What we’re about
Join us for adventures in reading & real life! We are a community of readers who discuss books over paired outings. Like to explore? Like to read? You’ve found your people! Join us here in-person and for online discussions wherever you are on the socials! FB, Insta, TikTok, Website
Newsletter/FB group: Meetup isn’t great at sending out notifications, so to stay up to date with the latest book and activity pairings, sign up for the newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/fc5e0725650d/thenoveltourist and join the community on our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ I also post regularly on books and book pairings on Instagram via @thenoveltourist
What the Club Will Do for You
The purpose of all NTBC events is to give you the opportunity to socialize with likeminded readers who are life long learners and love to try new experiences. If your goal is read more books, do more stuff and meet more friends, being part of NTBC can be a life-changing experience!
What You Can Do for the Club
Bring your fun-loving, healthy attitude. Be committed to reading, showing up when promised, and being respectful of other members. We require that your profile includes a clear picture of yourself so others can identify you at our events.
Terms and Conditions
By joining the Novel Tourist Book Club or signing up for or attending any event offered by the Novel Tourist Book Club, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
- Readers please: NTBC is, first and foremost, a book club. We do a lot of amazing activities tied to the books. There are lots of Meetup groups that also do these fun activities. So, if you don’t like to read or don’t plan to read, we are sure there is another group out there that is more suited to your interests. Now, that said, it doesn’t mean you have to read the book or finish the book every time. Sometimes, you try and the book just doesn’t resonate with you. That’s okay! Come and tell us how much you didn’t like it! All we ask is that you try.
- No Guests: Sadness, we know! We are all about the more the merrier, but there must be a limit to the number of attendees at any one event. Events fill up really fast and so unless the event allows you to add a guest (which will be very rare) your guest must create a Meetup account and rsvp for themselves as a member. Yay new members!
- Liability Waiver: By signing up for an event, all members take full responsibility for their own actions and agree to adhere to the following terms and conditions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ZE-yUJEcHUnXF_A8MUsfxWhEmrKxZEcojrHh8FjQzc/edit; and further agree to hold harmless the Novel Tourists Book Club organizers and members of this Meetup book club from any and all claims and liability in case of possible injuries as stated in Paragraph 6 of the Meetup Terms of Service Agreement ( https://help.meetup.com/hc/en-us/articles/360027447252-Terms-of-Service#h_9e385395-a405-4361-8afc-854a4f586c82 ). When attending an event, you acknowledge that you are doing this at your own risk.
- Event Payments:
- Name: If your name on your Meetup profile is different than your name on your payment profile (PayPal, Venmo), please provide your meetup name when you make your payment;
- Include Date or Event Title: Please include the date of the event or an indication of the event title (e.g. if we are going to a restaurant put the name of the restaurant not just “restaurant” or “book club.”)
- Be Open-minded, Kind and Courteous: We can’t imagine anyone who loves to read being anything but open-minded, kind and courteous. However, I also know we bibliophiles can have some pretty strong opinions about books! Whether you agree with someone or not, no doubt you came here for a welcoming environment. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.
- No bullies: Personal attacks of any kind are not allowed. Period. I have zero tolerance for any bullying, degrading comments about another member’s race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity. We are an open and inclusive community and to keep it that way a$$holes will be removed from the group.
- Photos/Videos: Joining the group and attending an event means you’re a-okay with being photographed/video recorded during events. We always takes pics: for the memories and for promotion of future events and NTBC.
- Communication settings: This is just helpful guidance. Events fill up really fast. Make sure your settings are set to maximize communication: Click on your profile pic in Meetup, click Settings, under General select Email Updates, scroll down and find The Novel Tourists Book Club under “Updates about your Group”, click Edit next to The Novel Tourists Book Club and then make your choices. I suggest checking “New Event Announcements,” “Changes to Event Time or Locations,” “My RSVP is confirmed,” and, most importantly: "Announcements to Members About the Group" and “Event updates from Organizer.” Also, you may want to download the Meetup app.
- Carpooling: It’s great for the planet! However, any arrangements are between you and the person driving. The Novel Tourists Book Club organizers and hosts do not provide, endorse, sponsor or take responsibility for any carpool arrangements pertaining to any event. Please use your good judgment when deciding whether or not to carpool with other participants of the book club event you are attending.
- Refund Policy:
- Events with a fee of less than $5: No refunds, even if someone takes your spot. The events fill fast and the only way to really try to make sure that those who are truly interested and able to come get a seat, is a nominal fee. This fee is offered to the event host to pay for their entrance/meal/etc as a way of saying thank you for your time and for putting this together for us.
- Events with a fee greater than $5: The general policy is if the Organizer/Host can get their money back, you’ll get your money back - if you timely cancelled. Once an event location has been paid, however, many times they won’t issue a refund. If they don’t refund us, we can’t refund you regardless of how far in advance you cancelled. That said, sometimes a refund can be issued IF you cancel at least a week in advance AND someone takes your spot. If you want to request a refund, message Audrey via Meetup to discuss. Please note, if you cancel the day before or the day of an event, there are refunds - regardless of the reason and regardless if someone takes your spot.
- If you do not agree to the above terms and conditions, do not sign up for the club. There is probably a different club out there that will better meet your needs.
Happy reading and adventuring!
- Audrey
Upcoming events
8
Gothic Mansion Ghost Tour 👻 and Discuss “Quaker City/Monk of Monk Hall” 🪦
Ebenezer Maxwell Mansio, 200 W Tulpehocken Street,, Philadelphia , PA, USJoin Audrey for a ghostly tour of a Gothic mansion where we’ll meet the ghosts of real life residents of Philadelphia. If you survive, join Audrey for post-ghost discussion of the Philly centric famous Gothic classic, Quaker City (aka Monk of Monk Hall). (free at that link - you may need to click “refresh”.
💵Fee: $22.50
**HOW TO PAY: **Pay the mansion directly, not Audrey
Scroll to Spirits of Germantown
Choose the 6:20 timeslot📚NOVEL: Quaker City or the Monk of Monk Hall
Genre: Classic/Gothic Fiction
⭐Notable: Set in Philly!
Available free here (click refresh on the page): Internet ArchiveGeorge Lippard was known as a founder of the Philadelphia-rooted American Gothic movement for his dark themes of greed, debauchery, and injustice. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania)
George Lippard (1822-54) published The Quaker City; Or, the Monks of Monk Hall in 1844-45 in serial installments, which were then collated as a novel. A gothic tale, set in Philadelphia and inspired by a linked pair of real-life urban crimes, the novel juxtaposes a plot centered on greed, amorality, and debauchery against the then-popular stereotype of an idealized Quaker of exemplary morals. As the “City of Brotherly Love” vision of Quaker William Penn (1644-1718) was widely known, Lippard counted on the irony that the novel’s characters and plot were neither brotherly nor loving.
DINNER & BOOK DISCUSSION:
Toska Brewery
2136 Germantown Ave
Menu: Wood fired pizza and Albanian dishesADVENTURE: Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion
We’re taking a stroll through the grounds and parlors of the historic Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Germantown. On your journey you will encounter some notable Philadelphians who lived in Germantown, and hear their stories.
The Monk of the Wissahickon. A journalist, labor activist, best-selling author who grew up in Germantown. An African-American caterer, restaurateur, philanthropist, and real estate entrepreneur who became one of the first black millionaires in America. A Germantown resident who became the first African-American woman to receive a degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The founder of the Grey Panthers after she was forced to retire at age 65, and a fierce activist for integration, women's rights, and mental health issues. A resident of the Mansion who met his end mysteriously in NYC.
A lively and intriguing alternative to a scary haunted house this season, these historic spirits will entertain and amuse you as you make your way through the 40 min tour of the picturesque house and gardens of Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion.
🎉Follow for more bookish adventures:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist
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❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Please remember, you’re reviewing the club experience, not the location. So, if we go to a play and you didn’t like it, don’t give the Meetup event a negative, it’s not my fault the play stunk. 😫I can’t change what I can’t control.I love putting together fun literary adventures and your positive comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together!
Rules: Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.
Happy Reading!
Audrey
—------------------------------------------------------------------
You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. To make sure our Book Club events get seen. The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring hobbies dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. Rodeos and westerns Lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize.18 attendees
EVENT IS FULL: 📓Cask of Amontillado 🐦⬛and TOUR: Laurel Hill Cemetery 🪦
Laurel Hill EAST Cemetery , 3822 Ridge Avenue, PHILADELPHIA, PA, USThis is now full, but feel free to rsvp to join the waitlist in case a spot opens.
Obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe, or just curious about the who's-who of his friends and acquaintances, buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery? Audrey at TBD for brunch/early lunch at 11:30am to discuss The Cask of Amontillado by Poe and then we'll head over to Laurel Hill Cemetery to take the "Evermore" tour of the cemetery where the guide will share the tales of Poe and his friends or acquaintances—who now rest in Laurel Hill Cemetery.
FEE: PAY LAUREL HILL - not Audrey
$17/(Ages 13 and up)
$15/(Ages 65+) and Students with ID
$12/Members of the Friends of Laurel Hill
$1.90/Access Card Holders (can purchase up to 4 tickets) **
** Access Card + Valid Photo I.D. must be presented at check-in.Purchase using [this link] and pay directly to the cemetery. Do not delay, I'm told this will sell out!
11:30am BRUNCH: TBD
It will be at one of the East Falls restaurants within walking or short driving distance of the cemetery1:00pm TOUR: Evermore Tour
Where: Laurel Hill Cemetery EastEdgar Allan Poe spent his most productive years in Philadelphia, and many have speculated that his tales may have been inspired by the graves and gardens of Laurel Hill. Newly opened when Poe took up residence in the city, the growing necropolis would draw in hundreds of visitors… surely, Poe could well have been among those curious souls? Unfortunately, we cannot confirm or deny a visit from one of America’s most famous authors, but this tour will explore the graves of some of Poe’s friends, associates, and foes from our city.
Tour Guide: Russ Dodge
DIRECTIONS
This tour departs from Laurel Hill East’s Gatehouse entrance at 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132.
PARKING:
Laurel Hill East: Parking is allowed along the roads in the cemeteries for general visitation and tours.READ: The Cask of Amontillado
Genre: PoeDark, atmospheric, and full of revenge, this story is about a man being lured into a catacomb and entombed alive. With its setting of underground vaults and the theme of mortality our cemetery tour will really bring it to life!
🎉Follow for more bookish adventures:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTouristReview:
❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together! Also, please remember, you’re reviewing the club experience, not the location. So, for instance, if we go to a play and you didn’t like it, don’t give the Meetup event a negative, it’s not my fault the play stunk. I can’t change what I can’t control.Rules:
Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.—------------------------------------------------------------------
You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. To make sure our Book Club events get seen. The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring hobbies dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. Cemeteries classic books Lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize19 attendees
•OnlineOctober’s Member Choice Online 📚Book Discussion: “Mexican Gothic” ☠️
OnlineThe votes are in and it was close! Join us for our online discussion of Mexican Gothic - our gothic Member Choice pick. Online discussion as always on the last Monday of the month at 7pm.
‼️Stay tuned for the paired in-person adventure! It's definitely going to be creepy...
Zoom link will be posted on the day of the event.
🎉Want more ideas for bookish fun? Join the Novel Tourist online community:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist---------------------------------------------------
📚NOVEL: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Gothic FictionAn isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Happy Reading!
Audrey❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together! Also, please remember, you’re reviewing the club experience, not the location. So, for instance, if we go to a play and you didn’t like it, don’t give the Meetup event a negative, it’s not my fault the play stunk. I can’t change what I can’t control.--------------------------------------------------------
-------------------The below is silly babble just for the algorithm - no need for book club members to read this!-------------------------------
Reading books everywhere including in Philadelphia and New Jersey and thecworkd’s neighborhoods is such a fun way to make new friends and be social with book loving book club members who like to read and explore urban areas and try new activities such as hiking, reading, craft, hobbies, museums and more! It's especially fun for a book club to go on outdoor and indoor adventures with all the book club friends who like to explore and try new hobbies and discuss books and be always12 attendees- $15.00
Discuss 📕Book "Mexican Gothic" and Tour 🍄Mycopolitan Mushroom Farm!
Mycopolitan, 428 East Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, USJoin Audrey for an afternoon where fiction meets fungus—and the gothic gets gloriously real. 🌿📖 In Mexican Gothic, we find ourselves in a mansion overtaken by secrets, spores, and something far more sinister lurking in the walls. At Mycopolitan Urban Mushroom Farm, we’ll explore a different kind of gothic mystery—one rooted in real science and urban sustainability. 🌫️🍄💀Wander through dim grow rooms where mushrooms thrive in darkness, learn how mycelium connects life and decay, and feel the uncanny echo of the novel’s haunting atmosphere.
After our tour, we’ll jump back in our cars and head nearby for 🌮 lunch at Cantina la Martina to discuss Mexican Gothic - October's Member Choice Book! - and the eerie parallels between fungal networks and family secrets, growth and rot, control and survival. The Cantina is hosting a Day of the Dead festivities and menu that day!
FEE: $15 - covers tour. Lunch and any purchases are on your own.
HOW TO PAY: Use Friends and Family! Do not use the business option because it charges a service fee. Please note the event name or date on your payment. If your payment name is different than your Meetup name please make sure you note your Meetup name.
Venmo - @audrey-Heller1 (phone ends in 4478)
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/AudreyBug
------📚 NOVEL: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia
Genre: GothicAfter receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
🍄ADVENTURE: Urban Farm Tour - Mycopolitan
📍 Where: Mycopolitan, Northeast Philadelphia✅ See first-hand the basics of mushroom farming: substrate prep, sterilization, inoculation, incubation, harvest.
✅ And have all your burning mushroom questions answered!Mycopolitan is a subterranean farm that uses earth's thermal mass to buffer temperatures. This means less energy and more mushrooms.
The farm is 100% chemical-free and the blocks consist of 90%+ organic substrate. They never spray anything on mushrooms and mycelium that isn’t h2o.OPTIONAL: Purchase mushrooms (or a DIY kit) to take home
🌮LUNCH: Cantina la Martina
Address: 2800 D St. Philadelphia PA 19134
🌯Menu: The only menu this day is their Day of the Dead Menu
(They haven't posted it yet, so follow them on insta to find out!)
All items are pay as you go so bring cash to make it easy.🖼️ Altar Invitation: They invite everyone to bring framed photos of loved ones you’d like remembered. Photos can be dropped off ahead of time or on the day of the event to honor them on their community altar.
🎉**Stay connected **to other adventurous readers! Join the Novel Tourist online community:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist
➡️RULES:
Here are the Club’s Basic Rules and Liability Release. You should read them because by signing up for an event you agree to them.Happy reading!
Audrey--------
❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. ***Did you love the event? ***Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love 💓putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together!------
You can ignore all this part. It’s just for the Meetup algorithm. 🙄 The Novel Tourist Book Club is a fantastic book club where people social can get to know each other meet new friends have fun, exploring their passions and book hobbies dining out at restaurants. We read books. Make new friends. Lots of fun with Book Club. Socializing. Social event. and passions! Urban exploration, bookstores, and lots of hobbies dining out is great fun. We read a lot of fun books. we visit libraries and eat food at restaurants. love to explore and meet new people to try out hobby. socializing is great and we love to read books and explore our hobbies we meet new friends and socialize together.17 attendees
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