Book Swaps Los Angeles

Evening Book Club [hold]

TBD to gauge interest. Club is for the girls (and the gays!) to get together and chat about the book we read this month. Age range early/mid twenties ✨ In the future: Please RSVP to join the event! We will discuss over tea or wine at historic Cafe Mak in ktown. Come having read the book, but if you cannot finish on time, feel free to still come and hang out :)

September Book Club - The Calamity Club: A Novel by Kathryn Stockett

Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unadoptable "big girls" at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister’s seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies. Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates—and Meg’s—converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan for them to take control of their lives. But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife and women’s freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences.

Parable of the Talents- Octavia Butler

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.

Queer Book Club- "We Burned So Bright" by T.J. Klune

Book Discussion: Stoner by John Edward Williams

Read as much as you can and then let's meet up to discuss our thoughts on the book Stoner. "Plot Points: Stoner's life includes an ill-fated marriage to a cold woman, a tender affair with a colleague, strained relationships with his family, and a quiet, impactful career. Themes: The novel delves into loneliness, disappointment, existential meaning, the power of literature, and finding integrity and quiet dignity in a difficult world. Style: Written with simple, precise language, it captures the depth and beauty of a seemingly uneventful life, making the mundane feel profound."

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

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.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

WHAT WE'RE READING: *The Remains of the Day* by Kazuo Ishiguro WHAT IT IS ABOUT: "This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life." WHERE WE'RE MEETING: 4100 Bar in Silver Lake A NOTE ON PARKING: Street parking should be more readily accessible on Sunset Blvd to the west of the meet-up location. A NOTE ON THE MEET-UP SEATING LOCATION: Meet-ups are generally held on the bar terrace, if sufficient seating is available. Please dress warmly in the event of cool evening weather! A NOTE ON RSVPING: If your name is on the attendee list for a scheduled meet-up and you no longer plan on attending the event, please remove your name from the attendee list at least a week before the scheduled event to allow individuals on the waitlist sufficient time to read the book beforehand (no worries if a cancellation has to be last-minute, though!). Happy reading! Colin

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf IN PERSON at Aroma Cafe

"Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" by Grady Hendrix

Meet for a discussion of "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" by Grady Hendrix. Summary: They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. And they’re sent to the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, to give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened. Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, frightened, and alone. Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by the adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid . . . and it’s usually paid in blood.

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.