7 LA Literary Spots and Series for Book Lovers in 2027
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Reading has gone social in Los Angeles. The city’s best literary spots and series now meet in coffeehouses, gardens, theaters, and even a vintage VW bus. The Los Angeles Times has rounded up LA book clubs that turn happy hour into a literary event, and several picks below regularly sell out. These seven make a book feel like a night out, whether you love quiet reading, live conversation, or cold reads on stage.
The best literary spots and series in LA for book lovers
1. Writers Bloc Presents
Writers Bloc Presents has staged conversations between authors and interviewers for three decades. Its site proudly reads “Celebrating 31 Years of Great Conversation,” and its X profile calls it “Los Angeles’ premier reading and conversation series.” Past programs mixed authors with Hollywood talent like Caroline Aaron, Marilu Henner, and Melanie Mayron.
The Ebell of Los Angeles hosted a Writers Bloc evening of Shirley Jackson readings with actors Annabeth Gish and Kerry O’Malley. It’s a good example of how theatrical these nights can get.
- Where: Venues change by event. Third-party listings include The Ebell of Los Angeles, Moss Theater, and Writers Guild Theater, so confirm on each event page.
- When: Several events a month. Check the calendar for dates and start times.
- Best For: Date nights with a big-name author, plus fans of nonfiction, politics, and literary fiction.
- Know Before You Go: Many dates sell out. One Eventbrite listing notes limited parking and recommends rideshare.
- How to Book: Pick a date on the Writers Bloc Presents calendar, which links to each ticket page.
Why We’d Book It: A live interview lets you hear an author’s voice, pauses, and asides that never make it onto the page. Share that with a full house, and the laughs around you become part of how you remember the book.
2. Silver Lake Reading Club
Silver Lake Reading Club is social silent reading: members read quietly together, then talk. Its site describes “an intentional community built around stories.” The club has since added memberships, a magazine, writing workshops, reading retreats, and a free Youth Reading Club.
The founder frames it as a “third space,” and 50 people signed up for the first meeting, according to The Eastsider. The Eastsider described a table of books for sale, popcorn, tea, coffee, wine and beer for purchase, and stretch breaks. The Los Angeles Times found about two dozen readers reading in silence for two hours, and Longreads called it “heaven for book lovers.”
- Where: Silver Lake. Earlier press placed it at Lamill coffee house, so confirm the current venue on the booking page.
- When: Weekly.
- Price: Paid memberships are available. See the booking page for current rates.
- Best For: Solo readers, introverts, and anyone hoping to meet people away from the dating apps.
- How to Book: Choose a date on the Silver Lake Reading Club “Reserve your spot” page.
Why We’d Book It: A coffeehouse full of strangers turning pages creates a hush you can’t recreate on your couch. By the stretch break, you’ve already shared something with the room, so conversation comes easily.
3. The Fleuria
The Fleuria bills itself as “Southern California’s first romance book truck,” and it lives in a restored 1968 Volkswagen. The shop champions indie and self-published romance to lift marginalized voices, according to Culture OC. The Los Angeles Times reported that its Audiobook Walking Club is “akin to a silent disco for readers.” Nearly 90 people joined one walk along the Redondo Beach Esplanade, the paper noted.
- Where: The truck pops up around LA and the South Bay, with recent stops in Long Beach, Torrance, Lakewood, and Playa Vista.
- South Bay Location: 3148 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance, CA 90505. The permanent Airstream shop is at 2930 Bristol St. A113, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
- When: Pop-up times vary, so check the homepage calendar. Recurring events include the walking club, book swaps, social book clubs, and patio reading hours.
- Best For: Romance readers, BookTok fans, active readers, and introverts.
- How to Book: Find the next pop-up on The Fleuria’s website.
Why We’d Book It: Browsing shelves built into a vintage VW bus turns book shopping into a small treasure hunt. On the beachside walks, a crowd moves together while each reader hears a different story, and that shared quiet makes the chatter afterward feel earned.
4. grain of salt
grain of salt calls itself a “book club supper club.” Guests read an entire short book together through read-alouds, solo reading, and discussion. Then they share a dinner with a menu inspired by the novel.
A married couple founded it after hosting a book club at home, according to grain of salt. One brings an event-production background, and the other is a lifelong Angeleno, personal chef, and co-founder of LA Cookbook Club. The Los Angeles Times featured one immersive read-along with cocktails, book signings, and scent pairings at P.F. Candle Co.’s Echo Park flagship.
- Where: Partner venues change with each numbered Gathering. Check the ticket page for details.
- When: The Supper Club runs about eight hours, and Sip and Read events last a few hours, per the FAQ.
- Price: Gathering #023 starts at $68. The previous Gathering sold out at $195.
- Age: Events are 18+ or 21+.
- Best For: Food lovers, groups of friends, and anyone who wants a full-day book experience.
- How to Book: Grab tickets on the grain of salt Attend page. Supper Club tickets can’t be refunded within 14 days, though they can be transferred.
Why We’d Book It: Finishing a whole book in one sitting gives the day its own beginning, middle, and end. Sitting down to a menu cooked from the story makes the final chapter something you can taste.
5. Active Cultures Book Club
Active Cultures Book Club is a roving reading group from Active Cultures, a public arts nonprofit focused on art, food, and ecologies. Session 3 discussed Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World. The inaugural session at Arlington Garden took on Matt Garcia’s A World of Its Own, about citrus and labor in LA.
The California Arts Council describes the group’s programming ethos as “radical hospitality.”
- Where: The location goes to people who sign up. Past sessions met at Arlington Garden in Pasadena and the Audubon Center at Debs Park.
- When: Periodic numbered sessions. The next date hasn’t been announced.
- Time of Day: Past sessions ran 11 am-12 pm.
- Price: Free and open to all.
- Best For: Readers drawn to environmental, food, and LA history topics, and fans of free outdoor meetups.
- How to Book: Sign up through the session pages on the Active Cultures website.
Why We’d Book It: Discussing a book about ecology in a garden means the subject is growing all around you mid-conversation. A late-morning hour outdoors also leaves the rest of your day open for a picnic or a walk.
6. Women Who Submit
Women Who Submit is a literary nonprofit that helps women and nonbinary writers get published. It runs submission parties, workshops, anthologies, and a summer conference. It began as a submission party in a co-founder’s mom’s kitchen, with quiche and six women, according to its About page.
The founders were responding to the VIDA Count on gender gaps in publishing. The group has since grown to nearly 20 chapters in the US and abroad. Los Angeles Literature profiled its decade of submission parties, which moved from family homes into larger community spaces.
- Where: Events move across LA County chapters. The most recent confirmed event was at the Democracy Center, 100 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
- When: Times vary by event. The annual SUBMIT 1 Submission Drive recently marked its 13th year.
- Price: The group offers “free services to women and nonbinary writers.”
- Best For: Women and nonbinary writers who want accountability, community, and help getting published.
- How to Book: Check the Events page on the Women Who Submit website.
Why We’d Book It: Past gatherings at Highland Park Brewing, Art Share LA, and the West Hollywood Library make hitting “submit” a group moment. A room of writers cheering each send-off keeps the kitchen-table warmth the group started with.
7. Script Shuffle by Fake ID Productions
At Script Shuffle, actors cast on the spot cold-read five writers’ 10-page scripts on stage. The casting works like speed dating, with writers and actors shuffling between each other. Some nights have themes, and one February edition was dedicated to amplifying Black writers.
Fake ID Productions, run by a husband-and-wife team, also hosts Shufflefest, an annual 10-minute play festival that has been held at The Cats Crawl.
- Where: Skiptown Playhouse, 665 Heliotrope Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90004.
- When: Thursday evenings, roughly monthly. Upcoming dates aren’t posted yet, so check the event page.
- Time of Day: 7-9 pm.
- Price: $10 plus a $0.25 fee.
- Best For: Screenwriters, playwrights, actors, and audiences who love scrappy new work.
- How to Book: Get tickets on the Script Shuffle page. Hoping to perform? The page says buying in advance is the only way to be sure.
Why We’d Book It: Actors meet these scripts minutes before performing them, so the whole playhouse feels the risk in real time. Every surprise laugh lands twice: once for the writer hearing their words aloud and once for the audience.
Bring your own book night to life
LA’s literary scene keeps proving that the right setting makes a story stick. If these picks have you dreaming up a book club, author reading, or launch party of your own, we’d love to help. Browse gathering venues across Los Angeles and find your perfect space.
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