Book Clubs Los Angeles

October Discussion: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Our October Book Has Been Chosen! 📚 Thanks to everyone who voted! Our next Books & Brew read is: **The Vegetarian — Han Kang** Grab a copy, start reading, and join us for a great conversation! **About the Book:** After a series of disturbing dreams, Yeong-hye makes the seemingly simple decision to stop eating meat. But as her family reacts with increasing confusion, anger, and attempts to control her, that decision becomes the beginning of a much more profound transformation. Told through the perspectives of those around Yeong-hye, The Vegetarian explores autonomy, desire, conformity, violence, and the ways we understand—or fail to understand—the people closest to us. Originally published in Korean and translated by Deborah Smith, Han Kang’s unsettling novel won the 2016 International Booker Prize and invites plenty of questions about identity, choice, and what happens when someone refuses to live according to the expectations placed upon them.

📚 NOT OUR FIRST RODEO: BOOK CLUB

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)

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney (and cookie exchange)

**Goodreads Summary of My Husband's Wife:** Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn’t fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife. **One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.** Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person's date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.

The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman IN PERSON at Aroma Cafe

Los Angeles Global Palates: Mentors and Flavors

We are getting together for another installment of Los Angeles Global Palates, where we combine the best of local food culture with meaningful conversation. This is a chance for those of us who are passionate about international cuisine to pull up a chair, share a great meal, and connect with others who have spent years navigating the food industry. Whether you are looking for career advice or just want to hear a few stories from the kitchen, this evening is all about learning from one another in an informal, welcoming setting. This event is for anyone in our community who appreciates a good meal and the people behind it. We will be keeping the group size intimate so that everyone has a chance to participate in the conversation rather than just talking over the noise of a crowded room. If you are interested in food, mentorship, or just meeting some like-minded neighbors in the city, we would love to have you join us. We have limited space for this dinner, so please take a moment to RSVP if you think you can make it. We look forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting a few new ones. Places are limited, so registration is required — please sign up at the link below before you come along. **[Head here to secure your place now](https://tally.so/r/A7ko0D?event=92955617641506131848)**

A Wound That Will Not Heal by Eric Beetner

Book 3 of 3: A Carter McCoy novel. Author will be present. Trilogy conclusion. No LAPL hard copies but available on Hoopla and for purchase @ Bookshop.org,, Amazon, etc. inc. Kindle and paperback. Our host Erik Grady will lead discussion as Peg is out of town. Carter McCoy is on borrowed time. The only thing that could get him to hit the road is a call for help from a friend. When that call comes in, he doesn't hesitate. Loading his dog Chester and his best friend, Ivana, into his truck, they head for California to help in a way only Carter can. Bree and Katie's idyllic life is shattered when a homegrown evil begins terrorizing their new home. They need the help of the man who got them out of the worst situation of their lives before. They need Carter McCoy. Carter must face down a gang of men emboldened by a culture of hate and intolerance to rescue innocent people being snatched from the streets. When someone close to him gets caught up in their illegal and immoral mission, the man they need to fear most is the one with the least to lose. Once again, Carter McCoy stands up for the innocent and the helpless. Once again, he faces the ticking clock on his own mortality. This is his last stand for justice. His last chance at redemption. His last few miles of road. It's time for the thrilling conclusion to the Carter McCoy saga.

Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu

WHAT WE'RE READING: Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu WHAT IT IS ABOUT: "Based on Cartarescu's own role as a high school teacher, Solenoid begins with the mundane details of a diarist's life and quickly spirals into a philosophical account of life, history, philosophy, and mathematics. One character asks another: when you rush into the burning building, will you save the newborn or the artwork? On a broad scale, the novel's investigations of other universes, dimensions, and timelines reconcile the realms of life and art. The novel is grounded in the reality of late 1970s/early 1980s Communist Romania, including long lines for groceries, the absurdities of the education system, and the misery of family life. The text includes sequences in a tuberculosis sanatorium, an encounter with an anti-death protest movement, a society of dream investigators, and an extended visit to the miniscule world of dust mites living on a microscope slide. Combining fiction with autobiography and history, Solenoid ruminates on the exchanges possible between the alternate dimensions of life and art, as various, monstrous dimensions erupt within the Communist present." 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

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). October 21st's selection is "Dungeon Crawler Carl" (Book 1) by Matt Dinniman. 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! **We're also trying something new this month: the in-person meeting will continue an additional half-hour after we say goodbye to our online friends at 9 PM.** Virtual attendees, join us on Google Meet. Use this link: https://meet.google.com/sqd-ujpn-nhf Our following selection: November 18th: How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century by Frank Dikötter

MOVIE - The Haunting of Hill House

**IN-PERSON EVENT at Sheri's House in Valley Village** Bring either something share to eat or drink.... and enjoy the MOVIE * MOVIE NIGHT - [The Haunting (1999 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_(1999_film)) This horror tale focuses on visitors to the secluded mansion of Hill House who have been called to the isolated location by Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) as part of a study on insomnia. However, Marrow is really investigating fear, and he plans to scare the subjects, including the introverted Nell (Lili Taylor) and the seductive Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Unfortunately for Marrow and everyone staying at Hill House, the manor is actually haunted by an evil spirit out to torment its guests.

October Book Club - The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales. In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances. As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch. Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

"I See You've Called In Dead" by John Kenney: Book TBD

**\*\*\*NOTE: We have changed the date for this event, to October 17th\*\*\*** **LOCATION:** Marla's House! Address will be emailed and posted the Friday before! (South Redondo Beach) **WHAT WE'RE READING:** *The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story.* Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living. As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Tim, a worldly and wise former art dealer, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live. Thurber Prize-winner and *New York Times* bestselling author John Kenney tells a funny, touching story about life and death, about the search for meaning, about finding and never letting go of the preciousness of life. **NO SHOW POLICY:** In April 2019, a new NO SHOW POLICY was put into place to help ensure people on the waitlist can get into each meeting with enough time to read the book while also weeding out flakey flakers who reserve a seat but don't use it. The new NO SHOW POLICY is in two parts: (1) If you RSVP 'Going' and cancel your RSVP within seven days of book club WITHOUT EXPLANATION, you'll be immediately removed from the group. (2) If you RSVP 'Going' and cancel your RSVP within seven days of book club with explanation, but for any reason, you'll be marked a 'No Show.' If you rack up three 'No Shows," you'll be removed from the group.