Book clubs in Toronto.
15 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Scarborough, Downtown, North York. All of them are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
A book club in Toronto is a monthly rhythm more often than a weekly one: a book is announced, three or four weeks pass, and the group meets to talk about it, usually in a library room, a café or the back of a bookshop. Some are run by libraries and some by readers, and nearly all are free.
Most publish the next book on their own page, which is where every listing links. Read it, or read most of it, and go. Nobody checks.
All 15 book clubs in Toronto.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Toronto Public Library's Albert Campbell branch (Birchmount Rd) runs this monthly afternoon discussion of a set novel; library copies are at the first-floor desk.
Monthly, first Monday, 2pm · Scarborough · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Toronto Public Library's Port Union branch (Lawrence Ave E) hosts a monthly contemporary-fiction discussion; drop in, no registration.
Monthly, first Tuesday, 2pm · Scarborough · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Drop-in writers' group at Toronto Public Library's Gerrard/Ashdale branch: a short prompt to start, then read a piece aloud for feedback. Every other Saturday morning.
Every other saturdays, 10am · Leslieville · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Toronto Public Library's Dufferin/St. Clair branch runs a monthly evening novel discussion; copies of each month's pick are held at the branch.
Monthly, first Tuesday, 7pm · St Clair West · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Long-running drop-in writers' circle at S. Walter Stewart Library led by editor Sharon A. Crawford; fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays, new writers welcome.
Monthly, fourth Wednesday, 6:30pm · East York · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Toronto Public Library's Fairview branch (Fairview Mall Drive) runs a monthly evening book discussion that also reads plays; new members drop in.
Monthly, first Tuesday, 6:45pm · North York · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →The Osborne Collection's adult book club at Lillian H. Smith Library (College St) rereads classic children's books once a month on a Saturday afternoon.
Once a month on the first or second Saturday, 2:30–4pm, Lillian H. Smith Library · Downtown · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Toronto Public Library's Spadina Road branch reads one title a month from the TPL Reading Challenge categories; free registration, seats were open at check time.
Monthly on a Monday evening, 7–9pm, Spadina Road Library · The Annex · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Toronto Public Library's Runnymede branch (Bloor St W) runs a monthly drop-in book discussion in the second-floor program room.
Monthly on a Tuesday evening, 6:30pm, Runnymede Library · Bloor West Village · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Weekend writing sessions in cafés: quick intros, an hour of silent writing, optional chat after. Nobody reads or critiques your work. Sessions rotate between Avenue Rd, Sheppard-Yonge and Queen West.
Saturdays and Sundays, time varies · Free · meetup.com →Toronto Public Library's Highland Creek branch (Ellesmere Rd) hosts a monthly silent reading hour: bring your own book or grab one off the shelf, read quietly, then chat about it.
Monthly, first Tuesday, 7pm · Scarborough · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Bring whatever you are reading, order your own drink, say hello, then read in silence for an hour. Meets Tuesday evenings, alternating between the Wellington Market food hall at The Well and the deck in Clarence Square.
Tuesdays, 6pm · King West · Free · meetup.com →North York Central Library's monthly readers' social: no assigned book, librarians pitch titles on a theme and everyone swaps recommendations. Drop in.
Monthly, first Wednesday, 7pm · North York · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Monthly graphic-novel club at Toronto Public Library's Lillian H. Smith branch (College St); you source the month's Marvel or DC title yourself, ebooks are available.
Monthly on a Monday evening, 7pm, Lillian H. Smith Library · Downtown · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →Afternoon book discussion at Toronto Public Library's Eglinton Square branch (inside the mall); new books and old favourites.
Wednesday afternoons 1:30pm, roughly monthly; check TPL listing · Scarborough · Free · tpl.bibliocommons.com →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I have to have finished the book?
Almost never. Most clubs would rather have you there than have you skip a month, and a few deliberately pick short books for that reason. If a club is strict about it, the listing says so.
How do I find out what they're reading?
Follow the link on the listing. Clubs announce the next book on their own page, usually right after the previous meeting.
What about writing groups, or film clubs?
They are here too. Writing groups, film clubs and other reading-adjacent groups are listed under Books, and the ones with enough clubs in Toronto have their own page.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a book club in Toronto we don’t? Add it.