Book Drives Los Angeles

October Book Club Meet Up

This will be our first ever meet up! We will be discussing Verity by Colleen Hoover,a dark, twisty psychological thriller that will have us questioning who we can actually trust. Come hang out with us for an evening of books, conversation, and socializing. We’ll spend some time talking about Verity, sharing our thoughts and theories, and plenty of time just getting to know each other and hanging out. Didn’t read the book? Come anyway! You’re still completely welcome. Come meet some fellow readers, make new friends, and enjoy a night out.

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

**It’s spooky season!**

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.

These Savage Shores by Ram V - Graphic Novel

Two centuries after the first European ship sailed to the Malabar Coast and made landfall at Calicut, the East India Company seeks to secure its future along the lucrative Silk Route, in the year 1766. An old evil now sails aboard a company ship, hoping to make a home in this new found land. But he will soon find that the ground along the Indus is an ancient one with daemons and legends far older than himself. Along These Savage Shores, where the days are scorched and the nights are full of teeth. This is going to be a change of pace for us, this will be the first graphic novel we have read and shared together for the book club. If you utilize Hoopla it should give you unlimited copies through the Los Angeles County Library or whatever library system you are part of just use your library card. Of course you can find it on Kindle or call you local comic book store and they should have a copy of it for purchase. If you have any troubles getting a hold of it please let me know.

Book Discussion: optional 1st half/midpoint of Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Read as much as you can and then let's discuss our thoughts on the first half (up until chapter 17) of "Fall of Giants... the first novel in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, a historical epic following five interconnected families through World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the fight for women's suffrage. Published in 2010, it chronicles the lives of characters from different social classes—including a Welsh miner, an American law student, and aristocratic families in England and Germany—as their fates become entangled in the major events of the early 20th century. "

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.

Book Discussion: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, 1st half (Chapters 1-17)

Read as much as you can and then let's discuss our thoughts on the first half (up until chapter 17) of "Fall of Giants... Ken Follett's historical epic novel following five interconnected families through World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the fight for women's suffrage. Published in 2010, it chronicles the lives of characters from different social classes—including a Welsh miner, an American law student, and aristocratic families in England and Germany—as their fates become entangled in the major events of the early 20th century. "

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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.

We are moving to Heylo.group

This book club was founded in November 2008 right here on Meetup. So many things have changed since then and yet we are still Adults Who Read Young Adult. One of the things that has changed is Meetup itself. It now costs over $350 a year to host this group on Meetup. To be clear: that is NOT what Panera Bread is charging us (Panera Bread doesn't charge us). That is what Meetup charges us. Because of the costs as well as the fact that we're not getting new people through Meetup, we have decided to move platforms to Heylo -- a free group platform. We will now be at [http://heylo.group/adults-who-read-young-adult](http://heylo.group/adults-who-read-young-adult) And we will be shutting down this Meetup. That will be the only thing changing. Still at Panera Bread, 12131 Ventura Blvd, still once-a-month on Sunday, etc. We hope you all join us on November 22. [Please go over to Heylo to see the details](https://www.heylo.com/events/20d2891d-046c-4748-b050-8891e8a94c26/-P2-xpCQQygcDMPc9tmA).

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.

Book Launch - Monona Wali - Sutra Americana

Monona Wali presents her new novel conversation with Neelanjana Banerjee. Join us for a conversation with author Monona Wali as she presents her novel *Sutra Americana*, the decades-long story of a close-knit Indian immigrant family who, in learning to be American, a complex and exhilarating project, find the threads of their relationships unravel. Weike Wang, author of *Rental House* writes: “The love in this luminous family saga is fierce and tested through the competing forces of devotion and reinvention.” Monona will read and be in conversation with Neelanjana Banerjee, writer and Managing Editor of Kaya Press. You can register to attend using the following links: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-sutra-americana-by-monona-wali-tickets-1999399553888 https://shop.villagewell.com/events/6251720261022 You can order copies of the book using this link below - https://villagewell.com/pre-order-campaigns/sutra-americana-by-monona-wali