Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Inside Monrovia’s bold romance book club shaking up Sunday mornings
You won't want to miss Walk-In Tutoring With Margie on the Monrovia Patch calendar
What's up Monrovia! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- Inside Monrovia’s bold romance book club shaking up Sunday mornings
- How a Monrovia teacher is shaping California’s mandatory kindergarten debate
Today's riddle: My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. 🤔 (Answer below!)
Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Tuesday: Sunny and pleasantly warm, with a high of 79 and low of 55 degrees.
- Wednesday: Very warm with plenty of sun, temps: high: 83, low: 56.
- Thursday: Very warm with plenty of sun, with a high of 83 and low of 55 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
• ‘2026? More like 2020-sex!' Inside a racy romance book club unafraid to go there (latimes.com subscription) — A weekly romance-focused book club meets Sunday mornings at Black Cat Fables, a community bookstore in Monrovia, offering adults a candid, therapist-led space to talk about pleasure, relationships, and mental health. The group uses popular “smutty” romance novels to spark deeper conversations about boundaries, body image, and self-discovery while building a welcoming local community. 
Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
• Will this be the year California makes kindergarten mandatory? • The Mendocino Voice (mendovoice.com) — A local Monrovia Unified elementary teacher-turned-state-senator is helping drive a new push to make kindergarten mandatory statewide, arguing it would especially benefit children who start first grade already behind. The proposal, backed by California’s schools chief, faces concerns over its ongoing cost but supporters say early education investments could save money long term and close achievement gaps.
📸 Around Monrovia
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Monrovia
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
- Walk-In Tutoring With Margie
Playa Vista Branch Library
10:00 am - Walk-In Tutoring With Bo-Gay
Playa Vista Branch Library
10:00 am - Walk-In Tutoring With Pat
Playa Vista Branch Library
10:00 am - Walk-In Tutoring With Cheri
Playa Vista Branch Library
10:00 am - Baby Storytime
Live Oak Library - Meeting Room
10:30 am - Computer Classes
Harbor Gateway Branch Library Harbor City -
3:00 pm - Tech TryOut Cart
Harbor Gateway Branch Library Harbor City -
3:00 pm - English Conversation With Ronnie
Playa Vista Branch Library
10:00 am
Wednesday January 14
Friday January 16
📣 Monrovia Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- Smarty Pants Storytime
Live Oak Library , 22 W Live Oak Ave , Arcadia
12:00 pm - Walk-in Tutoring With Dennis
Harbor Gateway Branch Library Harbor City -
12:30 pm - “Foundations - Speed, Turns, Multi-Threat” - Beyond Concealed Carry CCW: Level 2 Course A
Burro Canyon Shooting Park , 22100 E Fork Rd , Azusa
9:00 am - Walk-In Tutoring With Pat
Playa Vista Branch Library
10:00 am
Tuesday January 13
Wednesday January 14
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Monrovia PatchAM possible:
- LA Fire Justice — (626) 684-3315
Holding Southern California Edison Accountable - Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Update: Pet Reunited
A dog who went missing in Arcadia, CA, has been safely reunited with their family after 2 hours, 48 minutes. Message from Finder: "Found at 2:50pm" … (Nextdoor Mayflower Village) - Firefighters report an exterior fire at an abandoned cocktail lounge on 11th Ave & Broadway in San Diego, with additional medical personnel en route and trash cans on fire discovered at the rear of the structure.
12:44AM on Jan 12: Thirteen units are responding to a structure fire in Downtown. (Nextdoor )
- FastSigns posted a job opening for Future Opening: Sign Production and Visual Communications Specialist in Monrovia. Apply here.
- Panda Restaurant Group posted a job opening for Assistant Manager (P1-1459732-3) in Monrovia. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Monrovia here.
🗞 Nearby News
Duarte
- Intraoperative Tumor Histology May Enable More-Effective Cancer Surgeries (caltech.edu)
- Study Shows that early DNA Breaks in BRCA Carriers Reveal the Beginnings of Breast Cancer (oncozine.com)
- Soccer Recap: Duarte Find Success (maxpreps.com)
Sierra Madre
- Single Premiere: The Pretty Flowers - "Came Back Kicking" (Forge Again Records) (bigtakeover.com)
- Pasadena Protest Draws Hundreds in Saturday Action Targeting ICE (pasadenanow.com)
Ok Monrovia! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I took its bike away.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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