The Lovely Book Club: Words and Wine in Drumcondra

Once a month, a group of readers takes over the tables at The Lovely Wine Bar in Drumcondra with a glass of wine, a few books and a lot of opinions. It is called The Lovely Book Club, and anyone is welcome to join.

If you have been looking for a book club in Drumcondra, or for something to do on a Thursday evening in Dublin 9, here is how ours works, what we have read this year and how to come along.

What is The Lovely Book Club?

The Lovely Book Club, or Words and Wine as we call it, is a monthly get-together at The Lovely Wine Bar, our café at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower that turns into a wine bar on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The book club usually meets on a Thursday at 7:30pm.

It is a relaxed evening. There is no reading list to keep up with for a year, no homework and no one testing you on the ending. People come on their own, in pairs and with friends, and new faces are always welcome.

How our book club in Drumcondra works

• Two or three books a month. We pick a small selection rather than one title, so there is usually something that suits you.
• Read one, two or all three. Nobody minds if you only got through one, or if you are halfway through.
• We meet at the wine bar. Usually a Thursday at 7:30pm, with a glass of wine and something from the small plates menu if you are hungry.
• Then we talk. About the books, and about everything else the books lead to.

The wine comes from the list our wine specialist, Roger, puts together with our local wine shop, Pinto Wines. You can see what is pouring on our wine list, with 14 wines available by the glass.

What we have read this year

A look at the last few months gives you a sense of the mix: new Irish fiction, a classic, and something from further afield.

• Meeting Mae by Karen O’Connor
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
• Such a Nice Girl by Andrea Mara
• Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell
• The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
• The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
• The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

Authors who have joined us

Every so often the writer comes too. Bestselling author Eithne Shortall joined us for a Words and Wine evening, and Fiona McPhillips spent an evening with the group and left us with two of her own recommendations, which became that month’s reads.

Where we meet

We are at 94 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin 9, D09 Y43A, a short walk from Croke Park and two doors from our sister café, Bread and Butter. There is on-street parking near the café, and Dublin Bus route 16 stops at Drumcondra station, a short walk away.

The wine bar is open from 6pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so you can come early, have something to eat from the small plates menu, and stay on for the book club.

How to join the book club

Call us on (01) 830 9549, email info@lovelyfood.ie or send us a message on Instagram, and we will tell you the date of the next meeting and what we are reading. You can also read more about the club, and about our Wednesday morning meet-up for parents and babies, on our Life at Lovely page.

Book club questions

When does the book club meet?

About once a month, usually on a Thursday at 7:30pm, at The Lovely Wine Bar in Drumcondra. Get in touch and we will tell you the next date.

Do I have to read all the books?

No. There are two or three books each month and you can read one, two or all three. Plenty of people come having read one.

Can I come on my own?

Yes. People come on their own, with a friend or in a group, and new faces are always welcome.

Is there another book club near Croke Park?

Ours is the one we know best. The Lovely Book Club meets a few minutes’ walk from Croke Park, at our wine bar on Drumcondra Road Lower.