WALKING BOOK CLUB
A free monthly book club in Blackheath
FREE, FUN & ENERGISING
Urban Curiosity’s Walking Book Club meets each month in Blackheath Village. It’s a friendly, inclusive group of Londoners who enjoy books and walking, fresh ideas and new perspectives.
Take in views of the capital’s impressive skyline and enjoy a stroll across the open heath as you share your reflections on the month’s book (without a roomful of eyeballs staring at you in anticipation of a clever statement). We walk at a gentle pace and reflect on the themes and ideas including in our nonfiction book of the month.
How it works:
We set off at 11:45 from The Blackheath Bookshop, 34 Tranquil Vale, London SE3 0AX, which is moments from Blackheath BR station
We end by 13:15 at Age Exchange’s community cafe, 11 Blackheath Village, London SE3 9LA, which is moments from Blackheath BR station
The route is steep in parts. There are benches along the way.
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t read or finished the book; you’ll listen to excerpts from the book which will guide our discussion.
Everyone is welcome.
NB: our May walk will be our final walking book club session in Greenwich Park before we switch to Blackheath.
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Making Your Voice Heard: How to own your space, access your inner power and become influential by Connson Chou Locke
‘Making Your Voice Heard is a fresh take on how to successfully influence others, regardless of your gender or background. Drawing on the latest research in social psychology, Connson Chou Locke will look at why we are prone to miscommunicate and how to overcome these barriers. This practical guide, based on her hugely popular Guardian Masterclass, will help you hone your personal style, and enhance your presence and influence with ease.’
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Thunderstone: A True Story of Losing One Home and Finding Another by Nancy Campbell
'Can a tiny vehicle provide the space to rebuild a life?
In the wake of a traumatic lockdown, Nancy Campbell buys an old caravan and drives it into a strip of neglected woodland between a canal and railway. It is the first home she has ever owned. It will not move again.
As summer begins, Nancy embraces the challenge of how to live well in a space in which possessions and emotions often threaten to tumble. And as illness and uncertainty loom once more, it is this anchored van that will bring her solace and hope.
An intimate journal across the span of a defining summer, Thunderstone is a celebration of transformation; an invitation to approach life with imagination and to embrace change bravely.'
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Rest Is Resistance: free yourself from the grind culture and reclaim your life by Trisha Harvey
‘By founder and creator of The Nap Ministry, Rest is Resistance is a call-to-action for anyone suffering from the toxic urgency of modern-day life. It centres around the systemic issues that cause us to overwork, and ultimately burn out, and offers us liberation through rest. In its simplest form, rest becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy. Slowing down moves us away from trying to operate at machine levels of productivity, to make us all more human.’
This our final walking book club walk in Greenwich Park. From June 2023 we’ll enjoy the wide open space of Blackeath.
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Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth
‘In Doughnut Economics, Oxford academic Kate Raworth identifies seven critical ways in which mainstream economics has led us astray, and sets out a roadmap for bringing humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all within the means of the planet. En route, she deconstructs the character of 'rational economic man' and explains what really makes us tick.’
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Work Therapy: Or The Man Who Mistook His Job For His Life: How to Thrive at Work by Leaving Your Emotional Baggage Behind by Naomi Shragai
‘Through intimate stories, fascinating insights and provocative questions, business psychotherapist Naomi Shragai will transform how you think about yourself and your working life. Based on thirty years of expertise and practice, Shragai will show you that what is holding you back is within your gift to change - and the first step is to realise how you, like the rest of the people you work with, habitually confuse your professional present with your personal past.’
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Let’s Talk: How to Have Better Conversations by Nihal Arthanayake
‘Let’s Talk blends Nihal’s experiences as an acclaimed interviewer with expert and celebrity opinion on the secrets and psychology behind successful communication.
Part how-to and part manifesto Let’s Talk is Nihal’s accessible, anecdotal and invigorating toolkit to having better conversations with anyone, any time.’
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Manifesto: On Never Giving Up by Bernadine Evaristo
'[This] life story is a manifesto for courage, integrity, optimism, resourcefulness and tenacity. It’s a manifesto for anyone who has ever stood on the margins, and anyone who wants to make their mark on history. It’s a manifesto for being unstoppable.'
IDEAS & tips
