Book Swaps Los Angeles

Book Discussion: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Read as much as you can and then let's meet up to discuss our thoughts on the book One Hundred Years of Solitude. "Gabriel García Márquez's most famous book is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967), a multi-generational saga about the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo. It is widely considered his masterpiece, a quintessential example of magical realism, and one of the best novels of the 20th century, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Plot: The novel chronicles the rise and fall of the Buendía family over a century, filled with epic events, love affairs, and magical occurrences. Significance: It is praised for its innovative narrative structure and its profound exploration of Latin American identity, often cited as a work that compresses the history of the continent into its pages. Legacy: The book's success led to García Márquez's international fame and was a key factor in his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. "

August Book Club - The Library Book by Susan Orleans

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who? Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.

Book Release with Sonali Kolhatkar - Breaking Ice

Come join us on September 3rd at 7pm at Vroman's Bookstore to celebrate the book release of Breaking Ice with author & friend of the book club Sonali Kolhatkar. A gripping, on-the-ground account of the growing movement against state violence, featuring interviews with those on the frontlines of the fight for immigrant justice and what it means to belong. To reserve your seat for this Q & A conversation with Sonali please follow the link below to reserve your seat - https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-09-03/sonali-kolhatkar Her book will be available for purchase.

August 2026 Book Discussion: At the edge of Haight by Katherine Seligman

**📚 Our August Book Has Been Chosen!** Thanks to everyone who voted! Our next **Books & Brew** read is: ***At the Edge of the Haight* — Katherine Seligman** 🌉 Grab a copy, start reading, and join us for a great conversation! **About the Book** Twenty-year-old Maddy Donaldo has built a life for herself on the streets of San Francisco, finding family, routine, and survival in the hidden corners of Golden Gate Park. But when she witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy—and the killer sees her—her world is turned upside down. As police, grieving parents, and her own estranged family search for answers, Maddy must decide whether to continue hiding from the world or risk letting herself be found. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing San Francisco, *At the Edge of the Haight* explores homelessness, belonging, community, and the difficult choices that shape our lives.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Join us to discuss The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans is about Sybil Van Antwerp, a Cranky and well-mannered person in their seventies, who has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. Sybil is has had a lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the life she has built. A quirky yet endearing main character with a plethora of opinions and advice for others, who also fails to look at the difficulties of her own life.

Book Discussion: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Read as much as you can and then let's discuss our thoughts on One Hundred Years of Solitude. "Gabriel García Márquez's most famous book is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967), a multi-generational saga about the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo. It is widely considered his masterpiece, a quintessential example of magical realism, and one of the best novels of the 20th century, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Plot: The novel chronicles the rise and fall of the Buendía family over a century, filled with epic events, love affairs, and magical occurrences. Significance: It is praised for its innovative narrative structure and its profound exploration of Latin American identity, often cited as a work that compresses the history of the continent into its pages. Legacy: The book's success led to García Márquez's international fame and was a key factor in his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. "

Book Club: Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald

*Storybook Ending* by Moira Macdonald is a charming story about romance, friendship, and a love of books, in which two women—a lonely remote worker and a widowed single mom—and a handsome local bookstore clerk find themselves in an unusual love triangle when an anonymous note left in a book finds the wrong recipient. Looking forward to enjoying brunch at True Food Kitchen in Pasadena. The menu can be found here: https://share.google/Y5Gn8RwSbwZlGOmvy The event fee will secure your reservation and be applied to membership dues, which covers the cost of the website. The event fee is NONREFUNDABLE unless the event is canceled by the organizer. To join the waitlist comment on the event page. If you have RSVPed and can no longer attend, please contact me directly and I will contact the people on the waiting list and then move you to "not going" when I find a replacement. Thank you and happy reading!

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

Once a key operative in secret Israeli-intelligence missions, Gabriel Allon is on the run from his past, assuming a quiet life as a meticulous restorer of priceless works of art. But now he is being called back into the game. The agent with whom he is teamed hides behind her own beautiful mask-as a French fashion model. Their target: a cunning terrorist on one last killing spree, a Palestinian zealot named Tariq who played a dark part in Gabriel’s past. What begins as a manhunt turns into a globe-spanning duel fueled by political intrigue and deep personal passions. In a world where secrecy and duplicity are absolute, revenge is a luxury no man can afford-and the greatest masterpiece of all.

Book Club Meeting: The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

Join Mocha Girls Read as we travel north of the border for our **Canadian Authors** Monthly Book Selection! This month, we're diving into the unforgettable novel **The Book of Negroes** by Lawrence Hill. 📚 **Book:** *The Book of Negroes* by Lawrence Hill 📅 **Date:** Saturday, September 5 🕜 **Time:** 1:30 PM 📍 **Location:** Lore Bookstore * **About the Book** Based on a true story, "The Book of Negroes" tells the story of Aminata, a young girl abducted from her village in Mali aged 11 in 1755, and who, after a deadly journey on a slave ship where she witnesses the brutal repression of a slave revolt, is sold to a plantation owner in South Carolina, who rapes her. She is brought to New York, where she escapes her owner and finds herself helping the British by recording all the freed slaves on the British side in the Revolutionary War in The Book of Negroes (a real historical document that can be found today at the National Archives at Kew). Aminata is sent to Nova Scotia to start a new life, but finds more hostility, oppression, and tragedy. Separated from her one true love, and suffering the unimaginable loss of both her children who are taken away from her, she eventually joins a group of freed slaves on a harrowing odyssey back to Africa, and ends up in London as a living icon for Wilberforce and the other Abolitionists. "The Book of Negroes" is a page-turning narrative that manages to use Aminata's heart-rending personal story to bring to life a harrowing chapter in our history. Come for an afternoon of great discussions. Whether you read the book or not, please join us. FYI, metered parking is across the street. See ya there

HORROR BOOK CLUB (August): “The Lovely Bones”

Literary Open Mic

Bring a five-minute (maximum) original reading to share with a community of writers. Or just come drink beer and soak in the poetry, short stories, songs, monologues, and more! It's free to attend and free to read. Check out our [merch](https://noholitmic.threadless.com/)! **Please note that the only way to reserve a spot to read is to follow this link to our [sign-up form](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYc12KZ9c_P_6jbylgF1R1ER03S35XghUYgCR52Irf8/edit?tab=t.0) (or copy and paste the link below).** RSVPing on MeetUp doesn't guarantee you a spot! If you'd like to come listen without reading, you are very welcome to, and you do not need to sign up or RSVP. [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYc12KZ9c_P_6jbylgF1R1ER03S35XghUYgCR52Irf8/edit?tab=t.0](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYc12KZ9c_P_6jbylgF1R1ER03S35XghUYgCR52Irf8/edit?tab=t.0)

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

A short, darkly comic novel about a middle-class Bangalore family whose fortunes change dramatically after the uncle starts a successful spice business, leading to a move to a larger home and a shift in family dynamics. Narrated by the son, the story explores how sudden wealth unravels the family's unity, creating tension, resentment, and a sense of being "tangled beyond repair," a meaning of the nonsense phrase "ghachar ghochar". The book, translated by Srinath Perur, is praised for its masterful crafting, subtle tension, and exploration of class, gender, and morality in contemporary India.