Book Drives Los Angeles

Culver City Book Club! “Determined” by Robert Sapolsky

We will be meeting to discuss a chapter every week, from Robert Sapolsky’s “Determined”, to talk about concepts like free will and agency.

Leonard and Hungry Paul- Ronan Hession

Psychology Book Club: The Undiscovered Self by Carl Jung!

We will be discussing **The Undiscovered Self by Carl Jung (it's a short book, so we'll do it at one go!)** at Mendocino Farms patio, a cosy dining spot (so you can eat/drink and converse at the same time). The goal of this monthly book club is to understand Jungian concepts + apply them to our own lives. This month's book is highly relevant to today's world, **as it discusses the deeply divided political atmosphere during the Cold War (sounds familiar?) and** **how understanding one's inner self can help prevent mass hysteria. The event is $10.** It's an in-person book club addition associated with my psychology youtube channel, Personality Story: https://www.youtube.com/@ToriH We are sitting in the outdoor seats! In case they get full, I'll inform you of seat adjustments on the day of the event! You can follow my IG: tori_minz for the most updated info.

July Book Club - Theo of Golden

July Book club - Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Find Your Quiet Corner: A Silent Book Club @ Studio DDLA

Looking for a dedicated hour to finally read that book, meet new people, and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of **Chinatown LA**? Our Silent Book Club is the perfect low-pressure gathering for **friendly, likeminded readers**. The structure is simple and designed for maximum reading time: we meet up, say a quick hello to our fellow book-lovers, and then settle in for a full hour of **uninterrupted, quiet reading**. It’s a wonderful way to connect with your community without the pressure of small talk. While our club is built around a focus on **meaningful topics** and **life's big questions**—exploring themes of reflection, legacy, and mortality—you are absolutely welcome to bring *any* book you want to read quietly. If you're looking for inspiration, our hosts always bring a curated stack of books for you to browse. Join us for a welcoming, reflective, and dedicated reading experience.

New Location - Book Club Meeting: These Ghost are Family by Maisy Card

# Mocha Girls Read Los Angeles Book Club Meeting 📅 Date: Saturday, July 11 🕜 Time: 1:30 PM 📍 Location: Lore Bookstore Join the Los Angeles Chapter of Mocha Girls Read for an afternoon of books, conversation, and community as we gather to discuss our July Monthly Book Selection, *[These Ghosts Are Family](https://amzn.to/4v0shJg)*[ by Maisy Card.](https://amzn.to/4v0shJg) As part of our 2026 **Around the World** reading theme, July takes us to the Caribbean. This month's selection highlights the experiences of a Jamaican family whose lives span generations, countries, and cultures, making it our official Caribbean read of the year. Whether you have finished the book or are still reading, come prepared for a thoughtful discussion about family, identity, migration, generational trauma, secrets, and the lasting impact of the choices we make. ### About the Book Stanford Solomon’s shocking, thirty-year-old secret is about to change the lives of everyone around him. Stanford has done something no one could ever imagine. He is a man who faked his own death and stole the identity of his best friend. Stanford Solomon is actually Abel Paisley. And now, nearing the end of his life, Stanford is about to meet his firstborn daughter, Irene Paisley, a home health aide who has unwittingly shown up for her first day of work to tend to the father she thought was dead. These Ghosts Are Family revolves around the consequences of Abel’s decision and tells the story of the Paisley family from colonial Jamaica to present-day Harlem. There is Vera, whose widowhood forced her into the role of a single mother. There are two daughters and a granddaughter who have never known they are related. And there are others, like the houseboy who loved Vera, whose lives might have taken different courses if not for Abel Paisley’s actions. This “rich and layered story” (Kirkus Reviews) explores the ways each character wrestles with their ghosts and struggles to forge independent identities outside of the family and their trauma. The result is a “beguiling…vividly drawn, and compelling” (BookPage, starred review) portrait of a family and individuals caught in the sweep of history, slavery, migration, and the more personal dramas of infidelity, lost love, and regret. We will be at the picnic table area. Bring a beverage and a sun hat. We look forward to seeing you all. Please RSVP to let us know you'll be joining us.

It’s the summer, let’s start a spicy book club!

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

**The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a gripping tale of family secrets and suspense.** The novel centers on Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter who has spent her life distancing herself from her father, the infamous horror novelist Vincent Taylor. Facing financial difficulties, Olivia is offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book, unaware that this project is intertwined with his past lies and a tragic family history.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

WHAT WE'RE READING: *Picnic at Hanging Rock* by Joan Lindsay WHAT IT IS ABOUT: "It was a cloudless summer day in the year 1900. Everyone at Appleyard College for Young Ladies agreed it was just right for a picnic at Hanging Rock. After lunch, a group of three girls climbed into the blaze of the afternoon sun, pressing on through the scrub into the shadows of the secluded volcanic outcropping. Farther, higher, until at last they disappeared. They never returned... Mysterious and subtly erotic, *Picnic at Hanging Rock* inspired the iconic 1975 film of the same name by Peter Weir. A beguiling landmark of Australian literature, it stands with Shirley Jackson’s *We Have Always Lived in the Castle*, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, and Jeffrey Eugenides’ *The Virgin Suicides* as a masterpiece of intrigue." 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

July: "Kin: A Novel" by Tayari Jones

**LOCATION:** Susan's house! Address will be mailed the Friday before. (North Redondo Beach) **WHAT WE'RE READING:** Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Honeysuckle at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and discovers a world of affluence, manners, aspiration, and inequality. Annie, abandoned by her mother as a child and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, culminating in a battle for her life. A novel about mothers and daughters, friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, *Kin* is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction. **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.

A San Marino/Lacy Park & Beyond, 10k-Steps Challenge #38 [TCP MOAI Adventure]

**Welcome to [The Canis Pack MOAI 10K Adventure] + Purpose, Friendship, Togetherness & Support!** **SNIFF - EXPLORE - EXERCISE** [**THIS IS A WALK FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE DOGS - AND FOR THOSE WHO DO**] **AGENDA;** **\- Gathering at 5:45 \- 1485 Virginia Rd\. Lacy Park** **\- Leaving at 6:00 pm Promptly** **\- Bathroom Break as we head out** **\- Continue with the Inner and Outer Loop walk** **\- After the Loops\, then exploring the surrounding San Marino neighborhood\.** **\- This will be a 10K Walk – About 6\.2\-5 miles** **\- 2 Hours or so Walk** **\- 8:00 pm \- Returning to Lacy Park** **WHAT TO BRING;** **\- Water** **\- A Warm Jacket for Chilly Nights** **\- Flash Lite** **\- Bug Spray** **\- Snacks if needed** **\- Good walking shoes** **\- Comfortable walking clothes** **\- A bright Jacket for the Dark days** **LISTEN THERE'S MORE;** **Goal: A STRONG LIKE-MINDED TOGETHERNESS!** \* We will Establish Togethereness \* We will Bring about a Strong Awareness \* We will Establish a Strong National Presence \* We will Be Active and Responsible \* We will Always Think as a Like-Minded Group \* We will Put our Health and Wellbeing First \* We are a Pack-Family **\* We will Gather and Walk with Harmony** I know—10,000 steps might not sound like a lot, but for those of us who sit at desks or stand in one place all day, it's not always easy to hit that goal. And while 15,000 or 20,000 steps would be great, they also require more time. So to make it fun and manageable, we’re starting with 10k steps as a challenge—and we may increase the goal in future events. **THE IMPORTANT POINTS ARE THESE;** Space is limited, so **please RSVP only if you’re 100% sure you’ll attend.** 🙏🏾If you RSVP and don’t show, you will be 🚩Red Flagged 🚩for future events—we all appreciate reliability and respect for others' abilities to get a spot to walk!🙏🏾 Expect to hit somewhere between **10,000–12,000 steps (approximately 7.5-9 miles),** depending on the pace and group. This **midweek walking event** is going really well. So, let’s **stay active together** and **make this a Strong part of our routine.** **See You There.** [COMMENT BELOW IF YOU ARE IN AGREEMENT] **NOW IS THE TIME, LET’S GET TO WALKING;** Btw. Yes, Lacy Park allows dogs. However, they must be on a leash and it will be your own responsibility. No running involved. Just a casual, social walk. Bring water if you need it. **Free street parking is available in the surrounding areas. Please avoid parking inside the park lot, as the gates may close before we finish our walk.** **Park closes at dusk so I strongly advise against parking inside any of the lots. Just drive around, and you can easily find free open parking spaces.** **Lacy Park is located at 1485 Virginia Road, San Marino, CA 91108**

LWS July Book Club: 'The Berry Pickers' by Amanda Peters

**Time for July Book Club!** \- we are continuing our literary journey from our Road Trip theme to\.\.\.**.Lost & Found.** You voted and July's Book Club Selection is.... **'The Berry Pickers' by Amanda Peters** \- July 1962\. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer\. Weeks later\, four\-year\-old Ruthie\, the family’s youngest child\, vanishes\. She is last seen by her six\-year\-old brother\, Joe\, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field\. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come\. In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret\*\*. [Amazon Link](https://www.amazon.com/Berry-Pickers-Novel-Amanda-Peters/dp/1646221958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WX4A0KHflSYtBOrbnY5zc87WqgC9DlBA6oXFBUQJ4xxy_ehbSLA953gXeECa_n6GS50dmLdzujccrTS9teCCCTVg-mfwNBSwixhurZPQ-SN5Xx6up4uyGiVo1tLwj5SmXIgQSLMe4j5TnHNPTG8M2USM53U2dmzfFrBA_Llu3eE9d329gH6UgJvcLoYAY3HMe0ziMD9erk7mE9nN72ELKWGstSbJEXJ7cwOd4bgB6CA.9kqHZAzABM7Wunhb3M224YoX1RJ0kgY99mqjKq7X4xc&qid=1778901407&sr=8-1)\*\* **Book Details:** Page Count: 320 Publish Date: October 31, 2023 Audiobook: 8 hours, 44 minutes. Narrated by: Aaliya Warbus, Jordan Waunch **Additional Reading and Viewing** * Watch: [Barnes & Noble - Amanda Peters discusses The Berry Pickers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au_mZR-wKfI) * Read/Listen: [Reader's Digest Q&A with Author Amanda Peters ](https://www.rd.com/article/the-berry-pickers-amanda-peters/) **Location**: [Augustine Wine Bar, Counter](https://www.augustinewinebar.com) Service, Wines by the glass & Snacks