December 2021: MAGIC
Rebel Book: #80
Book:Sleights of Mind by Stephen Macknik + Susana Martinez-Conde
Meetup: All Birds, Billi London, Framework, Hop In
Fuel: Cutwater Cocktails, Punchy
Live Magic: Jonny Bitel
Virtual Q+A: Anca + Lucca, The Mind-Reading Revolution
Action: £95 raised for ECHO Library
Live Magic with Jonny Bitel in Covent Garden
December 2021 was a tricky old time for many of us. However, bringing a touch of magic to the month was medicinal for those who were able to attend.
We took over 2 x beautiful stores in Covent Garden for our final meetup of the year: All Birds + Billi London. We split into two groups and were treated to some excellent magic by Jonny Bitel.
Jonny did an amazing job of bringing our book, Sleights of Mind, to life by showcasing some of the tricks talked about in the book. He put so much thought and energy into his performances and there were many gasps as he bamboozled our brains with his tricks!
To top it all off, Hugh Grant’s 2D alter ego made an appearance (we think life-size, can anyone confirm?!) and a few of us were suitably merry from this month’s drinks supplied by Cutwater Cocktails + a soft drink option from Punchy.
A huge thank you to All Birds, Billi London, Cutwater Cocktails, Punchy + of course Jonny Bitel for such a great night.
Here are some pics for those who couldn’t make it…
Live Audience Q+A with Anca + Lucca | The Mind-Reading Revolution
We were thrilled to welcome Mind-Reading superstars, Anca + Lucca to our December Virtual Meetup.
In this video, you can catch up on the full interview, hosted by David McQueen. Highlights include live mind-reading with RBC members!
Find out more about Anca + Lucca and their live shows here. Anca and Lucca also have a book, currently published in German. If you’re a publisher in this area, please give them a shout as they’re on the lookout for an English translation.
Right, on with the show….
Co-founder Ben K’s book review of Sleights of Mind
"What can we learn from magicians?
Magicians know that multitasking is a myth & so they use ‘divide and conquer’ approach with attention.
Magicians make mistakes all the time, but they move on quickly so the audience never notices.
Magicians use empathy and humour to lower our guard."
7/10 - BEN KEENE ON SLEIGHTS OF MIND
Thanks so much to our December hosts + partners…
Allbirds is a New Zealand-American company that sells footwear and apparel. Allbirds’ first shoe was the Wool Runner, which is made from New Zealand superfine Merino wool. Allbirds products are environmentally friendly and made from a material that is ethically sourced.
Billi London produces sustainable tights, leggings and socks. Billi London made the world’s first 100% certified biodegradable legwear – made in Italy with the most durable and premium yarns.
If you know a brand or venue that’d like to fuel or host us in 2022, please get in touch at hello@rebelbookclub.co.uk.
Introducing ECHO LIBRARY…
Each month we give our members the opportunity to donate the cost of a kindle book to a selected charity, usually associated with our theme. This month we supported our friends at ECHO Library and donated £95.
ECHO Library is an organisation providing a mobile library with books and resources in multiple languages to refugee camps across Greece.
We highly recommend you check out the tour and interview they gave us back in November 2020 here.
January 2022: Black Spartacus
Racing ahead of 2 modern-day GOATs in Steve Jobs + Michelle Obama, Toussant Louverture became our GOAT-in-focus for January 2022. An award-winning historical account of a remarkable man.
Find out more here:
Our members’ meetups are on Tuesday 25th January @ 7pm (GMT). Members will be joined in person across the UK and virtually around the world.
Thank you so much to all of our venue partners who keep our club connecting in curiosity:
That’s all for now. Sign up to become a member to join the fun!
If you’re new here, welcome!
We are Rebel Book Club, a global nonfiction book club.
We’ve been reading together for 5+ years and we exist to accelerate your reading habits, connect you with like-minded thinkers + doers and take positive action in a changing world…
We have an event at the end of each month, where we hear from experts in a relevant field to the books we’re reading – which is how this blog post came about.
If you’d like to find out more, check out our website, follow us on Instagram or email our Membership Manager at hello@rebelbookclub.co.uk.
We can’t wait to welcome you aboard!
