Novel Reading

* We meet inside Zazzy * Bring something to read, as we often take some time at the beginning telling each other about what we're currently reading. * I have a favor to ask of you. To offset the cost of Meetup fees (\~$200 a year), I kindly request that you consider a small donation to my my [Pledge account](https://www.meetup.com/a-different-type-of-book-club-arlington/#pledge). 😊 **NOTE: NO DISCUSSION OF POLITICS: 12/31/21 UPDATE** For the sake of polite company, moving forward, we will avoid the discussion of politics at meetings of the book club. Please let me know if you have any questions. **NON-ATTENDANCE / NO-SHOW POLICY** If you have said that you will attend this event, but no longer are able to attend, please kindly update your status to "Not Attending" so that someone on the waitlist is able to RSVP. **Because this Meetup group is popular, and typically has a waitlist, effective immediately, I'm instituting a two-event no-show policy. If you RSVP as "Attending" but do not show at two events, you will be removed from this Meetup group.** We look forward to seeing you! Best, Jay

📚 Do you love reading, but wish you had a structure and a community to share your insights with? Join our small circle of curious minds (just 4 members per gathering) as we come together for an hour of focused reading—in the calm setting of a library or the cozy atmosphere of a café. Here’s how it works: First part: Quiet reading on your own—bring a book you’re exploring, whether it’s philosophy, history, psychology, literature, or anything meaningful to you. Second part: We regroup and each person shares key takeaways, insights, or questions sparked by their reading. This sparks a structured yet free-flowing conversation around ideas, perspectives, and personal reflections. Why join? Add structure to your reading habit. Discover new books, authors, and ideas through others’ choices. Build real connections by sharing and listening deeply. Socialize around something meaningful instead of small talk.

The story that started the hype! Join us to discuss the 2nd book of the Game Changers series, “Heated Rivalry!”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59349398-nuclear-family Set in the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, a Korean American family living in Hawai'i faces the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea. Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across Hawaiʻi seems within reach after a visit from Guy Fieri boosts the profile of Cho's Delicatessen. Their daughter, Grace, is busy finishing her senior year of college and working for her parents, while her older brother, Jacob, just moved to Seoul to teach English. But when a viral video shows Jacob trying—and failing—to cross the Korean demilitarized zone, nothing can protect the family from suspicion and the restaurant from waning sales. No one knows that Jacob has been possessed by the ghost of his lost grandfather, who feverishly wishes to cross the divide and find the family he left behind in the north. As Jacob is detained by the South Korean government, Mr. and Mrs. Cho fear their son won't ever be able to return home, and Grace gets more and more stoned as she negotiates her family's undoing. Struggling with what they don't know about themselves and one another, the Chos must confront the separations that have endured in their family for decades. Set in the months leading up to the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi, Joseph Han's profoundly funny and strikingly beautiful debut novel is an offering that aches with histories inherited and reunions missed, asking how we heal in the face of what we forget and who we remember.

Hey Poetry Lovers! This group is on a roll. Here’s the gist: We meet at the **Capital One Café in Chinatown** from **12pm - 2pm** every other week. For enrichment, we start by reading and reflecting on a **“published poem”**, suggested by someone in the group. No advance preparation is necessary. But feel free to check out some of the poems we’ve read [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSyE_wCLQCPHRrKmN5F9tOIeeRQUZESxjRXGVBoCF2uU8Gm0_d0uECiCBCQXEy6ksxfsBOhtRIOpW3T/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true&widget=true&headers=false%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E). Or submit suggestions for future meetings [here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexGc2Z2Kp6bZW0D3_hfJ7NUUkfNHf7TXX-43FglCeBd9EF2Q/viewform?usp=send_form). Next, we **share our work and offer feedback**. Depending on attendance, everyone gets \~10 minutes to use as they like. (No need to share, though; you’re welcome to come even if you prefer just to listen.) We maintain a **Discord server** to help share our work and communicate outside our bi-weekly meet-ups. If you haven’t used Discord before, take a moment to download it and create an account before arriving. When we meet you on Saturday, we will add you to our server, the “DC Poetry Workshop”, and can help you navigate the app if you have questions. Finally, if you plan on sharing a poem, consider how you will do so. Some options include: * Print 5-10 copies to distribute in person * Take and share screenshots in the Discord chat. * Copy the poem into a google doc, change sharing settings to “anyone with link”, and copy the google doc link into the Discord chat. Most importantly, we’re excited to meet you! Catch you on Saturday, Diego / Ian / Cayden / Nate / Otasha / Lia / An

**Coffee. A Sunday morning. A table of people who get it.** **NoVA Single Parents Village is a new group for single parents in Northern Virginia who want actual community — not advice, not a support group, not a dating app in disguise. Just people navigating the same messy, meaningful reality who could use a few more faces that understand it.** **The first meetup is at Caboose Brewing in Mosaic District. No agenda. No icebreaker games. Show up, grab a drink, and talk to people who know what it’s like to be doing this largely on their own.**

We will meet outside as long as the weather is nice. If not, we will move inside. Look out for a comment the morning of each meeting with our exact location. As we are meeting in person, please remember to bring something to read as we usually spend some time sharing our current reads and/or reading when meeting in person. As a reminder, there is no assigned reading; please bring whatever you are currently working on. This group is super casual, sometimes we read and sometimes we talk the whole time. **** NO SHOW POLICY: Due to the high number of members on the waitlist recently we are having to reinstate our no-show policy. If you sign up and no-show to 2 events you will be removed from the group. Reminders are provided weekly to change your RSVP to allow those on the waitlist a chance to come to the meet-up, no 3rd chances with be given. Please be considerate to your fellow members. Thank you! I look forward to reading you!

Join us to discuss The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow! We will be meeting at the Ballston Quarter food court, look for the table sign with iur group logo. The discussion will start promptly at 3, please arrive early to find us and make any food purchases.

📚 Do you love reading, but wish you had a structure and a community to share your insights with? Join our small circle of curious minds (just 4 members per gathering) as we come together for an hour of focused reading—in the calm setting of a library or the cozy atmosphere of a café. Here’s how it works: First part: Quiet reading on your own—bring a book you’re exploring, whether it’s philosophy, history, psychology, literature, or anything meaningful to you. Second part: We regroup and each person shares key takeaways, insights, or questions sparked by their reading. This sparks a structured yet free-flowing conversation around ideas, perspectives, and personal reflections. Why join? Add structure to your reading habit. Discover new books, authors, and ideas through others’ choices. Build real connections by sharing and listening deeply. Socialize around something meaningful instead of small talk.

# Our May Book Club. This book club will be hosted at [Teaism ](https://www.teaism.com/restaurants/penn-quarter/?srsltid=AfmBOorH2yXjY8aqE5KRHXkCvxk8zgPx7yJXCwgMLvXfPbZGMykYgNRW)(Penn quarter location; 400 8th St NW). However if 4 or fewer people RSVP it will be moved to virtual ([https://meet.google.com/bux-wtkw-qdp?hs=224](https://meet.google.com/bux-wtkw-qdp?hs=224)). Please check up on meetup or [www.dc-now.org/events](http://www.dc-now.org/events) for updates on location and time before coming. [](https://www.amazon.com/All-Her-Head-Medicine-Matters/dp/0063293013) **Book Summary:** For as long as medicine has been a practice, women's bodies have been treated like objects to be practiced on: examined and ignored, idealized and sexualized, shamed, subjugated, mutilated, and dismissed. The history of women’s healthcare is a story in which women themselves have too often been voiceless—a narrative instead written from the perspective of men who styled themselves as authorities on the female of the species, yet uninformed by women’s own voices, thoughts, fears, pain and experiences. The result is a cultural and societal legacy of gender bias in medicine that continues to shape the (mis)treatment and care of women. While the modern age has seen significant advancements in the medical field, the notion that female bodies are flawed inversions of the male ideal lingers on—as do the pervasive societal stigmas and lingering ignorance that shape women’s health and relationships with their own bodies. In a feat of compelling science writing, Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen draws back the curtain on the collective medical history of women to reintroduce us to our whole bodies—how they work, the actual doctors and patients whose perspectives and experiences laid the foundation for today’s medical thought, and the many oversights that still remain unaddressed. With a physician’s knowledge and empathy, Dr. Comen follows the road map of the eleven organ systems to share unique and untold stories, drawing upon medical texts and journals, interviews with expert physicians, as well as her own experience treating thousands of women. Empowering women to better understand ourselves and encouraging patient advocacy for care that prioritizes healthy and joyful lives— for us and generations to come—All in Her Head is written with humor, wisdom, and deep scientific and cultural insight. Eye-opening, sometimes enraging, yet always captivating, this shared memoir of women’s medical history is an essential contribution to a holistic understanding and much-needed reclaiming of women’s history and bodies. **RSVP**: [https://www.dc-now.org/events-1/all-in-her-head-the-truth-and-lies-early-medicine-taught-us-about-womens-bodies-and-why-it-matters-today](https://www.dc-now.org/events-1/all-in-her-head-the-truth-and-lies-early-medicine-taught-us-about-womens-bodies-and-why-it-matters-today) **Join our group chat below:** DCNOW book club group chat. Download "signal app" first then click link below. It sometimes takes time to work. [https://signal.group/#CjQKIDAF2O70qP0GYQ6-rj_nhBb0nAcT41vx8NPky8xZNBcQEhD6zDuYl2Pe1ZO-dVDwASug](https://signal.group/#CjQKIDAF2O70qP0GYQ6-rj_nhBb0nAcT41vx8NPky8xZNBcQEhD6zDuYl2Pe1ZO-dVDwASug)

Just grab coffee and we can talk and walk around. Nothing special. I’m just bored really.

Join us for lunch/tea at Asterisk Supper Club to discuss our May book "Under the Oak Tree" by Suji Kim Lady Maximilian is the daughter of the powerful Duke Croyso, but she is rarely allowed outside her family’s sprawling castle for fear that her stutter will tarnish their noble name. When she is forced to marry Sir Riftan, a lowborn knight caught in one of her father’s schemes, Maxi doesn’t dare hope for happiness, let alone love. Her stumbling communication and his gruff manner sour their relationship before it can begin, and Riftan leaves without a word the morning after their vows are exchanged. Now, three years after their disastrous wedding night, Riftan has returned as a war hero. To Maxi’s surprise, despite rumors that he was offered marriage to Princess Agnes, a beautiful and renowned sorceress, Riftan still wants Maxi for his wife. And when he comes to claim her, his longing becomes a desire that bewilders Maxi, even as she is overcome by the scorching heat that Riftan’s presence ignites within her. As she learns to navigate the intricacies of her new life, Maxi will find herself and her courage, and discover that she is anything but powerless.

This month we’ll be reading Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. Feel free to come and chat even if you don’t finish the book!

**Our May novel is: *The Quiet Librarian* by Allen Eskens** **This month’s book is set in the 20th century and mixes historical fiction with suspense and thriller elements. It also centers on women’s stories and relationships. The novel is 368 pages in print or 8 hours and 12 minutes on audiobook.** Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared. Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head\*\*.\*\*

Calling all founders, CEOs, lawyers, doctors, and entrepreneurs to join our special *Founder Edition* of Sip & Read meetup event. Let's sip on fine wine and discuss our first book **The 5AM Club- Own Your Morning Elevate Your Life, by Robin Sharma**. We will pair this book with our favorite wine at **Wine on High** and engage in thought-provoking discussions on startup businesses and entrepreneurship, and network with like-minded individuals in a cozy book club setting. Come prepared to discuss this month's book. At the end of each book club meeting, we will take next book and venue suggestions from the participants for the next meeting. Whether you are a book lover, women entrepreneur, or a content creator, this event is perfect for sharing ideas and insights with other funders and founders in the entrepreneurial world. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together. Sign up now to reserve your spot! *Fun fact! This meetup was established in 2015 and had over 1,000 members. I had to shut down operations while attending law school, but we're back!!*

Join us for our May Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *[Cantoras](https://caroderobertis.com/books/cantoras/)*[ ](https://caroderobertis.com/books/cantoras/)by [Caro de Robertis](https://caroderobertis.com/bio/) in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.