What we’re about
Looking to connect with fellow bookworms in the Mountain View area? You've come to the right place! We are a group of avid readers who like to stay up-to-date on the latest in literature, while still enjoying the classics. And we're not all work and no play-- there will be plenty of socializing and maybe a cocktail/coffee or two, too! Potential books will be selected by members and curated from book awards lists (think Man Booker Prize, National Book Award, etc.), and voted on by members in advance of each meet up. I hope you'll join us!
Kepler's | Books Inc.
Fiction. 144 pages. Paperback. 2024. Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize.
Astronauts aboard the ISS reflect on Earth's fragility and beauty. "Profoundly moving" - The Times. "Lyrical and haunting" - The Observer.
From the publisher: Orbital is a slender novel of epic power that deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six astronauts and cosmonauts from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan aboard the International Space Station. Selected for one of the last space station missions before the program is dismantled, these individuals have left their lives behind to travel at over seventeen thousand miles an hour as Earth reels below. As they perform their vital work, they begin to ponder profound questions: What is life without Earth? What is Earth without humanity? Through their reflections, Orbital offers an eloquent meditation on space and life on our planet.
**Venue**: Red Rock has kindly given us this rental space for free. Please consider making a purchase to support them. Thanks!
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Orbital by Samantha HarveyRed Rock Coffee, Mountain View, CA
Kepler's | Books Inc.
Fiction. 144 pages. Paperback. 2024. Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize.Astronauts aboard the ISS reflect on Earth's fragility and beauty. "Profoundly moving" - The Times. "Lyrical and haunting" - The Observer.
From the publisher: Orbital is a slender novel of epic power that deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six astronauts and cosmonauts from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan aboard the International Space Station. Selected for one of the last space station missions before the program is dismantled, these individuals have left their lives behind to travel at over seventeen thousand miles an hour as Earth reels below. As they perform their vital work, they begin to ponder profound questions: What is life without Earth? What is Earth without humanity? Through their reflections, Orbital offers an eloquent meditation on space and life on our planet.
**Venue**: Red Rock has kindly given us this rental space for free. Please consider making a purchase to support them. Thanks!
- How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason StanleyRed Rock Coffee, Mountain View, CA
Kepler's | Books Inc.
Non-Fiction. 240 pages. Paperback. 2018.
A New York Times Bestseller.
Examines the core tactics and rhetoric used by fascist movements, illustrating how nationalist myths, propaganda, and attacks on truth and democracy undermine societies and pave the way for authoritarian rule. "A chillingly relevant analysis" - The Guardian. "Urgent and necessary reading" - The Washington Post.From the publisher: In How Fascism Works, Yale philosopher Jason Stanley identifies ten pillars of fascist politics, such as mythic past, propaganda, anti-intellectualism, unreality, hierarchy, victimhood, law and order, sexual anxiety, appeals to the heartland, and dismantling of public welfare. He illustrates how these tactics divide populations into an "us" versus "them," creating a cycle of fear and division that erodes democratic principles. Stanley draws on historical and contemporary examples to demonstrate the persistent threat of fascist politics in societies worldwide.
**Venue**: Red Rock has kindly given us this rental space for free. Please consider making a purchase to support them. Thanks!
- The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa.Red Rock Coffee, Mountain View, CA
Kepler’s | Books Inc.
Fiction. 192 pages. Paperback. 2009.
International bestseller. Praised by The New York Times, The Guardian, and other major publications for its delicate, moving narrative.
A housekeeper bonds with a math professor whose memory resets every 80 minutes. "A deeply touching novel" - The Guardian. "Quietly beautiful" - The New York Times.Publisher's Description:
He is a brilliant math Professor with a peculiar problem—ever since a traumatic head injury, his short-term memory lasts only eighty minutes. She is an astute young Housekeeper, with a ten-year-old son, who is hired to care for him. Every morning, as the Professor and the Housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them. Though he cannot hold memories for long, the Professor's mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past, and the numbers reveal a poetic world to both the Housekeeper and her young son. The Professor is capable of discovering connections between the simplest of quantities—like the Housekeeper's shoe size—and the universe at large, drawing their lives ever closer and more profoundly together, even as his memory slips away. The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family.**Venue**: Red Rock has kindly given us this rental space for free. Please consider making a purchase to support them. Thanks!
