confines.

Check the website for upcoming events.
Gleebooks
49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe 2204