English Books & Literature

Our Weekly Game Gathering will be hosted at Kerbey Lane from 6 - 9pm. We can be found in the far back as you walk in. If you need help finding us, the staff know us by the name g3 Games or as the Game Gathering. Arriving late or leaving early is no problem. Whether you're a board game fan looking to play classics or interested in a friendly chance to meet some new people, this event is the perfect opportunity to do that in a relaxed atmosphere. Bring your favorite game or just bring yourself and explore our community library - we’re excited to play with you! All skill levels are welcome, so don't be shy if you're a beginner! This event is LGBT Friendly and fosters a welcoming environment for all. It's a great chance to unwind, connect with like-minded individuals, and enjoy a fun night out. Come hang out, mingle, and have conversations while engaging in some friendly competition. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday!

Join us for Monday morning coffee, crafting and conversation! Bring what ever portable project you are working on. If you are new to the craft there are usually folks to help you learn. There are a variety of coffee and tea items and a tiny selection of pastry items. Pineview Coffee Company is a small yet spacious coffee shop on the 1st floor inside the Aspen Lake Amenity building. There is only a small sign by the door that has the name of the coffee shop so it can be a little challenging to find. Hope to see you there! PS unofficially part of this group meets here every Monday so come what ever week you can.

Come play pickleball and make new friends at Pickleland! 🏓 \*\*\* **Important: Please sign up on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com) directly.** \*\*\* We divide our open play by levels! 😄 (All levels welcome!) If you've never played, come and learn the rules! We have other beginners join us every day. You don't need a paddle, we have some you can rent ($10)! If you are an avid player, come and find some nice and friendly competition. If this time doesn't work for you, we are open M-F 8am to 10pm, and Sat-Sun 8am-8pm. Find other times on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com). The website and app will show the most accurate roster and sign up count! Follow [@picklelandatx](https://www.instagram.com/picklelandatx/) for more! **⭐️ Come see why we were recently named the "Best Pickleball Club" in Austin by Austin Pickleball Update and 750+ other players!**

Start your weekday strong. This morning meetup is for people who want consistency, accountability, and good company while doing their own workout. No group programming, no coaching. Just show up, train, stay motivated, and support each other. Strength, cardio, mobility, or skill work — whatever fits your goals. **Important Note** Participation requires an active Anytime Fitness membership for this location (or a valid multi-location pass). We cannot provide access to the gym. **Who It’s For** • Preparing for hikes or outdoor trips • Building a steady morning routine • Prefer independent workouts with community around **Location** Anytime Fitness 5290 N A.W. Grimes Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78665 Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oEzp2osVFzHvGy9L7 **Schedule** 4:00 AM — Arrive, warm up 4:15–5:45 AM — Individual workouts (optional shared circuits) 5:45–6:00 AM — Cooldown and quick check-in Stay the entire time or come for what you can. Consistency matters more than duration. **Bring** • Water and workout gear • Your workout plan (optional) **Expectations** • Update your RSVP if your plans change • Be on time when possible • Respect the gym environment and other members • Aim for steady attendance — habit is the goal A friendly, low-pressure way to start the day strong, build discipline, and train alongside others without needing a structured class.

Come play pickleball and make new friends at Pickleland! 🏓 \*\*\* **Important: Please sign up on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com/) directly.** \*\*\* We divide our open play by levels! 😄 (All levels welcome!) If you've never played, come and learn the rules! We have other beginners join us every day. You don't need a paddle, we have some you can rent ($10)! If you are an avid player, come and find some nice and friendly competition. If this time doesn't work for you, we are open M-F 8am to 10pm, and Sat-Sun 8am-8pm. Find other times on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com/). The website and app will show the most accurate roster and sign up count! Follow [@picklelandatx](https://www.instagram.com/picklelandatx/) for more! **⭐️ Come see why we were recently named the "Best Pickleball Club" in Austin by Austin Pickleball Update and 750+ other players!**

# Come play pickleball and make new friends at Pickleland! 🏓 \*\*\* **Important: Please sign up on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com/) directly.** \*\*\* We divide our open play by levels! 😄 (All levels welcome!) If you've never played, come and learn the rules! We have other beginners join us every day. You don't need a paddle, we have some you can rent ($10)! If you are an avid player, come and find some nice and friendly competition. If this time doesn't work for you, we are open M-F 8am to 10pm, and Sat-Sun 8am-8pm. Find other times on the Pickleland App ([iOS](https://pickleland.com/ios) \| [Android](https://pickleland.com/android)) or [website](https://play.pickleland.com/). The website and app will show the most accurate roster and sign up count! Follow [@picklelandatx](https://www.instagram.com/picklelandatx/) for more! **⭐️ Come see why we were recently named the "Best Pickleball Club" in Austin by Austin Pickleball Update and 750+ other players!**

### **Guided Personal Development Book Club & Open Group Coaching** This free, ongoing book club features ideas and discussion inspired by various Personal Development Books. Reading the books are optional. Led by local Certified Professional Life Coach, Lisa Concepcion, This group provides a safe space for connection and open conversation about topics such as. * Codependency or over-giving / people pleasing * Anxious attachment * Low self-worth or self-trust * Difficulty setting boundaries * Attracting emotionally unavailable or narcissistic partners * Manifesting your ideal relationship * Reinvention after break-ups / divorce * Navigating Tricky Relationships (what to say and how to say it). This is **not therapy**—it’s a guided personal development conversation led by a Certified Professional Life Coach. ### How This Book Club Works Each meeting includes: * A brief overview of a key concept from the book * Open discussion and reflection * Group coaching offering clarity, insights and guidance * Real-life application to relationships, boundaries, and self-growth ***You do not need to attend every session and you do not need to finish the book to participate. Each session stands alone.*** ### Open Group Coaching Format This book club functions like a fun, dynamic, empowering, **group coaching space**: * You’re welcome to ask questions * Share experiences * Learn from others * Gain clarity about your own emotional patterns * Get insights and ideas to move you forward Many people find that hearing others’ experiences creates powerful insight and validation. ### Who This Is For * Adults interested in emotional healing and personal growth * People who grew up feeling unseen, unheard, or emotionally unsupported * Anyone working through relationship patterns or self-worth issues * Those curious about why they repeat the same emotional dynamics * People who want to meet like minded, high conscious people who self reflect and are working to be better. * People who crave connection In Real Life and value intelligent, meaningful, deeper conversation. * People who are open to making new friends. This group is respectful, confidential, and growth-focused. What happens in book club, stays in book club. This is the group membership oath. Free Event!

**You're invited to our April book swap, in honor of ATX Climate Week.** ​We host a free, in-person non-fiction book swap in Austin every month. This April, we're centering the swap around environmental non-fiction: climate, ecology, policy, sustainability, and the science and stories behind them. All genres welcome, but bring something that changed how you see the planet. ​ **How it works:** Bring a non-fiction book you'd genuinely recommend and are ready to pass along. Write a short recommendation card for it (we'll give you a prompt to respond to). Browse the collection, read the cards, take a book home. ​Free to attend. Good books. Good people. *By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of ATXCW* [REGISTER HERE](https://luma.com/s9b66fpq) **WHEN** Saturday, April 25th from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM **WHERE** Brewtorium 6015 Dillard Cir A Austin, TX 78752 We have a table reserved in the main beer hall for our group & we’ll have signage but if you can’t find us, just ask the bartenders. **FAQs** **Is this really free?** Yes. The book swaps are free to attend. You don’t need a ticket and you don’t need to pay to show up. Just bring a non-fiction book you’re willing to pass along and join us. Of course, we'd love for you to support the spaces that host us so please consider grabbing a drink, a snack, whatever feels right. *** **Why non-fiction only?** Non-fiction aligns more closely with the work we do at Hi From Business Camp. Our community uses reading as a way to think better, understand how things work, and make sense of decisions, systems, habits, relationships, and work. Non-fiction supports that kind of reflection and conversation more consistently in a group setting. There’s also a practical reason. Setting a clear theme makes it easier to decide what to bring and keeps the swap cohesive and straightforward. *** **What happens to the books after the swap?** Some books leave with someone new and never come back. Some stay in circulation and show up again later. That’s intentional. Over time, the books become a small, evolving collection shaped by the community, not by trends or sales charts. *** **I’m really interested, but I can’t attend in person. Will there be a virtual version?** Glad you asked. Yes, we’re working on it. We’re exploring a virtual extension of the book swap for people who can’t attend in person. It won’t be a carbon copy of the physical experience, and we’re being intentional about how it works. Conveniently, our [sister company](https://www.ruoomsoftware.com/) happens to be a software company, so we’re thinking carefully about what would make sense here. Stay tuned. *** **Can I still come if I don’t have a book?** Yes. You’re welcome to come by and check it out, even if you don’t have a book with you. If you’d like to take a book home, we ask that you bring one when possible. The swap works best when people contribute, and the goal is to keep the exchange balanced and community-driven. That said, you’re still more than welcome to show up, browse, and get a feel for the swap without a book. *** **How do I get notified about upcoming swaps?** Join the book swap [Substack](https://hifrombusinesscamp.substack.com/) for the latest on the swaps, plus reading guides, giveaways and news on our city expansion, reading retreats and upcoming virtual book swap product.

Saturday In-Person Writing Session – Join Us! Join us every Saturday at 9 AM for a live writing session at Lamppost Coffee on E Main in Round Rock. Whether you're diving into your novel, working on a short story, or just looking to get some words on the page, this is a welcoming space for writers of all kinds. * Drop in anytime during the session * Get feedback, give feedback, or just write * Say hello and meet fellow local writers Interested in organizing a future write-in, attending a writing conference, or submitting to a flash fiction contest? Let us know! We’re always looking for new ways to support our writing community and sharpen our craft. **Lamppost Coffee** 201 E Main St #101, Round Rock, TX 78664 If you don't see us at the big table in the front, check in the back room! See you on Saturday!

Join us over food and drinks to discuss the book, “Killing the Dead: Vampire Epidemics from Mesopotamia to the New World.” Description of book: Killing the Dead provides the first in-depth, global account of one of the world’s most widespread yet misunderstood forms of mass hysteria—the vampire epidemic. In a spellbinding narrative, John Blair takes readers from ancient Mesopotamia to present-day Haiti to explore a macabre frontier of life and death where corpses are believed to wander or do harm from the grave, and where the vampire is a physical expression of society’s inexplicable terrors and anxieties. In 1732, the British public opened their morning papers to read of lurid happenings in eastern Europe. Serbian villagers had dug up several corpses and had found them to be undecayed and bloated with blood. Recognizing the marks of vampirism, they mutilated and burned them. Centuries earlier, the English themselves engaged in the same behavior. In fact, vampire epidemics have flared up throughout history—in ancient Assyria, China, and Rome, medieval and early modern Europe, and the Americas. Blair blends the latest findings in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology with vampire lore from literature and popular culture to show how these episodes occur at traumatic moments in societies that upend all sense of security, and how the European vampire is just one species in a larger family of predatory supernatural entities that includes the female flying demons of Southeast Asia and the lustful yoginīs of India. Richly illustrated, Killing the Dead provocatively argues that corpse-killing, far from being pathological or unhealthy, served as a therapeutic and largely harmless outlet for fear, hatred, and paranoia that would otherwise result in violence against marginalized groups and individuals. Lecture with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHByR0aD-XM Look for the group with lights and a sign.

ATTENTION: Please RSVP at least one day before the event! Sometimes this event is moved to private residences, and we don't want to strand anyone. This is a Japanese speakers event in Georgetown, TX! We will be at Share Tea / Nivi Ice Cream in Wolf Ranch, Georgetown. There's plenty of free parking near the eatery. PAYMENT: Since we are using business property, and it's polite if you purchase something from the establishment. $7 should cover most drinks. There's also ice cream available. We are open to speakers of many levels, including beginners, but to get the most out of meeting, you should know hiragana (and hopefully katakana). A great book for self study is Kazki Watanabe's "Japanese For Dogs". https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Dogs-1-Kazki-Watanabe/dp/1534988173 Answers: https://japanesefordogs.com/

***Revelator* by Daryl Gregory** (2021) In the mountains of Tennessee, a young girl named Stella grows up in a family bound by an unusual and secretive religion—one centered around a mysterious god hidden deep within their home. As Stella comes of age, she begins to question the traditions she’s been taught to accept without doubt. But in a place where belief is everything and outsiders are not to be trusted, curiosity can be dangerous. Spanning decades, *Revelator* is a haunting blend of Southern Gothic, folk horror, and coming-of-age drama—where faith, family, and fear intertwine in ways that are as unsettling as they are unforgettable. **Daryl Gregory** is an award-winning author known for blending genres in clever and often unsettling ways. His work spans horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy, often exploring big ideas—identity, belief systems, memory—through deeply human stories. He’s the author of novels like *Spoonbenders* and *We Are All Completely Fine*, and his writing has earned multiple award nominations, including the Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy Awards. **Themes to Keep in Mind While Reading (Non-Spoiler)** **Faith vs. Control** When does belief become something more… coercive? **Family as Sanctuary (and Trap)** The same bonds that protect can also confine. ️ **The Cost of Knowing** What happens when you learn the truth? **Before the event …** * **Read the book.** * **Keep your RSVP up-to-date.** If you can't make it out, update your RSVP at least 24 hours beforehand. Attendance will be taken and "No Show"s marked. **At the event …** * **We’re a friendly welcoming bunch and we love new folks!** * **Please purchase something (even if just a soda) while you’re at the restaurant.** They’re running a business but being super awesome by giving us a space to meet for free. Also, please tip our servers. We’re a big bunch to wrangle. ***2026 Austin Horror Book Club Selections*** *[Click here to see this year's books!](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iGygwFn0yfyAgDl8-HpNjNcdhhNJn6H0AnmpFBVwywo/edit?usp=sharing)*

Welcome, readers! Our April read is **_Martyr!_ by Kaveh Akbar.** The story follows a young Iranian American poet grappling with grief, addiction, and the aching question of what makes a life meaningful. Drawn into an unexpected friendship with a terminally ill artist, he begins to confront faith, love, and the seduction of self-destruction. Lyrical, darkly funny, and emotionally piercing, the novel wrestles with beauty and despair in equal measure. It’s a story about longing—to be seen, to be forgiven, and to matter. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

Posting this early because seemingly all Sundays in May are holidays or busy! I picked a shorter thriller that's hopefully a fast read/listen. [Columbus library link to book](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3458940) Location: Grandview Cafe, *1455 W. 3rd Ave*, Columbus, OH 43212 [Menu](https://www.grandviewcafe.com/menu) Book summary: Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He's got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy -- despite the fact that he's suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he's not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he's almost sure he sees her being kidnapped.

Join us for our April Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *[Stop Me if You've Heard This One](https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/stopmeifyouveheardthisone)* by [Kristen Arnett](https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/about) in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

Let’s meet and share our thoughts about Carson McCullers’ novella, The Ballad of The Sad Café.

This month we’ll be reading Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Feel free to come even if you don’t finish the book!

Love getting lost in a good book? [The Book Loft](https://www.bookloft.com/) of German Village is an iconic independent bookstore packed with hard-to-find literary treasures! This isn’t your run-of-the-mill bookstore; it’s a 32-room literary wonderland that would make even the most seasoned bibliophile’s head spin (one of the largest in the country)! **MEET**: We'll gather outside the storefront and then start browsing... **DESSERT**: We'll grab some famous macaroons to start our foodie tour. [Pistacia Vera](https://www.pistaciavera.com/) is a delicious bakery and cafe in the German Village. This charming shop is especially known for its classic macarons. **LATE LUNCH:** *After we browse the bookstore maze, let's gather for the best traditional Jewish deli in town, [Katzingers!](katzingers.com) Choices include stacked Reubens, hot pastromi on rye, chicken salad, macaroni salad, knish, chicken soup, NY cheesecake, and dozens of other sandwiches and sides!* **PARKING**: Street parking all around here. Check the parking time limit. The bookstore and the foodie stops are all on 3rd Street within 4 blocks on the same side of the street.

"The SOB is a ballet dancer. He’s the best ballet dancer that ever lived, and if I get a good chance I’ll kill him with my bare hands." - W.C. Fields In *City Lights*, Chaplin's Little Tramp meets a blind girl selling flowers who mistakes him for a wealthy man. When he learns that an operation may restore her sight, he sets off to earn the money she needs to have the surgery. He also befriends an alcoholic millionaire who only recognizes him when he is drunk. When the blind girl and her grandmother fall behind in the rent and face eviction, he tries working and even enters a boxing competition to raise the money they need. Regarded as Chaplin's masterpiece, *City Lights* has been ranked on more than seventeen "100 greatest movies of all time" lists. Orson Welles cited it as his favorite picture. *City Lights* is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBOMax, Tubi and PlutoTV. The Columbus Library lists three copies on blu-ray and eight copies on DVD. Watch the movie on your own, then join us upstairs at East Market to discuss the film. If you want more, *Unknown Chaplin* is a three-episode lost-footage documentary available on Youtube. It covers his time on *City Lights* beginning at the twenty-six minute mark of episode two: https://youtu.be/f8960Uc15hI?t=1558