What we’re about
WHAT WE ARE ABOUT
This Meet Up is for Women of any age interested in a social book discussion. The women in this group seek deep meaning, expanding ideas, and social connection through book conversations. As we are in transition and trying to determine whether our members prefer in-person or virtual, we meet in person on the third Wednesday evening of each month (referred to as Book Discussion 1 ) at Palermo Restaurant, 791 Auzerais Ave., San José, CA 95126. We have a virtual option on the fourth Thursday of each month (referred to as Online Book Discussion 2 ) for those who prefer virtual, live out of the area, or do not make it off the waitlist for the in-person meet-up. Please check the event page for the Zoom link. We invite you to listen to or read the book in any media format that is convenient for you. Occasionally, we may also post opportunities to volunteer in the community or other bonus events that our members are interested in. Get ready for light-hearted and open-minded conversation. Cheers to your next page turned!
A NOTE ON COST
There is no required cost to join or attend our meet-up. We do ask those who feel they can if you might consider sponsoring a month of meet-up costs at $14.99 or a month of Zoom costs at $13.05 per month. This allows us to offer our Meet-Up events without a registration cost charged to members for each event attended. Please message Michelle Lee Walters if you are able to sponsor one of these options for a month**.** We thank you for your support & help in keeping this meeting accessible.
A NOTE ON COMMUNICATION
The gals who lead Women's Book Club, Wine, and Snacks are donating their time, energy, and knowledge for fun and for free. We appreciate all they do to keep us up and running, which is a lot more time, energy, and wisdom than you may think. Meet Up is paid to keep the software of this application, whether on the web, your phone, or tablet, running smoothly. Unfortunately, we cannot access your private contact information through your Meet-Up profile. We message our members through Meet Up. When you can not find our emails, you may want to search your email for: [WomensBookClubWineAndSnacks-announce@messages.meetup.com](mailto:WomensBookClubWineAndSnacks-announce@messages.meetup.com). Our emails from Meet Up may be in your spam folder. If you have issues receiving emails or are unsure how to access something, please reach out to Meet-Up as they are the sole providers of this platform and the only ones who can help you work out kinks in their system. If you believe you just need some help navigating the web page or application, please message or speak with one of our volunteer leaders. We would be happy to help if you can make time for us outside the meeting. We want this to be accessible and fun for you and we are willing to make time to be sure the process is smooth for you.
A NOTE ON BOOK CHOICES
All the books we read are suggested and selected as a group. Feel free to message any organizers (Michelle, Jean, Sarah, Nicole, Christine, or Lucy) with your book suggestions for our next poll. Unfortunately, as of August 31, 2021, Meet Up has taken away the Poll function. You will receive a message by email through Women's Book Club Wine and Snacks to vote on our poll through an online poll service that is to be determined. Please check your email spam frequently if your Meet Up messages are not landing in your Inbox.
A NOTE ON THE TYPES OF BOOKS WE READ
We are not necessarily a fiction-only book club. We are a book club that relies on its members to suggest books and vote on which books they would like to read for the next five months through a poll. As the founder of this group, I have put a handful of nonfiction books on the poll, and the members do not vote for them. We rely on what the majority votes for. Hopefully, those of us who would like some nonfiction reads will suggest and vote for those suggestions.
If you have suggestions for books that you would like the group to read, feel free to share them with any of the organizers. However, please note that if your suggestions were received after the poll was published or if our poll leaders realized these books had been read or voted on in past polls, they may not make the list. But you should suggest them again anyway if you want the group to reread a past selection or if your suggestion was not taken the first time around. It has happened that the poll managers put a book on the poll again after it was suggested multiple times, even the ones we have already read.
A NOTE ON VIRTUAL VS IN-PERSON MEETINGS:
We have decided that as long as we have an ongoing interest in people registering for both our in-person meetings, which are labeled Book Discussion 1, and our virtual meetings, labeled Book Discussion 2, we will continue to offer both options every month for each book.
A NOTE ON NO-SHOWS
If you have reserved a spot for a meeting and cannot make it, we request you unreserve yourself or send a note to one of the organizers. If you give no notice and are a no-show, you will be flagged & after three no-shows, you will be removed from the group. We ask for this courtesy so those on the waitlist can join in your absence.
Last updated: July 25, 2024, by MLW.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Book Discussion 1: (in person) There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif ShafakPalermo Italian Restaurant, San Jose, CA
Our April book is "There Are Rivers in the Sky" by Elif Shafak.
Basic Overview: Across three places and times, the stories of three characters, two rivers, and one ancient poem are told.
The Concept: The author aimed to create a book centered on something that we may all perceive as simple and often take for granted. She wove this story around a single drop of water. Water is essential to life, and in an era when countries are experiencing a decline in their water supplies, this is a topic of great significance. As women, the author sees this crucial change in our landscape and resources as dire, especially considering the risks and threats women in these countries who are the 'water bearers' have to endure in order to secure water for their families, further and further away from home and safety.
The Three Protagonists: The three characters across time represent the chemical compound of water (H2O). Arthur is loosely connected to a real person named George Smith, who lived in the 1800s. The little Yazidi girl named Narin is a character who enters the scene living in a 12,000-year-old ancient civilization called "Hassankeyf," which was located in Turkey. The girl and her mother travel to Iraq in the Summer of 2014 to escape a controversial dam with a lifespan of only 50 years. Another character from the UK, Zeleekhah, is a water scientist who studies not only the rivers we can see, but also those in the sky (atmospheric rivers), and those we cannot see underground. The rivers represent the mysteries of things we don't see and may be lost, but are alive and still shape us.
Join me! This diverse book, featuring a wealth of historical fiction, tells the story of the water crisis, past and present, through the lives of these three characters and the many themes alluded to. I look forward to a rich discussion filled with empathy, emotion, and the wisdom of our minds.
Smiles,
MichelleMy source: (Warning: There are some spoilers)
The British Museum Events. (2024). There are Rivers in the Sky | Elif Shafak & Mary Beard In Conversation at the British Museum. [YouTube].Additionally, feel free to click on the links I researched and posted in my synopsis above if you're interested in exploring some of the historical pieces that the author uses as the foundation for this book.
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Announcement: Book Recommendations requested
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Join us at this IN-PERSON event. The restaurant details are on this meetup page. If you can't attend, consider joining us to discuss the same book at the online meetup we call "Book Discussion 2". We also encourage you to join both Book Discussion 1 (in-person) & Book Discussion 2 (virtual) and treat yourself to the full experience of ideas and discussion. Details are in a separate meetup event.
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- Book Discussion 2: (virtual) There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif ShafakLink visible for attendees
Our April book is "There Are Rivers in the Sky" by Elif Shafak.
Basic Overview: Across three places and times, the stories of three characters, two rivers, and one ancient poem are told.
The Concept: The author aimed to create a book centered on something that we may all perceive as simple and often take for granted. She wove this story around a single drop of water. Water is essential to life, and in an era when countries are experiencing a decline in their water supplies, this is a topic of great significance. As women, the author sees this crucial change in our landscape and resources as dire, especially considering the risks and threats women in these countries who are the 'water bearers' have to endure in order to secure water for their families, further and further away from home and safety.
The Three Protagonists: The three characters across time represent the chemical compound of water (H2O). Arthur is loosely connected to a real person named George Smith, who lived in the 1800s. The little Yazidi girl named Narin is a character who enters the scene living in a 12,000-year-old ancient civilization called "Hassankeyf," which was located in Turkey. The girl and her mother travel to Iraq in the Summer of 2014 to escape a controversial dam with a lifespan of only 50 years. Another character from the UK, Zeleekhah, is a water scientist who studies not only the rivers we can see, but also those in the sky (atmospheric rivers), and those we cannot see underground. The rivers represent the mysteries of things we don't see and may be lost, but are alive and still shape us.
Join me! This diverse book, featuring a wealth of historical fiction, tells the story of the water crisis and many human issues, past and present, through the lives of these three characters and the many themes alluded to. I look forward to a rich discussion filled with empathy, emotion, and the wisdom of our minds.
Cheers,
JeanThe sources: (Warning: There are some spoilers)
The British Museum Events. (2024). There are Rivers in the Sky | Elif Shafak & Mary Beard In Conversation at the British Museum. [YouTube].Additionally, feel free to click on the links researched and posted in the synopsis above if you're interested in exploring some of the historical pieces that the author uses as the foundation for this book.
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Announcement: Book Recommendations requested
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Join us at this VIRTUAL event. If you missed the in-person discussion, we are delighted that you are considering joining us to discuss the same book at this, our online MeetUp, "Book Discussion 2". We also encourage you to join both Book Discussion 1 (in-person) & Book Discussion 2 (virtual) and treat yourself to the full experience of ideas and discussion. Check out the details on this meetup event page.
Zoom Log In: Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 820 4751 4879
Passcode: 249623----------------------------------------
