Book Society

<h2>About the event</h2>
Read to Lead Workshops are evenings built around a practice, not a book report. Each session takes a single theme, anchors it to a great book, and gives you the space, ideas, and guidance to actually put it into practice.

Our first session is about creativity — and the surprising case that making things is truly medicine.

We spend so much of life being productive that we forget the things that actually restore us — an afternoon in a gallery, a song that stops us mid-step, an hour lost in making something. What if tending to your creativity wasn't an indulgence, but a practice worth protecting?

We'll draw on Art Cure&nbsp;by Daisy Fancourt, the Sunday Times bestseller (and 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist) making the scientific case that the arts are a fifth pillar of health, right alongside sleep, food, exercise, and nature. Fancourt's decade of research shows how creativity lowers stress, lifts mood, eases pain — and even helps us live longer. That's our spark for this powerful evening built for you.

Laura Guzman, a seasoned executive, founder of Book Society, and certified holistic yoga instructor, will be your guide. Together we'll dig deep and find out where creativity has quietly slipped out of your busy life, why it matters for how you lead and live, and how to build a creative practice you'll actually keep. This will be hands-on. We'll test several small practices right there in the room, so you leave knowing what genuinely works for you — not just what sounds good on paper.And if you're thinking I'm not creative&nbsp;— you're exactly who this evening is for. No experience, no talent, no artistic streak required. Creativity here simply means making something, in whatever form fits your life.

You'll leave with a renewed case for creativity as essential rather than optional — and a toolkit to keep it going: your own "Creative Prescription"&nbsp;(a small, doable practice designed for your real life), plus guided handouts, a 30-day creativity prompt menu, and a curated reading list to go deeper.

Your ticket includes:
<ul><li>A hands-on, facilitated workshop with Laura Guzman</li><li>All the creative materials and supplies you'll need for the evening</li><li>A take-home toolkit — your Creative Prescription, guided handouts, and a 30-day prompt menu</li><li>A glass of wine (or NA beverage) and snacks</li><li>Exclusive access to the shop during after-hours</li></ul>
Get your ticket here!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.booksociety.social/event-details/read-to-lead-workshop-creative-medicine" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">booksociety.social/event-details/read-to-lead-workshop-creative-medicine</a>
Reading Art Cure&nbsp;beforehand will deepen the evening — but it's not required. Come as you are.&nbsp;

Want a copy? Add one to your ticket at checkout, or pick one up in the shop beforehand (email us at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:hello@booksociety.social">hello@booksociety.social</a> to confirm availability).&nbsp; Prefer another format? Find the ebook at <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/" rel="nofollow noopener">Bookshop.org</a>&nbsp;or the audiobook at <a target="_blank" href="https://libro.fm/" rel="nofollow noopener">Libro.fm</a>.

Local Event: Read to Lead Workshop: Creative Medicine

Alameda County

Berkeley

California

Read to Lead Workshop: Creative Medicine

About the event
Read to Lead Workshops are evenings built around a practice, not a book report. Each session takes a single...

<h2>About the event</h2>
Join this month’s meeting of Book Society’s “WTF Did I Just Read?!” Book Club!

Our latest selection is Open Throat&nbsp;by Henry Hoke. A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion narrates from his home in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign–need we say more? Heralded as one of the 10 Best California Books of 2023 by the New York Times, it was also a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award and longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award.

Expect an evening of lively, laughter-filled conversation as we try to untangle this bizarre, brilliant, and wholly unpredictable ride.

Your ticket includes:
<ul><li>Interactive, facilitated book discussion</li><li>Glass of Book Society x Broc Cellars house red or white wine (NA option available)</li><li>Truffle popcorn for snacking</li></ul>Get your ticket here! <a href="https://www.booksociety.social/event-details/the-wtf-did-i-just-read-book-club-open-throat" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">booksociety.social/event-details/the-wtf-did-i-just-read-book-club-open-throat</a>

Three ways to get the book while supporting Book Society:
<ul><li>In-Store:&nbsp;Pick up a copy during your next visit.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/" rel="nofollow noopener">Bookshop.org</a>:&nbsp;Order online and have it shipped to you.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://libro.fm/" rel="nofollow noopener">Libro.fm</a>:&nbsp;Perfect for audiobook lovers!</li></ul>

No need to have finished (or even started!) the book to join the fun—just bring your curiosity and sense of humor.

Space is limited—reserve your spot today!

PLEASE NOTE: &nbsp;Book Society Book Club tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your ticket to another person provided you give Book Society written notice at least 24 hours before the event.

Local Event: The WTF Did I Just Read Book Club: Open Throat

The WTF Did I Just Read Book Club: Open Throat

About the event
Join this month’s meeting of Book Society’s “WTF Did I Just Read?!” Book Club!

Our latest selection is Open...

<h2>About the event</h2>
Join us for our monthly Journaling Club&nbsp;— a welcoming space to cultivate creativity, reflection, and connection through the practice of journaling. Each month we’ll gather for a guided 90-minute session designed to inspire your writing, nurture mindfulness, and build community among fellow journalers.

Tickets include:
<ul><li>A guided journaling session</li><li>Mimosas or NA bubbly</li><li>Light morning treats</li></ul>

Whether you’re a lifelong writer or simply looking for a creative outlet, our Journaling Club offers a moment to pause, connect, and explore your inner world — one page at a time.Get your ticket here! <a href="https://www.booksociety.social/event-details/journaling-club-a-reflective-morning-inspired-by-the-book-of-alchemy-1-7" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">booksociety.social/event-details/journaling-club-a-reflective-morning-inspired-by-the-book-of-alchemy-1-7</a>

Local Event: Journaling Club: A Reflective Morning Inspired by The Book of Alchemy (1)

Journaling Club: A Reflective Morning Inspired...

About the event
Join us for our monthly Journaling Club — a welcoming space to cultivate creativity, reflection, and connection...

Journaling Club: A Reflective Morning Inspired by The Book of Alchemy (1)

<h2>About the event</h2>
The book the whole realm has been waiting for arrives September 29, and there's no better way to cross the parapet than alongside your fellow Empyrean elites at Book Society!

Join us for the Threshing Day Release Party, a release-night celebration of the newest addition to Rebecca Yarros's blockbuster series. We're thrilled to welcome back a familiar pair for another intimate, behind-the-scenes conversation. If you were with us for Onyx Storm, you already know them: cover artist Elizabeth Turner Stokes, who will talk about life in the publishing world and how she found her home in the art department at Entangled Publishing, the team behind the Empyrean series. She’ll be joined once again by her bestie of more than 20 years — content producer turned storytelling coach Liz Morrison&nbsp;— for a lively, unfiltered look behind the cover.&nbsp;

Dress the part and get ready for a night to remember!

Copies will be limited and available while supplies last — we strongly recommend preordering your book to guarantee your copy at the event.

Your ticket includes:

<ul><li>An intimate, behind-the-scenes conversation to celebrate release night</li><li>Wine pairings to match the spice, danger, and twists of the Empyrean series</li><li>Threshing Day–themed snacks and a few surprises along the way</li></ul>
Get your ticket here! <a href="https://www.booksociety.social/event-details/threshing-day-under-the-cover-release-party" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">booksociety.social/event-details/threshing-day-under-the-cover-release-party</a>
Costumes encouraged. Books available for preorder until sold out.

Local Event: Threshing Day "Under the Cover" Release Party

Threshing Day "Under the Cover" Release Party

About the event
The book the whole realm has been waiting for arrives September 29, and there's no better way to cross the...

<h2>About the event</h2>
Most people who want to write a book do the same thing: they sit down and start writing. And most of them stall out.

Marisa Solis and Elizabeth Dougherty have spent decades as book coaches and editors watching this happen — and helping writers get unstuck. Their diagnosis is simple. Writing the manuscript is only about 60 percent of authorship. The other 40 percent — including knowing why you're writing, who you're writing for, how your book is built, and who's in your corner — is the part nobody talks about. It's also the part that determines whether a nonfiction book gets finished.

In The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Nonfiction Book, Marisa and Elizabeth lay out the full path from idea to published book. At Book Society, they're bringing the first and most important stretch of it into the room for a hands-on evening. This is not a lecture — bring a notebook, because you'll be putting pen to paper all night.

What we'll cover:<ul><li>Reflect on your "why."&nbsp;Not "what is your book about?" but "why are you writing it?" Dig past the goal to the value underneath — that's what carries you through the hard middle.</li><li>Shift your mindset.&nbsp;What's your promise to your reader? Don't write a book about&nbsp;something. Write a book for&nbsp;someone.</li><li>Tune in to your reader.&nbsp;Build a real reader profile and get specific about who will buy and benefit from your book. No book is for everyone.</li><li>Map your reader's journey.&nbsp;An outline isn't a cage, it's a blueprint. Start structuring your reader's path through the book.</li><li>Build your community.&nbsp;"Author platform" isn't a marketing chore — it's not writing in isolation. Map your inner circle before you leave.</li></ul>

You'll go home with pages of your own thinking, three pieces of homework, and a much clearer sense of what you're actually building.

Your ticket includes:

<ul><li>A hands-on workshop led by Marisa Solis and Elizabeth Dougherty</li><li>All workshop materials&nbsp;</li><li>Book signing and Q&amp;A</li><li>A glass of wine (or NA beverage), snacks and good company, Book Society–style</li></ul>Option to pre-purchase The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide&nbsp;at checkout. A limited number of copies will also be available for purchase at the event.
Get your ticket here! <a href="https://www.booksociety.social/event-details/expert-to-author-five-steps-to-a-published-nonfiction-book" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">booksociety.social/event-details/expert-to-author-five-steps-to-a-published-nonfiction-book</a>

About the Speakers

Elizabeth Dougherty&nbsp;and Marisa Solis are decades-long book coaches and editors mission-driven to help aspiring authors change the world one book at a time. They are the coauthors of The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Nonfiction Book. Through their boutique editorial services company, Book Structure Pros, Elizabeth and Marisa guide subject-matter experts through authorship. Services include book coaching, developmental editing, manuscript assessments, and book proposal development. They also offer customized workshops, webinars, and speaking events.

Local Event: Expert to Author: Five Steps to a Published Nonfiction Book

Expert to Author: Five Steps to a Published...

About the event
Most people who want to write a book do the same thing: they sit down and start writing. And most of them stall...

Expert to Author: Five Steps to a Published Nonfiction Book

<h2>About the event</h2>
Join this month's meeting of Book Society's "Leading Ladies" Book Club!

This month we're turning to a writer who's spent a lifetime finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. Our latest selection, Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing, is Abigail Thomas's funny, tender, and clear-eyed collection of vignettes on what it means to grow older—no more driving, no more dancing, mostly a comfortable chair in a sunny corner with three dogs for company. But within that stillness, memory moves fast: time contracts, loops, and suddenly she's back in her twenties in New York City, drinking, falling in and out of love, believing in a better world.

Thomas is the New York Times bestselling author of A Three Dog Life, and this book has been praised as "a little jewel box," full of epiphanies that are both comforting and merciless in the gentlest possible way. Organized into four sections—Being This Old, Stay-at-Home Order, Wisteria, and A Few Thoughts About Writing—it's a book about attention, aging, and the small joys that keep adding up.

Together, we'll dig into the questions the book raises: What does it mean to slow down without giving up curiosity? How does memory reshape itself as we age? And what can a life fully lived teach us about the art of paying attention?

Expect an evening of meaningful discussion, laughter, and connection—paired, as always, with a thoughtful wine selection.

Your ticket includes:
<ul><li>interactive, facilitated book discussion</li><li>red, white, or non-alcoholic wine</li><li>delicious snack</li></ul>
Get your ticket here!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.booksociety.social/event-details/the-leading-ladies-book-club-still-life-at-eighty" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">booksociety.social/event-details/the-leading-ladies-book-club-still-life-at-eighty</a>
Three ways to get the book and get reading (and support Book Society):
<ol><li>Pick up a copy in store - we have some copies available in store. Email <a target="_blank" href="mailto:hello@booksociety.social">hello@booksociety.social</a> to place one on hold! </li><li>Ebook&nbsp;@&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/92586/9781668054659" rel="nofollow noopener">Bookshop.org</a> - an online store with inventory like Amazon, but supports your local bookseller of choice </li><li>Audiobook @&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://libro.fm/playlists/10795?bookstore=booksociety" rel="nofollow noopener">Libro.fm</a><a target="_blank" href="https://libro.fm/playlists/10795?bookstore=booksociety" rel="nofollow noopener"> </a>- your source for audiobooks that support local independent bookseller</li></ol>

Space is limited—reserve your spot today!

PLEASE NOTE:&nbsp; Book Society Book Club tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your ticket to another person provided you give Book Society written notice at least 24 hours before the event.

Local Event: The Leading Ladies Book Club: Still Life at Eighty

The Leading Ladies Book Club: Still Life at Eighty

About the event
Join this month's meeting of Book Society's "Leading Ladies" Book Club!

This month we're turning to a writer...

Laura Guzman

Fernando Haro

Bay Area

Albany

Rockridge

Contra Costa County

El Cerrito

Piedmont

Alameda

Angela Woodall

Lamorinda

Pinole-Hercules

San Francisco

San Francisco County

Pleasant Hill

Walnut Creek

Join Five Little Monkeys for their HUGE September Warehouse Sale!
Up to 75% off retail prices, including: Returns Clearance Overstock In-Store Demos Discounted Items Damaged &amp; Distressed Items Packaging with Dents &amp; Dings
BONUS SAVINGS! Spend $100 or more and save an extra 25% off your ENTIRE purchase!
Saturday, September 19 9AM-3PM 5327 Jacuzzi Street, Suite 4T Richmond
**All sales final. Not valid with any other offer, discount or previous purchase. Store credit &amp; gift certificates are non-redeemable.

Local Event: Five Little Monkeys Toy Warehouse Sale!

Five Little Monkeys Toy Warehouse Sale!

Join Five Little Monkeys for their HUGE September Warehouse Sale!
Up to 75% off retail prices, including: Returns Clearance...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Laura Guzman, Neighbor

Posting Activity

Read to Lead Workshop: Creative Medicine

SEP

14

6:00 PM

Book Society, 2945 College Ave, Berkeley, CA

The WTF Did I Just Read Book Club: Open Throat

SEP

15

9:00 AM

Book Society, 2945 College Ave, Berkeley, CA

Journaling Club: A Reflective Morning Inspired by The Book of Alchemy (1)

SEP

20

10:00 AM

Book Society, 2945 College Ave, Berkeley, CA

Threshing Day "Under the Cover" Release Party

SEP

29

6:00 PM

Book Society, 2945 College Ave, Berkeley, CA

Expert to Author: Five Steps to a Published Nonfiction Book

SEP

30

6:00 PM

Book Society, 2945 College Ave, Berkeley, CA

The Leading Ladies Book Club: Still Life at Eighty

OCT

6

6:30 PM

Book Society, 2945 College Ave, Berkeley, CA

Five Little Monkeys Toy Warehouse Sale!