The El Retiro Book Group meets the 1st Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. at the El Retiro Library ~ 126 vista del Parque Redondo Beach, CA 90277 ~ 310-375-0922.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.

In 1714 France, Addie LaRue strikes a deal to live forever but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Her journey spans centuries and continents, exploring history and art as she strives to leave her mark. However, everything changes when she encounters a young man in a secret bookstore who remembers her name after almost three centuries

Daughter of Moloka'i: A Novel by Alan Brennert
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

Ruth, a young girl, finds herself at the Kapi'olani Home for Girls in Honolulu. Soon, she is adopted by a Japanese couple who nurture her on their strawberry and grape farm in California. Her journey takes a dramatic turn as she experiences marriage and the unjust internment at Manzanar Relocation Camp during World War II. After the war, her life changes forever when she receives a letter from a woman claiming to be her birth mother, Rachel.

The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar & Dana Marton
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law. The inspiration couldn't come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past? 

The Lost Apothecary: A Novel by Sarah Penner
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

In eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary run by the mysterious Nella provides poisons to women seeking to escape oppressive men. However, her world is upended when a curious twelve-year-old customer makes a fateful mistake. Fast forward to modern London, where historian Caroline Parcewell, alone on her tenth wedding anniversary, discovers a lead on the unsolved apothecary murders from two centuries ago. Her life becomes entwined with Nella's in a shocking twist of fate that could have dire consequences for them both.

Something in the Water: A Novel by Catherine Steadman
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

Erin, a documentary filmmaker, and Mark, a charming investment banker, are deeply in love and on their dream honeymoon in Bora Bora. While scuba diving, they discover something unexpected that forces them to choose between revealing their find or keeping it secret. This decision triggers a series of catastrophic events.

The Measure: A Novel Hardcover by Nikki Erlick
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

It feels like an ordinary day as you enjoy your coffee and step outside. But today is different. A small wooden box awaits you at your door, containing the exact number of years you have left to live. Across the globe, everyone receives the same box, plunging the world into chaos. Questions arise: Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Can the information be trusted? As communities unite and fracture, each person faces a crucial choice: Do they want to know their lifespan? And how will they react to that knowledge?

Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel by Lisa See
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

From an early age, Yunxian learns about women's health, particularly childbirth, with her close friend Meiling, a midwife-in-training. Their bond deepens through a shared mission, despite societal norms separating doctors from midwives. They vow to support each other, believing that beauty can emerge from hardship, as the saying goes, "no mud, no lotus." However, when Yunxian enters an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling or helping women in their community. Instead, she must fulfill the role of a proper wife, spending her days embroidering, reciting poetry, bearing sons, and remaining confined to the family estate, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

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