Festive Book Lovers Social: Romance Book Speed Friending

Festive Book Lovers Social: Romance Book Speed Friending comes to Liberté Café-Bar & Brasserie on Wednesday 2 December, from 7pm to 9pm. It's a festive edition of the Book Speed-Friending night put on by Apex Hotels, returning after a first edition that went well enough to bring it back for a second run.

Before the night, everyone fills in a short form about their favourite books, and the organisers use those answers to tailor the prompts and pairings. Once you're through the door, you rotate through a series of quick, fun conversations that cover comfort-read confessions, favourite tropes and romantasy. It's less about a formal book club and more about chatting with other romance readers who get the same things you do.

Book Lovers Bookshop is partnering the evening, bringing curated recommendations and books to browse and buy alongside festive book-themed activities and icebreakers. The whole thing is for over-18s only and runs for two hours, so it's a mid-week evening rather than a full-day affair. If you're into romance, it's a straightforward way to meet people who read the same stuff without having to do the heavy lifting of starting the conversation yourself.

Liberté is inside the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel at 23-27 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3BH. A standard ticket is £17, and there's a Book Bundle for £28. It runs from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday 2 December.