New book club in L.A.

"LA Reads?" unites literary Angelenos to talk books and beyond

WHAT: launch of "LA Reads?" book club w/ James M. Cain's "Mildred Pierce"and delicious pie just like Mildred used to make
WHEN: debut meeting Thursday September 6, 8pm
COST: meeting free, pie costs a few bucks
WHERE: Philippe The Original, 1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
BOOK DISCOUNTS: Metropolis Books, 440 South Main St., L.A. 90013ETC.: "LA Reads?" picks up where the defunct book club "Nobody Reads in LA"left off
LINK: http://www.lareads.com

The cliché about Los Angeles is that it's full of vapid blondes who can barely read their plastic surgeon's business cards, but in reality L.A. is one of the largest markets for book sales, a city with a long history as a center for important fiction, criticism and publishing. Now Kim Cooper and Richard Schave of award winning downtown-centric bus tour company Esotouric present a new book club, "LA Reads?," which offers a place downtown to mingle and discuss some of the most important books about the city in a freewheeling and congenial atmosphere.
Emerging from the ashes of summer 2007's buzz-worthy site-specific "Nobody Reads in LA" book club, and continuing with the reading list announced for the earlier club, "LA Reads?" will soon turn its group attention to noir master James M. Cain, architectural theorist Reyner Banham and apocalyptic Hollywood scribe Nathanael West, with many other provocative titles and interesting meeting locations yet to be announced.
About the book club, LA.com said "we wouldn't be surprised if [it] becomes harder to get into than a Hollywood Club" and the L.A. Times online noted that the club was "raising L.A.'s literary profile" with discussions on John Fante's "Ask the Dust" (near hero Arturo Bandini's old Skid Row stomping grounds), Raymond Chandler's "The Little Sister" (in the Barclay Hotel, site of a pivotal ice pick murder in the book) and Charles Bukowski's "Post Office" (in Charlie O's bar, a favorite Buk watering hole).
There's more. Downtown bookseller Metropolis Books is offering a 10% discount on books stocked for "LA Reads?" And most book club meetings will be closely followed by an Esotouric bus adventure dedicated to the featured author. Past tours include John Fante's Dreams of Bunker Hill, Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA and In A Lonely Place: Raymond Chandler's LA. Coming soon: Serenade: James M. Cain's Southern California Nightmare and Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles.

To learn more about "LA Reads?" or sign up for the mailing list, visithttp://www.lareads.com/

To learn more about Esotouric's forthcoming literary bus tours, visithttp://www.esotouric.com/

Upcoming Esotouric bus tour and "LA Reads?" event schedule:
Thurs Sept 6 - "LA Reads?" James M. Cain's "Mildred Pierce"
Sat Sept 8 - Hotel Horrors (1pm) and Main Street Vice (3:30pm)
Sat Sept 15 ­ Serenade: James M. Cain's Southern California Nightmare
Thurs Sept 27 ­ "LA Reads?" Reyner Banham's "Architecture of Four Ecologies"
Sat Sept 22 ­ In A Lonely Place: Raymond Chandler's LA
Sat Sept 22 ­ Blood & Dumplings (San Gabriel Valley true crime tour)
Sun Oct 7­ Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles
Thurs Oct 18 ­ "LA Reads?" Nathanael West's "Day of the Locust"
Sat Oct 20­ The Real Black Dahlia
Sun Oct 28 ­ Hallowe'en Horrors featuring Crimebo the Clown"LA Reads?"