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.

September Bookclub: The Correspondent — Virginia Evans

**📚 Our September Book Has Been Chosen!** Thanks to everyone who voted! Our next **Books & Brew** read is: ***The Correspondent — Virginia Evans*** Grab a copy, start reading, and join us for a great conversation! **About the Book** Sybil Van Antwerp has spent much of her life putting pen to paper. Through letters exchanged with family, friends, authors, and strangers, she shares her thoughts, frustrations, memories, and the pieces of herself that can sometimes be easier to express in writing than face-to-face. Told entirely through correspondence, *The Correspondent* gradually reveals the story of a complicated, sharp-witted woman confronting the relationships, regrets, and losses that have shaped her life. Warm, reflective, and deeply human, the novel explores connection, forgiveness, grief, and the ways we continue to grow and understand ourselves—even when we think we already know our own story.

Parable of the Talents- Octavia Butler

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

"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.

[Book Only] HORROR BOOK CLUB (September): “Mexican Gothic”

[Book + Movie] HORROR BOOK CLUB (September): “American Psycho”

Chef's Kiss - Author conversation with Akanksha Aurora (Desi Buchanan)

We have the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk with local author and friend of the book club Akanksha Aurora (pen name Desi Buchanan). We will be talking with her about her spicy novella Chef's Kiss. Newly laid off from her writing job in Los Angeles, Aasha has no choice but to return to Bombay, leaving her apartment, Pilates membership and polyamorous boyfriend behind. Enter Chef Aditya, a Bombay boy who knows how to throw it down in the kitchen and the bedroom. As sparks fly in their Diwali romance, Aasha can’t help but is Chef Aditya the missing ingredient she’s been looking for, or is this whole thing a recipe for disaster? You can follow and support Akanksha and her many adventures by following her on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bombay_satire

Tarot Study Circle: Major Arcana Part 1 — The Fool Through Wheel of Fortune

### WEEK 1 **Tarot Study Circle: Major Arcana Part 1 — The Fool Through Wheel of Fortune** Join us for Week 1 of our **6-Week Tarot Study Circle**, where we begin our journey through the Tarot by exploring the first 11 cards of the Major Arcana. This gathering is open to **everyone, regardless of experience or background**. Whether you are completely new to Tarot, have been reading for years, or simply want to refresh your memory, you are welcome here. We will approach these cards as if we are learning them for the first time. Together, we will explore the **symbols, imagery, themes, meanings, and stories** behind each card while sharing different perspectives and interpretations. **This week we will study:** The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, and Wheel of Fortune. Bring your **Tarot deck, journal, notebook, or any other Tarot-related materials** you'd like to use. Come ready to learn, ask questions, share your perspective, and discover the cards together! 🔮 **Stay Connected!** Follow us on Instagram **@SpiratualKreatives** for updates on future Tarot Study Groups, upcoming events, and more opportunities to connect with our community.

CFI-West Skeptics Book Club

Join us for the CFI-West Skeptics Book Club monthly meeting! We meet both in person and on Google Meet. There's always a lively conversation, whether you've read the book or not (though... reading helps). September 16th's selection is "Rossum's Universal Robots" by Karel Čapek, the play that famously introduced the word "robot". You can get 15% off at Skylight Books if you mention our book club in the comments at checkout. The in-person meeting will be hosted at the Center for Inquiry West at 2535 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Park in the lot off Rampart behind the building. The meeting is upstairs in the conference room. Bring any snacks you'd like to share! Virtual attendees, join us on Google Meet. Use this link: https://meet.google.com/sqd-ujpn-nhf Here are our future selections: October 21st: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Book 1) by Matt Dinniman November 18th: How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century by Frank Dikötter

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash