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.

Book of May/June: Pale Fire

Join us for the first time or for the nth!


WHAT ARE WE READING? Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years “An ingeniously constructed parody of detective fiction and learned commentary, Pale Fire offers a cornucopia of deceptive pleasures, at the center of which is a 999-line poem written by the literary genius John Shade just before his death. Surrounding the poem is a foreword and commentary by the demented scholar Charles Kinbote, who interweaves adoring literary analysis with the fantastical tale of an assassin from the land of Zembla in pursuit of a deposed king.”


WHERE ARE WE READING?

4100 bar

There is no food served - but they do allow outside food and sometimes have a food truck.
Please feel free to comment with any questions. 







Everyone is welcome - whether you read the whole book or the back cover (but be prepared for spoilers if so), looking forward to seeing you all to talk about (hopefully) good books!

Book Discussion: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Read s much as you can and let's discuss "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, a 2016 nonfiction self-help book by American blogger and author Mark Manson.The book covers Manson's belief that life's struggles give it meaning and argues that typical self-help books offer meaningless positivity which is neither practical nor helpful. It was a New York Times and Globe and Mail bestseller. Critics have been quick to note that the apparent lack of sophistication in language and style of the book is a clever disguise for more serious value-related content of the book." - Wikipedia

Neuromancer- William Gibson

Book Club Meeting: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

**Mocha Girls Read \| June Book Club Meeting** Join us for our June book club meeting as we come together to discuss our Monthly Book Selection, *Yellowface* by R.F. Kuang. This month, we are diving into a bold and thought-provoking story that explores authorship, identity, and the complexities of the publishing world. Whether you loved the book, had questions, or didn't even read it yet, your voice is welcome in this space. 📅 **Date:** Friday, June 6 ⏰ **Time:** 1:30 PM 📍 **Location:** Lore Bookstore 4334 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008 **About the Book** “Hard to put down, harder to forget.” — Stephen King White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting psychological thriller from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel. Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars in the world of literary fiction. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. With its totally immersive first-person voice from a masterfully crafted unreliable narrator, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable. **Parking:** Metered street parking is available. Parking across the street is typically the best option.

June Book Club - Strangers

June book club - Strangers by Belle Burden

Persuasion by Jane Austen (Rescheduled Date)

WHAT WE'RE READING: Persuasion by Jane Austen WHAT IT IS ABOUT: "*Persuasion*, Jane Austen's last novel, is a moving, masterly and elegiac love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities. It tells the story of Anne Elliot, who, persuaded to break off her engagement to the man she loved because he was not successful enough, has never forgotten him. When he returns, he brings with him a tantalizing second chance of happiness." 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

Queer Book Club- "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant"

Light from Uncommon Stars IN PERSON at Aroma Cafe

LWS June Book Club-'The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise' by Colleen Oakley

**June Book Club's Theme is ROAD TRIP and our selection is....** **'The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise' by Louise Oakley** - *A Good Morning America Buzz Pick \* A Marie Claire Book Club Pick for April \* A Reader's Digest Book Club Pick for April \* A LibraryReads Pick \* One of Southern Living's Most Anticipated 2023 Releases \* One of Today's Most Anticipated 2023 Releases* **An unforgettable pairing of a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law in this story full of tremendous heart, humor, and wit from the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.** **Summary** An unforgettable pairing of a college dropout and an 84-year-old woman on the run from the law. 21-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it. Louise Wilt’s daughter demands that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon. Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one. The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice weird things. Like, why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m insisting that they leave town immediately? Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives. **[Amazon Link](https://www.amazon.com/Mostly-True-Story-Tanner-Louise/dp/0593549090/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OJZHB05C6G1E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.z2Yyc7Swxk03w0pdMGax8qCn1OtOilgTsR6WM1MlGbaOLIu_0fEgraqCOgfEgE_YDboaiY1GynHBqvd19Kxn6HgY3hoPd96TlUPhZ6TMx1B2FQTWr3fBKuNtU7KNSrynLA5M4tzK21fa9SzLm-zFyH79ZN3Arepr0He3DD8H-VU.yXI0JCwl6jOiDRQm4N4j6D8wUZLziTtkh-1-ubvV9Yo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+mostly+true+story+of+tanner+and+louise+book&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1776360135&sprefix=the+mostly+tr%2Caps%2C258&sr=8-1)** **Book Details:** Page Count: 352 Publish Date: March 28, 2023 Audiobook: 9 hours, 54 minutes. Narrated by Hilary Huber (Nora Goes Off Script) Location: TBD - somewhere along Ventura Blvd in either Sherman Oaks or Studio City.

A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilman Rao

1914, Fiji: Akal Singh, 25, would rather be anywhere but this tropical paradise—or, as he calls it, "this godforsaken island." After a promising start to his police career in Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and grumpy, Akal plods through his work and dreams of getting back to Hong Kong or his native India. When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji's newspapers scream "kidnapping," the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case. Akal, eager to achieve redemption, agrees—but soon finds himself far more invested than he could have expected. Now not only is he investigating a disappearance, but also confronting the brutal realities of the indentured workers' existence and the racism of the British colonizers in Fiji—along with his own thorny notions of personhood and caste. Early interrogations of the white plantation owners, Indian indentured laborers, and native Fijians yield only one conclusion: there is far more to this case than meets the eye.

Walk to Frank Lloyd walk homes

We will meet in the parking lot or sidewalk next to parking lot at Barnsdall Park then go up the hill to see the Frank Lloyd Wright (Hollyhock house) homes. **It is a UNESCO world heritage site.** [https://www.barnsdall.org/](https://www.barnsdall.org/). After we return can get tickets and go inside. We will see great view of LA up there. Then we will walk go to see the house designed by his son, the Sowden house AKA as Jaws house. The Aviator was filmed there and many other movies. Can read the connection of the house to Black Dalia here: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sowden_House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sowden_House) Then we will up the hills--**some streets have NO sidewalks up there so we will have to walk on the street in the hills! Must be on lookout for cars! You are responsible for yourself!** We will see the Ennis House which was in Blade Runner and many other movies: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennis_House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennis_House) Across the street from the Ennis house is Los Feliz murder house which was left vacant for decades. Link: [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/los-feliz-murder-mansion](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/los-feliz-murder-mansion) Optional to see another Frank Lloyd Wright home--we aren't going since it is further out, but you can go on your own. Samuel Novarro House by Lloyd Wright. It is in Los Feliz too, but further west. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel-Novarro_House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel-Novarro_House) Walk is approx 5 miles RT. No one in bad health since we are going up hills! Note: Date can change so check back. **Rain postpones.** Afterwards social Handel Ice Cream at 4531 Hollywood Blvd. [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=34.101406%2C%20-118.29333) Barnsdall Art Park 4800 Hollywood Boulevard · Los Angeles, CA Meet either in parking lot or on sidewalk