Bondi Literary Salon Book Club: Things Will Calm Down Soon

Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our book club, hosted by Hannah Van Otterloo! In our gathering, we will discuss Zoe Foster Blake's latest book Things Will Calm Down Soon.

WHEN: Tuesday, 18th February 2025, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore; please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: Admission; $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

Welcome to the hectic world of beauty and business in this highly relatable novel following a talented hair stylist turned entrepreneur juggling family dramas, workplace near-catastrophes and relationship crises. Things will calm down soon…right?

About the book: Things Will Calm Down Soon

Hair stylist Kit Cooper is at the top of her game. She does the shows in Milan and Paris, tends to pop stars and celebrities, and has styled enough campaigns and magazine covers to last a lifetime. But Kit is ambitious. Restless. She can't help asking: what's next?

One day, frustrated she can't find the perfect product for a look, she wonders ... could she make it herself?

THINGS WILL CALM DOWN SOON takes Kit from idea to founder of a highly successful hair-care company. Amid spreadsheets, influencers, product launches and a parade of potential investors, Kit is juggling an eager young team, needy family members, a charismatic but unreliable romantic partner, single parenting and far too many school WhatsApp messages. She is certain - positive - things will calm down soon, because how can life possibly keep going at this pace?

About the author: Zoe Foster Blake

Zoë Foster Blake is the author of seventeen books, spanning novels, beauty, relationship advice and children's picture books. Her novel, The Wrong Girl, was created into a network TV series, and her first picture book, No One Likes a Fart, won the ABIA picture book of the year. In 2014, after a decade spent as a beauty journalist, Zoë created a skincare line, Go-To. She lives in Sydney with her husband, two children and a lot of SPF.

'Zoë Foster Blake is incapable of writing a false sentence. Every crackling page presents a new bone-deep, funny, wise and utterly brave insight into love, family and the breathless abyss of big business ... And what an extraordinary tale it is.' - Trent Dalton

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The Bondi Literary Salon endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction. 

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some home made chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here. 

'Things Will Calm Down Soon is everything I want in a novel - a smart and engaging read that is so much more than the sum of its characters. Never heavy handed, yet brimming with wisdom, she has delivered a novel that will entertain, inspire and remain with you long after you've turned the last page.' - Sally Hepwort