Book Drives Los Angeles

Crime, Espionage & Power Reads

If you love fast-paced, intelligent thrillers with real-world stakes, this group is for you. We focus on authors like Don Winslow, Mark Greaney, and others who write gripping stories about crime, espionage, power, and moral complexity—cartels, covert operations, political tension, and characters living in the gray. This is not a casual book club. It’s a small, thoughtfully curated group for people who enjoy strong conversation, great books, and a shared evening experience. What to expect: * Monthly in-person meetups in the Studio City/Toluca Lake area. The location will be sent to participants the day of. * A **potluck-style dinner**—everyone brings something substantial to share * Engaging, relaxed discussion (no pressure, but come ready to participate) * A **maximum of 6 people per meeting** to keep the experience intimate and conversational You might be a great fit if you: * Enjoy authors like Don Winslow, Mark Greaney, Lee Child, or Vince Flynn * Like stories that feel cinematic, intense, and grounded in reality * Appreciate character-driven plots with high stakes * Enjoy meaningful conversation over a shared meal This group is ideal for people who value quality over quantity—both in books and in company. The First Book Is The Dawn Patrol By Don Winslow

Book of April: The Tainted Cup

Join us for the first time or for the nth! 

WHAT ARE WE READING? The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett HUGO AWARD WINNER • WORLD FANTASY AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from acclaimed author Robert Jackson Bennett “Like an endearing fantasy version of Knives Out . . . A great murder mystery is hard to pull off but Bennett structures his perfectly, and the fact that it’s in a fantasy setting only makes it better.”—T. J. Klune, The New York Times 


WHERE ARE WE READING? 

4100 bar 

There is no food served - but they do allow outside food and sometimes have a food truck.
Please feel free to comment with any questions. 

Everyone is welcome - whether you read the whole book or the back cover (but be prepared for spoilers if so), looking forward to seeing you all to talk about (hopefully) good books!

April Book Club The River is Waiting

Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?

Darius The Great is Not Okay, by Adib Khorram

**IN-PERSON EVENT at Sheri's House** Bring either something to eat or drink.... and enjoy the conversation. *** **Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran.** Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming—especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything. Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understands that sometimes, best friends don't have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he's spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab. When it's time to go home to America, he'll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.

Find Your Quiet Corner: A Silent Book Club @ Studio DDLA

Looking for a dedicated hour to finally read that book, meet new people, and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of **Chinatown LA**? Our Silent Book Club is the perfect low-pressure gathering for **friendly, likeminded readers**. The structure is simple and designed for maximum reading time: we meet up, say a quick hello to our fellow book-lovers, and then settle in for a full hour of **uninterrupted, quiet reading**. It’s a wonderful way to connect with your community without the pressure of small talk. While our club is built around a focus on **meaningful topics** and **life's big questions**—exploring themes of reflection, legacy, and mortality—you are absolutely welcome to bring *any* book you want to read quietly. If you're looking for inspiration, our hosts always bring a curated stack of books for you to browse. Join us for a welcoming, reflective, and dedicated reading experience.

MGR April 2026 Newsletter

\*\*\* This is not an event, just a monthly Mocha Girl Read newsletter. \*\*\* April 2026 **Nominations for MAY monthly selection** Each month, Mocha Girls Read members select one book to nominate for our Monthly Book Selection. To make the process fun & easy, we give you a theme for each upcoming month — helping us mix up genres, authors, & perspectives all year long. In 2026, our year-long theme is Around the World, where we’ll explore books & authors from different countries & cultures each month. **Nominations:** April 6-12, 2026 **Voting:** April 13-19, 2026 **Winner Announced:** April 20, 2026 **Theme for May:** Asian / Pacific Island Fiction (Any fiction book set in Asia or a Pacific Island country.) Remember: one nomination and three votes per person. **APRIL 11TH IS DONATION DAY!** As we celebrate our 15th year, we're reaching out to our amazing community to help us raise $5,000. Your generous donations will ensure we can continue to provide enriching literary experiences, foster a strong Mocha Girl sisterhood, and keep our lights on. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. Please consider donating today and help us reach our goal! Thank you for your continued support! Download your official Mocha Girls Read Passport and collect a new stamp with every Monthly Book Selection! 📘✨ [Grab Your MGR 2026 Readers Passport Here](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ip7FGsgXSW02TuYVhbLVJZhhNHl8HAQ-?usp=sharing) Let’s make 2026 a year of exploration, friendship, and unforgettable reads. 📕 ***What are we reading this month?*** 📕 The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems, and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all. **FOLLOW US /LIKE US/ STALK US📲❤️** * [Our Website](https://mochagirlsread.com/) * [X](https://twitter.com/MochaGirlsRead) * [Facebook Page](https://www.facebook.com/Mochagirlsread) * [Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1218309404896641/) * [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mochagirlsread/) * [Bookclubs](https://bookclubs.com/clubs/29694/join/6b0066) * [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/55132-mocha-girls-read) * [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/pro/mocha-girls-read/) * [Newsletter](https://canva.link/3x1h1adilee3er1) * **[Make a Donation](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2F69RZ3XLXW72&ssrt=1680793486758)**

Books Not Bans presents Read the Room @ Book Soup (LA)

**Welcome to Read The Room: A Celebration of Books! Join us at Book Soup for a party for everyone who loves reading.** **The event will feature poetry games, author readings, an open mic, and a fabulous drag queen MC.** **Lineup** * Queen Angelina * Ryka Aoki * Abdi Nazemian * Greg Mani * Rasheed Newson * Carol Queen * Chiwan Choi **This event is free and open to the public.**

Real Bad Real Soon by Eric Beetner

Available on Hoopla or for purchase: **Carter McCoy** is still alive, but not for long. A man with nothing to lose, he can help the helpless. A reluctant killer, his skills are used by the police now to balance the scales of justice. But killing doesn’t sit well on Carter and he wants to live out his last days in peace. Detective Brian DeFore is using Carter for his own gain, and almost destroys both of them. When the old man refuses to help any longer, DeFore wonders how hard it can be to kill someone who needs killing. Then a woman asks Carter for his help to hunt a monster—her husband. The search for justice will take him deep into the snowy woods with his faithful dog, Chester, at his side. His end is coming soon, but maybe even sooner than he thought. ONE OF OUR FAVORITE AUTHORS

Camping AND Calcite Mine Slot Canyon Complex, The Slot, Galeta Meadows.

Insert Calcite mine Write-up

HORROR BOOK CLUB (April): “The Girl with All the Gifts”

Los Angeles Design AI Ebooks for $1,000/day Income Blueprint

**🔥 AI Ebook Business – Write, Publish & Earn with AI-Generated Books** AI can produce entire ebooks in hours. This masterclass shows you how to turn that into a real publishing business. **⚠️ Limited spots.** RSVP here and complete registration via the link below to secure your place. ### [🚀 REGISTER NOW 🚀](https://remoteready.io/product/AIEbookBusiness?city=Los%20Angeles&groupurlname=downtown-freelance-networking-and-ai-workshops&startgmtdatetime=2026-04-23T01:00:00Z) --- Learn the exact system AI ebook publishers use to produce, publish, and earn from books at scale. Covers niche selection, AI writing workflows, publishing, and promotion. 🎯 **Perfect for:** - Anyone curious about AI writing tools for business - Anyone who wants passive income from digital products - Entrepreneurs exploring AI-powered business models - Freelancers looking to build an asset-based income stream 📚 **What You'll Learn** - Real case studies of AI ebook businesses earning $2K–$20K/month - Pricing strategies and keyword optimisation for discoverability - Scaling from one book to a full publishing operation - Publishing on Amazon KDP and other platforms step by step ⭐ *"Built a 10-book portfolio in 3 months. Passive income is absolutely real."* – Publisher ✨ One masterclass. One publishing system. Unlimited titles. 📚 ✨

Great Big Beautiful Life & Breakfast

Let's get together to discuss our next book! Great Big Beautiful Life is a novel by Emily Henry that blends romance, historical fiction, and mystery. It follows two journalists competing to write the biography of a secretive heiress, Margaret Ives, on a fictional Georgia island. The book features an interesting dynamic between two characters as they uncover the heiress's scandalous past while navigating their own complicated family histories and ambitions. This book was a Reese's Book Club pick and became a New York Times bestseller. Breakfast and conversation on the patio at the beautiful in Huntington Langham in Pasadena at 10:00AM on April 26th, 2026. Please bring cash or ready to zelle for your meal. Any questions, please call me. Hope to see you there!