The U of M Book Society (UMBS) hosted its holiday party at Yafa Café on Dec. 20. The event featured a pre-loved book swap, where members could exchange books just in time for the holidays. The club also provided wrapping paper and sticky notes, allowing participants to wrap and label their books for one another.

James Wiens, a member of UMBS, attended the event. He is a regular participant in the club’s bi-weekly teatime sessions and shared his experience. “The people are unilaterally pleasant, and I thought it was a great opportunity to see them again,” he said.

Wiens expressed that he believes the club offers students a relaxed environment where they can sit down and have conversations.

Vanessa Theroux, a staff member from the promotions team, explained the club focuses on more than just reading — it is also “building a community,” she said. She added the book swap allowed members to receive books for the holidays and exchange gifts in an affordable way, as all the books were pre-owned.

Theroux’s favourite part of the event was just being with friends and getting to see everyone. Theroux also highlighted the club’s largest events of the fall semester, which were Halloween and fall icebreaker events. The icebreaker event included mini games and opportunities to get to know each other. Staff members worked together to make it successful. She emphasized UMBS is a club where students can simply show up and feel welcome.

“I know a lot of us keep describing it as a safe space,” she added. With bigger and newer initiatives planned for the year ahead, UMBS hopes to continue fostering that welcoming environment for students.