Any readers in L.A.?

February 19, 2009 10:04 PM

Reading groups/clubs in Los Angeles?

Hello there - do any Mefites belong to or know of any good reading groups or book clubs in Los Angeles? The ones I've seen via Google don't really thrill me.

Specs: I'm not super picky but the "... we mainly read books from Oprah's book club," thing isn't quite my cup of tea. However, this is mostly what I've found through web searches. And my friends, god bless 'em, just don't DO "reading."

I'm female, mid 30's, and live in Hollywood, if that matters at all.

I'd love any info. Thanks in advance.

posted by Kloryne to society & culture (7 comments total)

BTW: I'm serious about my friends not reading. Please hear the desperation. I am the daughter of a librarian.
posted by Kloryne at 10:19 PM on February 19

I'm in the same boat as you. If you wouldn't mind trekking to some of the academic institutions around you, they have a wide variety of book clubs, but the drawback is that they meet only occasionally. You get a good mix of people from students, professors, and staff, and sometimes you might find yourself face-to-face with the author! They're fairly difficult to find out about if you don't go to the institution, but if you'd like info on one around your area, metamail me.
posted by palionex at 11:17 PM on February 19

Meetup.com!
posted by katillathehun at 12:09 AM on February 20

I haven't tried any of them, but I know that Skylight Books has a number of book clubs that use it as a recruiting ground. They don't strike me as being the "Oprah's Book Club" type, either, so you might want to swing by there and see what's on the slab.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 12:22 AM on February 20

metropolis books in downtown los angeles has a monthly classic book club. they meet in the afternoon on the last saturday of the month. you can see the reading list for the year at the website.

they are just a couple of blocks away from the pershing square metro station.
posted by jimw at 8:41 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

I've been part of this one for about half a year now. That's longer than I've lasted with any other groups, and it's pretty good so far. They mostly meet around Culver City/Santa Monica/Venice, so it may be a bit of a haul from Hollywood.
posted by willnot at 8:57 AM on February 20

Thank you! I'm marking all of these as the best answer because they all sound like great ideas.

I forgot I was leaving town right after posting this question so I haven't been able to investigate any of your suggestions yet.

But this gives me great hope!
posted by Kloryne at 1:12 PM on February 22