Book Drives San Francisco

May 2026 Book Club Discussion: And Then She Fell By Alicia Elliot

May Book Club: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

\*\*\*This event will be the 2nd Tuesday of May rather than the 1st. Opting to compete with International Nurses Day vs. Cinco de Mayo. So... we will be getting into the warm weather swing of things with an (allegedly) heart-warming road-trip story. Hope you all can make it before Summer traveling begins. ABOUT THE BOOK A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death—from the beloved author of *Rabbit Cake* and *Unlikely Animals* At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren’t for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn’t have much time left—he’s had three heart attacks already. But when PJ reads an obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he’s going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back. Before PJ can hit the road, tragedy strikes Pondville, leaving PJ the sudden guardian of his estranged brother’s grandchildren. Anyone else would be deterred from the planned trip, but PJ figures the orphaned kids might benefit from getting out of town. PJ also figures he can ask Sophie, his adult daughter, adrift in her 20s, to come along to babysit. And there’s one more surprise addition to the roster: Pancakes, a former nursing home therapy cat with a knack of predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ’s home. This could be the second chance PJ has long hoped for—a second shot at love and parenting—but does he have the strength to do both those things again? It’s very possible his heart can’t take it.

Book 87: Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

We read this author's first book and most people did not like it, but this interview of the author talking about her new book makes me want to give this one a try. Should be a good discussion! --Martha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-RViiw3fBs&list=PLavrSL3zILJQU9PwCQf0vXgJ5Ylslr-TL \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **How it works:** We’ll meet at a local brewery for some drinks and conversation. Finishing the book is not a requirement to attend—as long as you don't mind spoilers! We’ll have an unstructured, informal discussion of the book and the themes that the book brings up. We hope to see you there! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “This inventive, boundary-pushing follow-up to Detransition, Baby . . . [takes] on gender, transness and lives on the margins in all of their gorgeously complicated glory.”—People** “Hot, heartbreaking, and thrillingly victorious.”—Miranda July, New York Times bestselling author of All Fours In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing. In Stag Dance, the titular novel, a group of restless lumberjacks working in an illegal winter logging outfit plan a dance that some of them will volunteer to attend as women. When the broadest, strongest, plainest of the axmen announces his intention to dance as a woman, he finds himself caught in a strange rivalry with a pretty young jack, provoking a cascade of obsession, jealousy, and betrayal that will culminate on the big night in an astonishing vision of gender and transition. Three startling stories surround Stag Dance: “Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones” imagines a gender apocalypse brought about by an unstable ex-girlfriend. In “The Chaser,” a secret romance between roommates at a Quaker boarding school brings out intrigue and cruelty. In the last story, “The Masker,” a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip turns dark when a young crossdresser must choose between two guides: a handsome mystery man who objectifies her in thrilling ways, or a cynical veteran trans woman offering unglamorous sisterhood. Acidly funny and breathtaking in its scope, with the inventive audacity of George Saunders or Jennifer Egan, Stag Dance provokes, unsettles, and delights.

Book, Coffee, Chit Chat, etc. (Tuesday Edition)

ATTENTION: We are now meeting in person again! Please follow current recommendations around mask usage to keep everyone safe. Masks are always welcome and accepted, no matter the current regulations. If you'd like to meet online check out our meeting on the first Wednesday of every month. It's that time again! Let's chit chat about the books we exchanged last time and welcome newcomers bringing their first book. If you've been before you know the deal, otherwise just bring a book to share and expect to say both a few words about it and why you want to share it.

Captivating Book Club & Yummy Lunch

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Discuss Neuromancer by William Gibson

Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang

Our book for May is Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang **Note this will be on the 1st Sunday in May due to Mother's Day on the 10th.** For those who are interested, here is the [link](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dsmQaExL52aoYVqVn-Mn3--loh5k8M7Ieeej3JJjRyc/edit?gid=1204962740#gid=1204962740) to the detailed results from the voting. Here is a summary of the book (from Gemini): In *Breakneck*, technology analyst Dan Wang draws on nearly a decade of firsthand reporting to offer a provocative new framework for understanding the mounting rivalry between the US and China. Wang argues that China operates as an "engineering state," ruthlessly focused on physical building and rapid economic progress—resulting in gleaming megaprojects and unparalleled manufacturing capabilities. In stark contrast, he characterizes the United States as a "lawyerly society" bogged down by red tape and a vetocracy that reflexively blocks development. However, Wang doesn't shy away from the immense human cost of China's model. He powerfully details how treating citizens like mere building materials has led to disastrous social engineering, from the traumas of the one-child policy to the heavy-handed enforcement of zero-COVID and the surveillance of ethnic minorities. Equal parts gripping and sobering, *Breakneck* is much more than a book about foreign policy—it's a mirror reflecting America's own domestic struggles with progress and stagnation. For our group, Wang's deep dive offers jumping-off points to debate the "abundance" movement, the ethics of tech-driven governance, and what the US and China might actually learn from each other's deepest flaws. Whether you're interested in technology, economics, or global politics, this blend of immersive storytelling and sharp analysis should make for a good meeting! This event will be hybrid. I will host the meeting in person at my house in Berkeley which is near the intersection of College Ave and Woolsey St. I will email people the address the Saturday before the meeting. Here are the Google Meet details: Google Meet link: [https://meet.google.com/zem-xnbw-tuh](https://meet.google.com/zem-xnbw-tuh) Or dial: ‪(US) +1 641-854-0146‬ PIN: ‪637 012 874‬#

Let’s read “A Marriage at Sea" by Sophie Elmhirst

May Meeting: Octavia Butler - Bloodchild and Other Stories

**Recommended Stories:** * Bloodchild * The Evening and the Morning and the Night * Speech Sounds Octavia Butler -- need we say more? Super excited for this one! **For First-Timers:** We recommend reading at least one story, but feel free to read as little or as much as you'd like! Discussion is open, informal, and we try to focus on the recommended stories listed above. **About Butler:** Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006) was a visionary "Grand Dame of Science Fiction" who broke barriers as the first sci-fi writer to receive a MacArthur "Genius" Grant. Rising from a working-class background in California, she became a master of "speculative fiction," using alien worlds and dystopian futures to explore visceral themes of power, racial hierarchy, and human survival. Her work is celebrated for its unflinching realism and its focus on marginalized protagonists who must make complex, often uncomfortable sacrifices to endure in a changing world.

Calling all book lovers!

Calling all book lovers! Unplug and join us on the beach with a book you would like to read. Don't forget your book, beach chair/towel, mask, and a bottle of water. While we love to watch children run and play, it's an adults only kind of day. We will be on Alameda Beach (Shore Line Drive between Fair Haven Road and Sand Beach Road). Directions From Oakland: https://goo.gl/maps/77XFVvLqJa72 From San Francisco: https://goo.gl/maps/9fYAbGc7ozo From San Jose: https://goo.gl/maps/6wdEuX8K9xA2

The Swapping of the Books📚

Let’s swap some books and hang out with fellow book lovers! Maybe have a beer or two. Bring at least one book to swap, and make sure to take any books back with you that don’t get taken. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

This April, *The Final Chapter* is trading Stephen King for someone who grew up in his shadow... his son. This book has been on my reading list for a long long time and I'm excited to dig into it with you guys. Synopsis: Aging death-metal rock legend Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals...a used hangman's noose...a snuff film. But nothing he possesses is as unique or as dreadful as his latest purchase in this chilling gothic horror novel: a one-of-a-kind curiosity bought off the Internet that arrives at his door in a black heart-shaped box...