Library Book Discussion Groups

The following is a list of public libraries that have ongoing book discussion groups.

Ongoing Book Discussions

Use this form to send information about your library's recurring book discussions.

Akron Public Library

4 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month in the library meeting room.

Books @ Noon at Ames Public Library

Third Wednesday of each month at 12pm, Founders Suite, Ames Public Library. Share what you've read recently and hear about what everyone else is reading. No pre-registration necessary.

Chick Lit @ Ames Public Library

4th Monday of each month at 7pm, in the Community Room. Join the Chick Lit Book Club and talk about a blend of chick lit and more serious literature.

Chattin' With Cathy @ Ames Public Library

The 2nd Wednesday of each month, 2:45-3:45pm, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium, Ames Public Library. First, second, and third graders, chat about books, enjoy snacks, and participate in fun activities. Bring a book to share.

Great Books@Ames Public Library

Discuss literary classics at Ames Public Library with materials from the Great Books Foundation the 3rd Sunday of each month at 2 pm in the Community Room. This semester, we will be reading from "Great Conversations 3." (Texts are available for loan or purchase.) To sign up for this series, call (515) 239-5656 or visit the Library's Information Desk.

Let's Talk About It@Ames Public Library

Read and discuss a work chosen from the semester's theme and learn more about the author at Ames Public Library's Let's Talk About It Discussion Group. This group meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7pm in Ames Public Library's Community Room. To sign up for this series, call (515) 239-5656 or visit the Information Desk.

Mystery Lovers Book Club@Ames Public Library

Mystery readers are invited to the Mystery Lovers Book Club the 1st Wednesday of each month at 12 pm in Ames Public Library's Community Room. Each month, the Mystery Lovers discuss various books by a selected author, learn about the author, and share other mystery-related information.

Non-Violence Book Club@Ames Public Library

Join Ames Public Library the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 pm in discussing writings by proponents of non-violence such as Gandhi, King, and Thoreau.

Super Science Fun @ Ames Public Library

Third Wednesday of each month, 2:45-3:45pm, Farwell T. Brown Auditorium, Ames Public Library. First, second, and third graders, enjoy a snack, story, and science-related activity.

Teen Anime & Manga Club @ Ames Public Library

First and third Wednesday of each month at 4pm, APL Zone, Ames Public Library. Hey teens, are you interested in anime or manga? Come and discuss your favorites and participate in related activities. Missed a meeting? Keep up to date by visiting aplteenzonemanga.blogspot.com.

Teen Book Club@Ames Public Library

Come to Ames Public Library's book club just for teens the 4th Monday of each month, 7-8:30 pm in the APL Zone. Read from a different genre each month!

Anamosa Library and Learning Center

The "Anamosa Reads" program is a semi-annual event, with a spring meeting in April and a fall meeting in October. Discussion is open to all members of the community. Selections usually reflect contemporary, popular fiction or other titles of special interest. The program convenes in the library's meeting room on the third Thursday of April and October from 7-8pm.

Aplington Legion Memorial Library

Book discussion group meets from September - May, generally on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

Bondurant Book Discussion Group

The Bondurant Book Discussion Group meets once a month, on the second Tuesday of each month. Our meetings take place at our "new" library at 104 2nd St. NE, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The discussions our very informal and chatty,and we love to have new members.

Cedar Falls Public Library

The Tuesday Morning book discussion group generally meets at 10 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The Tuesday evening group meets at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month. We also host the Friday morning book talk, more of a lecture series, at 10 a.m. on the fourth Friday of the month.

Clarion Public Library

The library has a book discussion at noon and 7 p.m. on the 4th Thursday of the month. They do not meet in the summer months of June, July and August.

Clive Public Library: Nonfiction Book Discussion Group

Adults who enjoy reading biographies, history and other non-fiction books are invited to attend. The group meets monthly on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Bring information about one or two non-fiction books you enjoyed and share your impressions with others. Refreshments. No registration or cost to participate. September 8, October 13, November 10, December 8, 2008.

Clive Public Library: Adult Book Club

The Clive Book Club invites adults to join this interesting and stimulating reading discussion group. The Club meets in the Community Room at the Clive Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday of every month (except December). Informative discussions are held on the chosen novel with impressions and opinions being shared by all. Anyone interested may attend any or all of the monthly discussions; there is no cost to participate. Some copies of most selections are available for checkout at the Library.

Clive Public Llibrary: Family Book Club

Families with children ages 10 and older are welcome to attend. We’ll share excellent books, great discussions and a chance to spend some quality time together. We will meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Some copies of each selection will be available for check out at the Library the month before. September 2, October 7, November 4, December 2, 2008.

Roy R. Estle Memorial Library, Dallas Center

Group meets the third Thursday of each month (except December) at 7:30 p.m. in the library program room. The upcoming titles to be discussed can be found the library's Web site under "book club."

Des Moines, State Historical Society of Iowa Library

The Historical Library's Book Discovery Discussions meet six times a year on the fourth Wednesday of alternating months: January, March, July, September and November from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Selections feature material with an Iowa connection either through content or a bibliographic aspect of the author(s).

State Historical Society Library, Des Moines, IA

State Historical Society Library Book Discovery Discussions. The book discussions are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every other month and meet in Classroom A on the 3rd floor of the Historical Building, 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., March 26 and May 28. There are no fees. Participants may bring their lunch or may choose to purchase one from Baratta's Cafe. Questions? Contact Librarian Susan Jellinger, 515.281.6897 or susan.jellinger@iowa.gov

Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Dubuque

Carnegie-Stout Public Library's book discussion for adults meets bi-monthly on the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the 2nd floor gallery of the library. Group meets in January, March, May, July, September and November. Fiction and non-fiction are discussed. Copies of the title being discussed may be picked up at the circulation desk a month before the discussion.

James Kennedy Public Library - Dyersville

Another "Books for Lunch" group meets at the Kennedy Public Library at noon of the third Monday of each month to share information about what they personally reading. Bring your lunch. Coffee and cookies provided.

Ely Public Library

The Ely Public Library hosts a Brown Bag Book Club the second Thursday of each month at noon. Anyone is welcome to bring their lunch and enjoy some lively discussion. We do not read a specific book each month but talk about our current favorite authors and books. It is a great way to share what you enjoy and find out what others are reading.

Glenwood Public Library

The Glenwood Public Library hosts a "Brown Bag Book Discussion" the second Wednesday of each month. We meet in the "Courtesy Room" at noon. It has grown into a group of about 25 people. The book selection is read by all and then talked about at the meeting. Once a year, we offer the "All Iowa Reads" book as our discussion title.

Kalona Public Library

The Kalona Public Library's Coffee Talk book club meets once a month on the last Friday. It is a discussion group for junior high and high school students, and we always have snacks! Some months we have a genre-based "book pass" where we choose a genre and everyone brings a book to share. Other months we choose a specific title to read. The group meets year-round, with added energy in the summer.

Kalona Public Library

The club meets eight times over the course of a year--reading, reviewing, and discussing recent and classic works of fiction and non-fiction by authors from around the world. Book Club members choose the eight books for the coming year every spring. The Book Club takes summer and December off. All book group meetings are held on on the last Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Velma Skola Program Room at the library.

Knoxville Public Library

Our book discussion group meets all year on the third Thursday evening of each month. For more information, click on "Calendar" on our Web site.

Lake Mills Public Library

The Lake Mills Public Library's book discussion group meets the third Thursday of the month at 9 a.m. at the library. We meet each month except December.

Lisbon Public Library

Reading Friends, a book discussion group for adults, meets year round (except in December) on the fourth Monday of the month at 7 PM in the Lisbon Public Library. We read a variety of fiction, nonfiction, classics and contemporary works. All titles are borrowed from other libraries and are available at the library before discussion. All are welcome.

Laurens Public Library

The Laurens Public Library hosts a book discussion the 4th Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. We discuss a wide variety of books as suggested by our patrons. This is open to anyone who would like to join us. Multiple copies of the monthly book of choice are available at the library.

Marion Public Library

"Food for Thought" is a discussion group that meets the 4th Tuesday of each month, except December. Meetings are at noon and last about an hour. Discussions usually center around a theme, rather than a specific book title. Brown bag lunch is encouraged and a beverage is provided.

Mechanicsville Public Library

The book discussion group meets once a month on Thursday evenings. we discuss books suggested by staff or by our members. Our group usually takes a break during the summer months.

Nevada Public Library

The Nevada Public Library Reading Group meets to discuss a variety of different genres. Meetings are generally at 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of the month.

New Hampton Public Library

The New Hampton Public Library hosts adult book discussions on a monthly basis from late August through May. They generally meet the third Tuesday of the month. Participants may choose to attend a 9 a.m. or 6:45 p.m. session. At the first meeting of the year, participants share books they have read and make suggestions for discussions. Postcards are sent as reminders.

North Liberty Community Library

We do a "Last Tuesday of the Month" book club for adults. They read a different book each month. Books selected are from a variety of genres and topics by the members. They do try and stay away from current best sellers as it is hard get the number of books needed for everyone. We also have an adult Summer Reading Program book discussion loosely based on the theme of the Summer Reading Program. This is for six weeks. We have done and hope to do again a Brown Bag Lunch book discussion for homeschoolers throughout the school year. This group is for 4th through 12th grades. It is divided into 4th-6th graders and junior/senior high students. They met one Thursday a month at lunch time. Books were selected by the students

Perry Public Library

The Book Discussion Group meets in the community room from 7 to 8:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in joining the group, stop by the front desk at the library and sign up, or call (515) 465-3569.

Polk City Community Library

The Polk City Community Library has three book clubs. They meet on the second Saturday of the month at 9 a.m., the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. and the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

Shenandoah Public Library

Reading Club--2nd Tuesday @ 7 p.m. Group usually reads one book each month and then discusses it. Books Sandwiched In--3rd Tuesday @ noon for an hour. Attendees bring and eat their lunch while a presenter reviews a book and discussion follows. Usually meets Sept.-Oct. and Jan.-May.

Sioux Center Public Library: Coffee Chat

Coffee Chat is held the 3rd Saturday of every month at Butler's Cafe & Coffee. Each month's selection is chosen by the group's participants. For the latest information, visit our Web site and select the "Services" tab.

Sioux City Public Library: Booked on Crime

Sioux City Public Library: Booked on Crime. Mystery lovers of all ages meet at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at The Wilbur Aalfs (Main) Library, except in July.

Sioux City Public Library: OPEN BOOK Club

The Sioux City Public Library OPEN BOOK club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month (2nd Monday when Library is closed for a holiday) at the Morningside Branch Library, 4005 Morningside Ave, Sioux City.

Urbandale Public Library

Information available on our Web site for the evening book discussion group and noon Brown Bag Book Club.

Waterloo Public Library

The book discussion group meets at 6 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month. We do not meet in December. We discuss the assigned title, but always include reviews and recommendations of other good reads.

Waukee Public Library

Waukee Public Library's book discussion group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Refreshments are provided and new members are always welcome. We read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction and always include the All Iowa Reads selection in our offerings during the year.

West Point Public Library

The West Point Public Library Book Club, The Book Babes, began in March of 2003 and meets monthly except for August when the community sponsors a Corn Festival. At the present there are sixteen female members (from over age 80 to in their 20's)who gather on the third Saturday of the month at 8:30 A.M. at the Library. The book discussed is most often a best seller found on a current book list, a classic, or a recommendation by a member. Questions are provided to stimulate discussion. Attendance is remarkable considering the Saturday time.