
What we’re about
If you have any questions, use Meetup internal communication or contact me via eugenefrominquiry@gmail.com (Preferred).
Books are made better by the conversations that happen about them.
Reading is isolating, unless you talk about the book. Then reading becomes a social experience within a community.
If you liked or did not like a book, and want to hear different thoughts on the book, this is a book club for you.
Want to create a habit of reading? The book club's community will support your drive.
Not sure about what you get out of books, or how to think about books, or how to apply the book's topics? Join the discussions and put your knowledge to the test.
This club primarily hosts non-fiction book club event, and some fiction. The value of the club comes from the discussions, and listening to everyone's views about the book. Everyone's different views. There will be agreement, but disagreement is permitted and encouraged. Everyone's diverse backgrounds will cause everyone to have different approaches to the topic which will elucidate arguments for and against the topic. What matters is how you engage with the information learned in the book and everyone's ideas. To seek out and understand the complexity of the topic.
A Note On Disagreement: Conflict is inevitable. Disagreement is inevitable. People come from different backgrounds, which causes them to interpret information differently. Sparking conflict and disagreement. Although conflict and disagreement cannot be avoided, each individual can choose how they respond to them. Everyone can choose how to fight. Can choose how to disagree. Everyone can make conflict and disagreement productive. Enabling everyone to become better. Disagreement causes a search for more information, for the reasons why others think differently. Which makes everyone more informed, better able to analyze the information. Knowing how to disagreement is a skill that can learned through practice.
There are conditions that are needed to facilitate an honest discussion about the different views everyone has, community guidelines. 1) To enable everyone be heard, everyone is able to speak. Priority goes to those who spoke less. 2) It is acceptable for everyone to err, and disagree. By finding out different information can any individual choose to error correct. For more community guidelines and the event's discussion, see Community Guidelines (Click Here).
The list of books are mostly member suggestions. Every cycle members suggest books, and then poll which books they wish to read. Books are selected for poll rank, and topic diversity. For details about How The Book List Gets Made, Click Here. Page contains the reasons why books are listed, and things to consider when suggesting books.
Club Maintenance:
The club has costs. If you appreciate the event, support the club. Contribute via:
- Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo. Contribute to eugenefrominquiry@gmail.com.
- GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/adabd41c
My blog for book reviews: https://www.inquiryreviews.com/p/about-inquiry.html
Basic Statistics:
Past Events = 140
Book Club Events = 133
Author Appearance = 7
Book Shop Visits = 6
Related Events = 1
Attendance: Average = 11, Standard Deviation = 6
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Seeing Like a State: Schemes to Improve Have Fail by James C. Scott | Book ClubLink visible for attendees
Full Title: Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
Suggested by: Member
Pages to read: TBP
ISBN: 9780300078152 (Originally listed edition)
ISBN: 9780300252989 (Edition Eugene is using)Eugene's review of the book (Blog Link, Click Here)
Community Guidelines (Meetup Link, Click Here)
All Upcoming event (Meetup Link, Click Here)
Forthcoming Similar Events:
1 - Governance - 08/02/2025 = Tao Te Ching: Ancient Chinese Book of the Tao by Lao Tzu
2 - Foreign Policy - 08/30/2025 = How States Think by John J. Mearsheimer, Sebastian Rosato
3 - Fiction / Controller of the Universe - 09/13/2025 = The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
4 - State - 10/04/2025 = The Land of Hope and Fear: Israel's Battle by Isabel Kershner
5 - Trying To Help - 11/29/2025 = Weapons of Math Destruction: Big Data by Cathy O'NeillContribute:
The club has costs. If you appreciated the event, support the club. Contribute via:- Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo. Contribute to eugenefrominquiry@gmail.com.
- GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/adabd41c
While reading the book, consider the below questions:
•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What does it take for a state to be legible?
•When do interventions have negative consequences?
•Why simplify information?
•What effect did standardized rules have on forest ecology?
•How are cities designed?
•What happens to local monopolies of information for a society to be legible?
•How does scale of the intervention effect information?
•Why give people sur (last) names?
•What is high modernism?
•What is a dictatorship of the planner?
•What did Jane Jacobs want from a city?
•Why would leaders want a sedentary society?
•What is pragmatic knowledge?Your questions are important and will take priority. If you have questions about the book's content or related ideas, either let me know what your questions are or raise them during the discussion.
- The Schopenhauer Cure: A Novel by Irvin Yalom | Book ClubLink visible for attendees
Suggested by: Member
Pages to read: 351
ISBN: 9780060938109 (Originally listed edition)
ISBN: 9780061840883 (Edition Eugene is using)Eugene's review of the book (Blog Link, Click Here)
Community Guidelines (Meetup Link, Click Here)
All Upcoming event (Meetup Link, Click Here)
Forthcoming Similar Events:
1 - Philosophy - 08/02/2025 = Tao Te Ching: Ancient Chinese Book of the Tao by Lao Tzu
2 - Philosophy - 08/09/2025 = Why? The Purpose of the Universe by Philip Goff
3 - Fiction - 09/13/2025 = The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
4 - Philosophy - 10/18/2025 = Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre
5 - Philosophy - 12/06/2025 = an Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David HumeWhile reading the book, consider the below questions:
•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Who is Julius?
•What is happening to Julius?
•What kind of therapist is Julius?
•How does Julius change during the year?
•Why did Julius contact Philip?
•What are the guidelines to group therapy?
•Who is Philip?
•What did Philip think of the three years of therapy with Julius?
•What did Philip’s students think of the lectures?
•What is Philip’s behavior problems?
•What kind of therapist does Philip want to become?
•Why is Philip interested in Schopenhauer?
•What is the Schopenhauer cure?
•Who did Schopenhauer influence?
•What was the relationship between Schopenhauer and Schopenhauer’s mother Johanna?
•Wha are the advantages and consequences of attachment and detachment?
•What advice does Schopenhauer give?
•Who is Gill and what are Gill’s behavioral problems?
•Who is Tony and what are Tony’s behavioral problems?
•Who is Bonnie and what are Bonnie’s behavioral problems?
•Who is Rebecca and what are Rebecca’s behavioral problems?
•Who is Pam and what are Pam’s behavioral problems?
•What are the relationships between the group members?
•What does the group think of Julius’ year?
•What does Buddhism offer?Your questions are important and will take priority. If you have questions about the book's content or related ideas, either let me know what your questions are or raise them during the discussion.
- Tao Te Ching: Ancient Chinese Book of the Tao by Lao Tzu | Book ClubLink visible for attendees
Full Title: Tao Te Ching: The Essential Translation of the Ancient Chinese Book of the Tao
Suggested by: Shlomo M.
Pages to read: 284
ISBN: 9780143133803 (Originally listed edition)
ISBN: 9780525560319 (Edition Eugene is using)Eugene's review of the book (Blog Link, Click Here)
Community Guidelines (Meetup Link, Click Here)
All Upcoming event (Meetup Link, Click Here)
Forthcoming Similar Events:
1 - Philosophy - 08/09/2025 = Why? The Purpose of the Universe by Philip Goff
2 - Fiction / Philosophy - 09/13/2025 = The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3 - How Ideas Function - 09/27/2025 = The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge by Matt Ridley
4 - Philosophy - 10/18/2025 = Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre
5 - Philosophy - 12/06/2025 = An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David HumeWhile reading the book, consider the below questions:
•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What is Confucianism?
•What is Taoism?
•Why is Confucianism and Taoism seen in contrast?
•How did Taoism effect Chinese culture?
•Who is Lao Tzu?
•What is non-action?
•What is dust?
•Why let go?
•Why is Tao ineffable?
•What does it mean to return to the root?
•What is the value of Sages?
•Who is the best traveler?
•How does a Taoist treat others?
•What is the outcome of violence?
•How to find what is valuable?
•What is the value of perfection?
•What is the effect of meddling?
•What is the effect of studying?
•How to cultivate a future?
•What is the difficulty in the easy?
•What are beautiful words?Your questions are important and will take priority. If you have questions about the book's content or related ideas, either let me know what your questions are or raise them during the discussion.
- Why? The Purpose of the Universe by Philip Goff | Book ClubLink visible for attendees
Suggested by: Derek R
Pages to read: 9780198883784
ISBN: 9780198883760 (Originally listed edition)
ISBN: B0C5VBNCXW (Edition Eugene is using)Eugene's review of the book (Blog Link, Click Here)
Community Guidelines (Meetup Link, Click Here)
All Upcoming event (Meetup Link, Click Here)
Forthcoming Similar Events:
1 - Understanding Reality - 08/16/2025 = The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver
2 - Fiction / Life, The Universe, And Everything - 09/13/2025 = The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3 - Evolution of Ideas - 09/27/2025 = The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge by Matt Ridley
4 - Philosophy - 10/18/2025 = Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre
5 - Universe - 10/25/2025 = The Big Picture: Origins of Life, Meaning, Universe by Sean CarrollWhile reading the book, consider the below questions:
•What is the raison d’etre of the book? For what purpose did the author write the book? Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Is there cosmic significance to human activities?
•What is the probability of the existence of life?
•What does Hume think of passion?
•What is value fundamentalism?
•What is value nihilism?
•What is the multiverse theory and what are its limitations?
•What prevents understanding consciousness?
•Was is a meaning zombie?
•Was is Schrodinger’s cat?
•What is panpsychism?
•What is empiricism?
•What is the cosmic sin intuition?
•Why do people think a being created the universe?
•What are non-standard designers?
•Is our universe a simulation by an advanced civilization?
•Was it true ethics?Your questions are important and will take priority. If you have questions about the book's content or related ideas, either let me know what your questions are or raise them during the discussion.