The Exchange Book Club: Circe

Join The Exchange Book Club in partnership with Lyza Lawal, founder of Blacklore UK. Together, we’ll celebrate a list of amazing books featuring powerful stories inspired by the arts and sciences behind our exhibition Seeing the Sun.

Expect lively conversation, fresh perspectives, and a welcoming space in the heart of the city.

This month's book

The next book on our TBR (to-be-read) list is Circe by Madeline Miller. 

Book synopsis: 

"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child, neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love."

Tickets

Tickets for this book club are £5 per person, which includes entry to the session and a drink.

To make our book club as accessible as possible, we are also offering a limited number of free Solidarity tickets. For more information on Solidarity tickets, please visit our ticketing information page.

Buy the book!

Our official bookselling partner is The Heath Bookshop.

The Heath Bookshop is a vibrant, award-winning, independent bookshop in the heart of Kings Heath in Birmingham. The Heath Bookshop is for everyone and anyone, offering a safe community space with a diverse range of books, delicious hot and cold drinks, and a much-loved Kate Bush coffee table. The Heath Bookshop won Independent Bookshop of the Year 2025, which was announced at the British Book Awards in May of this year.

To place an order with The Heath Bookshop, head to Bookshop.org or contact them directly by email at orders@theheathbookshop.co.uk.

Facilities & accessibility

We’re committed to making The Exchange as welcoming and accessible as possible. There’s step-free access and accessible toilets on all floors, plus a Changing Places toilet on the basement level. Guide dogs and assistance animals are always welcome. If you have any questions about access, just drop us an email at engage@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

Presented as part of the UK's National Year of Reading 2026.