Our Book Clubs

Hello Reader,

La Playa Books currently offers two virtual book clubs, moderated and organized by our new book buyer, Mimi Hannan.  One meets the first Monday of the month, in the evening (Wine & Conversation Book Club).  The other meets the first Wednesday of the month in the mid-morning (New & Noteworthy Book Club).  To find out more and join our bookclub mailing list, plase email Mimi directly at mimi at laplayabooks dot com (or click on the link)

Our Wine & Conversation Book Club meets the first Monday of the month on Zoom.

Our December meeting will be held Monday, December 6th at 6pm.

Please see your book club email before the meeting date for details on how to join in via Zoom. For discussion December 6th: 'The Cold Millions' by Jess Walter. 

Set in Spokane in the early 20th century, this is the story of brothers Rye and Gig, itinerant workers living by their wits in a world of haves and have-nots. Populated with a mix of historical figures like Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who led the IWW Free Free Speech protests, and myriad colorful characters including a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar, this wild western tale resonates with issues of our contemporary world.

Looking ahead to January's book: 'Missionaries' by Phil Klay. Both titles are now available in the store for 20% off to book club members.

Our New & Noteworthy Book Club meets the first Wednesday of the month on Zoom.

Our December meeting will be held Wednesday, December 1st at 11am.

Please see your book club email before the meeting date for details on how to join in via Zoom. For discussion December 1st: 'Harlem Shuffle' by Colson Whitehead. 

“Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked…” To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver’s Row don’t approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it’s still home. 

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time. 

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn’t ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn’t ask questions, either. 

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa—the “Waldorf of Harlem”—and volunteers Ray’s services as the fence. The heist doesn’t go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes. 

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs? 

This title now available in the store for 20% off to book club members.

If you're interested in what our book clubs have read over the past few years, please visit our special Book Club Reading List for a list of titles. For more information, please email us at info@laplayabooks.com