Book Clubs San Francisco

Chuang Tzu on Knowledge, Skill, and Letting Go

For this session we’ll read chapters 2, 3, 6, 18, and 19 of Burton Watson’s translation of *The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu* (also known as the *Zhuangzi*). Together, they ask what it means to live well when our judgments about what is right, useful, or worth pursuing may be less secure than we think. Chapter 2 questions whether any one perspective can settle a disagreement and ends with Chuang Tzu’s famous butterfly dream. In chapter 3, Cook Ting’s effortless way of cutting up an ox offers a surprising picture of skill: he succeeds by working with what is there rather than forcing his way through it. Chapters 6 and 18 take that attitude into harder territory—illness, grief, death, and the search for happiness. Chapter 19 returns to skill and asks what it might mean to “master” life without trying to control everything in it. Is Chuang Tzu asking us to give up on truth, or to hold our convictions more lightly? Can we accept change without becoming passive? And is the good life something we achieve, or something we stop getting in the way of? The reading can be found [here](https://terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu.html)

(One time only) 3rd Saturday "Not quite a book club" in the Richmond District

This month I need to change our usual 2nd Saturday meetup to the 3rd Saturday. Apologies to anyone who now can't make it! I would appreciate it if you could update your RSVP. Show up having read a book\* you want to talk about. Get a beverage and/or food inside the cafe. We will probably meet outside in Bazaar Cafe's back garden.\*\* (The garden is accessible through an alley. There is a door to the alley next to the register inside. You can also go directly to the back garden from the street via the alley entrance on the right side of the right Cafe window.) Once you've spotted the group, we will introduce ourselves and have a brief period of chit chat. Then we will go around our group each talking about the (different!) books we read. Afterwards, you are welcome to stick around and chat. If you have a physical book you are done reading and want to offer other folks in the group, you are welcome to do that, but there is absolutely no obligation to do so. \*Any book! Could be a graphic novel, or non-fiction, or fiction, or a mystery or a romance novel or SciFi or Fantasy! \*\*If it is raining or a really bad air day from wildfires, it may be too crowded inside Bazaar Cafe to find a table, although it was raining during a few meetings early last year and the Bazaar cafe folks helped me stake out a table. In the event of rain and no space inside, I will probably move the event a few blocks away to Ilana Coffee or Royal Ground Coffee on Clement. I will message the group if we meet inside or if the location moves to another coffee shop.

Book Club: "Bad Blood" by John Carreyrou

It's been a while since we read nonfiction! With the documentary "You Can See Everything" being so popular, let's read and discuss "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup" by John Carreyrou. There are several copies available at the library so it should be easy to get. The location is TBD but will be in the Burlingame/San Mateo/Foster City area. We'll decide after the November meeting! Everyone will be waitlisted initially. Priority will be given to previous attendees of book club and regular attendees of the group. For details on attendance & waitlist, please see the "About us" description for the group. If you feel you have been waitlisted repeatedly for book club, feel free to send me a DM. **Book Summary - "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup" by John Carreyrou** Publication Year: 2018 Page Count: 339 The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers. In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work. For years, Holmes had been misleading investors, FDA officials, and her own employees. When Carreyrou, working at *The Wall Street Journal*, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the *Journal* were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company's value was zero and Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors. Here is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley.

Book Club: "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah

"The Nightingale" is being adapted into a movie starring Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning - let's read and discuss the historical fiction novel by Kristin Hannah before the movie comes out! There are several copies available at the library so it should be easy to get. The location is TBD but will be in the Burlingame/San Mateo/Foster City area. We'll decide after the October meeting! Everyone will be waitlisted initially. Priority will be given to previous attendees of book club and regular attendees of the group. For details on attendance & waitlist, please see the "About us" description for the group. **Book Summary - "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah** Publication Year: 2015 Page Count: 440 Despite their differences, Vianne and Isabelle have always been close. Younger, bolder Isabelle lives in Paris, while Vianne is content with life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their child. But when the Second World War breaks out and Antoine is conscripted to fight, Isabelle is sent to the country by her father to help Vianne. As war develops, the strength of the sisters' relationship is put to the test. With life changing, and confronted by unbelievable horrors, Vianne and Isabelle find themselves responding in ways they never thought possible, as bravery and resistance take differing forms for each of the two sisters. Vivid and exquisite in its illumination of a time and place defined by atrocity, but also humanity and courage, Kristin Hannah's novel will provoke thought and discussion long after readers turn the final page.

November 2026 Book Discussion: Man's Search for Meaning — Viktor E. Frankl

# **Our November Book Has Been Chosen! 📚** Thanks to everyone who voted! Our next **Books & Brew** read is: 📖 ***Man's Search for Meaning* — Viktor E. Frankl** Grab a copy, start reading, and join us for a thought-provoking conversation! **About the Book** Drawing on his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl explores how people find purpose and meaning even in the face of unimaginable suffering. Part memoir and part psychological exploration, *Man's Search for Meaning* introduces Frankl's approach to psychotherapy, known as logotherapy, which centers on the human search for meaning as a fundamental source of motivation. Through his reflections on suffering, resilience, freedom, and personal responsibility, Frankl challenges readers to consider what gives life meaning and how we respond to circumstances beyond our control. A powerful and deeply reflective book, *Man's Search for Meaning* offers plenty to think about—and even more to discuss together. ────────── 📸 Follow us on Instagram **@booksandbrew_oakland** for meetup photos, book announcements, and future events.

📚✨ ALOF BOOK CLUB: The Island of Sea Woman - Lisa See

Books & Brunch November

East Bay Women's Book Club November Meetup: Held

Hello, fellow female readers -- The book for the November meetup is "Held" by Anne Michaels. For those of you who are new, I will send out the address to my house by Monday, November 16. Looking forward to gathering together and discussing the book. Bonnie

2nd Saturday "Not quite a book club" in the Richmond District

Show up having read a book\* you want to talk about. Get a beverage and/or food inside the cafe. We will probably meet outside in Bazaar Cafe's back garden.\*\* (The garden is accessible through an alley. There is a door to the alley next to the register inside. You can also go directly to the back garden from the street via the alley entrance on the right side of the right Cafe window.) Once you've spotted the group, we will introduce ourselves and have a brief period of chit chat. Then we will go around our group each talking about the (different!) books we read. Afterwards, you are welcome to stick around and chat. If you have a physical book you are done reading and want to offer other folks in the group, you are welcome to do that, but there is absolutely no obligation to do so. \*Any book! Could be a graphic novel, or non-fiction, or fiction, or a mystery or a romance novel or SciFi or Fantasy! \*\*If it is raining or a really bad air day from wildfires, it may be too crowded inside Bazaar Cafe to find a table, although it was raining during a few meetings early last year and the Bazaar cafe folks helped me stake out a table. In the event of rain and no space inside, I will probably move the event a few blocks away to Ilana Coffee or Royal Ground Coffee on Clement. I will message the group if we meet inside or if the location moves to another coffee shop.

Book Club Double Feature! 📚 🎃

Pick your spooky season read! 👻📚 Read either or both books! Just be prepared for spoilers for the other, even if you only read one. 🖤Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia A glamorous young woman visits her cousin at a mysterious mansion in 1950s Mexico, where dark family secrets and unsettling horrors await 🖤The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston A romance ghostwriter who’s lost her faith in love returns to her hometown after a family tragedy, only to discover that some love stories don’t end with death. 📍Come enjoy a panini or a sweet treat at the newly merged Double Rainbow + Autistry studios in downtown San Rafael. Give yourself time to find parking- free after 6pm on the street.

November: Colm Tóibín - The News from Dublin

**Recommended Stories:** * The Journey to Galway * The News from Dublin * Five Bridges We're going Irish this November, with a collection from an author I've always wanted to read. Apologies for posting this a bit late. See you there! **For First-Timers:** We recommend reading at least one story, but feel free to read as little or as much as you'd like! Discussion is open, informal, and we try to focus on the recommended stories listed above. **About the Collection:** Nine stories of quiet, restrained realism — Tóibín's signature mode — mostly circling Ireland, exile, and the things families don't say.

Captivating Book Club & Yummy Lunch