Bookgroup picks for 2019


Welcome to RSA Bookgroups 

The Resource Sharing Alliance (RSA) is a consortium of libraries in Central Illinois that share a common library automation system.  RSA facilitates sharing of materials among its member libraries providing you with access to materials from up to 193 different libraries. RSA's website is http://alsi.sdp.sirsi.net/client/RSAwebsite 

 

Since we share our material, we try to coordinate our bookgroups through this wiki.  Please post your library's schedule if it's available.  Thanks!

 

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PAGE IS FOR 2019 

 

For 2024 titles, please click here

Please click here for 2023 titles

Please click here for 2022 titles

Please click here for 2021 titles

Please click here for 2020 titles 

Please click here for 2018 titles

Please click here for 2017 titles

Please click here for 2016 titles 

Please click here for 2015 titles

 

Libraries A-Z

 

Alpha Park Public Library in Bartonville

We meet the 2nd Thursday of the Month 

 

January 10th, 2019- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

February 14th, 2019- Before We Were Young by Lisa Wingate

 


Bradford Public Library District

Our book club meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 5 p.m.

Book Club est. May 2006

 

January 2019 - Heartbeat - Sharon Creech

February 2019 - The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

March 2019 - Jesus Cow - Michael Perry

April 2019 - Still Life - Louise Penny

May 2019 - The Perfect Nanny - Leila Slimani

June 2019 - Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate

July 2019 - Blind Your Ponies - Stanley Gordon West

August 2019 - Butterfly Palace - Colleen Coble

September 2019 - The Alice Network - Kate Quinn

October 2019 - The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

November 2019 - Educated - Tara Westover

December 2019 - Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens


 

 

Brimfield Public Library District 

Brimfield Book Club meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 1pm

 

January 29th-Sing, unburied, sing by Jesmyn Ward

February 26-Crisis by Robin Cook

March 26-7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

April 23-Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

May 28-Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

June 25-Citizen Vince by Jess Walter

July 23-Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

August 27-Star of the North by D.B. John

September 24-Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

October 22-The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

November 26-The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea 

December T.B.D.-

 

For more information, contact Abby at 309-446-9575 or amiles@brimfieldlibrary.org.

 


 

Chillicothe Public Library

Books+Tea @ the Library meets on the 4th Monday of the month (book club webpage)

 

January 28 - The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas 

February 25 - Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan 

March 25 - Boy Erased, by Garrard Conley 

April 22 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith 

May 20 - Defending Jacob, by William Landay 

June 24 - The Death and Life of the Great Lakesby Dan Egan 

July 22 - The Invisible Library, by Genevieve Cogman 

August 26 - The Sun Does Shine, by Anthony Ray Hinton 

September 23 - Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng 

October 28 - The Road, by Cormac McCarthy 

November 25 - How to Be a Good Creatureby Sy Montgomery 

December 16 - Vinegar Girl, by Anne Tyler

 

For more information, contact Catherine at 309-274--2719 or cbarnett@chillicothepubliclibrary.org.

 


 

Colchester District Library

Reader's Group meets the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. in the Don O'Hara Reading Room at the Library.

 

January            The German Girl                     Armando Lucas Correa

February          The Hidden Girl                      Camilla Lackberg

March              Half Broke Horses                   Jeanette Walls

April                 Silver Star                               Jeanette Walls

May                 Girls of Atomic City                 Denise Kiernan

June                 Silent Sisters                           Diane Chamberlain

July                  Alice Network                         Kate Quinn

August            Chilbury Ladies Choir              Jennifer Ryan

September      Winter Garden                        Kristen Hannah

October           Before We Were Yours           Lisa Wingate

November       The Story Keeper                    Lisa Wingate

December        Killers of the Flower Moon    David Grann



El Paso District Library

 

Our book club (RIOT ACT - Readers In Our Town Are Coming Together) meets on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7 pm.

 

January - The Awakening of HK Derryberry by Jim Bradford

February - The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

March- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

April - Love, Lucy by Lucilee Ball

May - Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton

June - The Library Book by Susan Orlean

July -  American Heart by Laura Moriarty

Aug - Soar by Joan Bauer

Sept - Life in a Jar, the Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer

Oct -The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Nov - No meeting

Dec - No meeting

 

 


 

Eureka Public Library District

Musings on Main 

Book Selections 2019

First Thursdays @ 6:30pm

 

January 3 - Propose "Cozy Conversation & Chocolate" - Read any Christmas book(s) before this meeting, if you have time!

February 7 - Dream When You're Feeling Blue (Elizabeth Berg)

March 7 - Caroline: Little House, revisited (Sarah Miller)

April 4 - (Easter is April 21) [either or both]

             ~ The War That Saved My Life (Kimberly Bradley)

        ~ Four Perfect Pebbles (Lila Perl)

May 2 - The Language of Flowers (Vanesa Diffenabugh)

June 6 - A Prayer for Owen Meaney (John Irving)

July 4 - NO MEETING

August 2 - Educated (Tara Westoverr)

September 6 - Washington Black (Esi Edugyan)

October 4 - NO BOOK SELECTION - POTLUCK

November 1 - The Glass Ocean (Beatriz Williams)

December 6 - How Hard Can It Be? (Allison Pearson)      

 


 

Farmington Area Public Library District

Second Monday Book Group (Second Monday each month at 6:30pm)

January 14th- Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards

February 11th- The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

March 11th- The Lake House by Kate Morton

April 8th- Death in the Air: The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City by Kate Winkler Dawson

May 13th- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

June 10th- Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern

July 8th- Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case that Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams

August 12th- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

September 9th- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

October 14th- Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

November 11th- Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict

December 9th- Clock Dance by Anne Tyler

 

For more information contact the Library at 309-245-2175309-245-2175

 


 

Fondulac District Library in East Peoria

YA For All Book Club (YA book discussion for teens and adults), meets second Tuesday of every month at 7pm

 

 

Teen Space Book Club (YA book discussion for grades 8 through 12), meets third Tuesday of every month at 7pm

 

 

To Be Continued Book Club (A series book club for 5-8th graders), meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:30pm

 


 

Galesburg Public Library

Please note: we DO loan our book club kits to other libraries for book discussions. Contact Jane (jane.easterly@galesburglibrary.org or 309-343-6118) if you want to borrow one of our kits.

 

Tuesday/Thursday Book Clubs 

January – Nomadland 

February – Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart (includes skype with author)

March – The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton 

April – When the Emperor Was Divine (Big Read)

May – Spying on Whales by Nick Pyenson

June – Virgil Wander by Leif Enger 

July – Something Wonderful by Todd S. Purdum 

August – French Exit by Patrick DeWitt 

September 2019 - Trooper by Forrest Bryan Johnson  

October 2019 - Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen 

November 2019 - Endurance by Scott Kelly 

December 2019 - Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce

 

Tome Raiders Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Club

January – End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

February  – Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

March – Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis

April  – Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (Big Read companion When the Emperor Was Divine)

May  – Ringworld by Larry Niven

June – The Big Sheep by Robert Kroese

July – Technicolor Time Machine by Harry Harrison

August – Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

September 2019 – Silverlock by John Myers Myers

October 2019 - One Way by S.J. Morden

November 2019 – The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip

December 2019 – All Systems Red by Martha Wells

 

Food for Thought Book Club 

February - Blackout by Marc Elsberg 

March - Lights Out by Ted Koppel

April - The Seasons of My Mother by Marcia Gay Harden (Big Read companion to When the Emperor Was Divine)

May - The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman – LP available 

June – Fastest Things on Wings: Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood

July - The Law of the Jungle by Paul M. Barrett

August - The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah

September - Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan

October – The End of Ice by Dahr Jamail

November - The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry  

 


Henry Public Library - Henry, IL

 

Best Little Book Club by a Dam Site - Group formed fall of 2002 and named January 2003.  Henry has been using variations on this theme for many years.  The first instance I found was in the 1 February 1872 paper.

 

We meet at 9:30 on the Second Monday of the month.  We generally pick 6 months of books at a time.

Date 

Title 

Author 

January 14 The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame
February 11 All Creatures Great and Small James Herriott
March 11 A Girl from Yamhill (memoir) and The Mouse and the Motorcycle Beverly Cleary
April 8 The Perfect Horse Elizabeth Letts
May 13 Androclese and the Lion George Bernard Shaw
June 10 Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes
     
July 8 The Hate U Give  Angie Thomas 
August 12 Sister's First  Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush 
September 9 Darlene's Sliver Streak & The Bradford Model T Girls  John Butte 
October 14 Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History Making Race Around the World  Matthew Goodman 
November 4 An Invisible Thread  Laura Schroff 
December 9 Mr Dickens and His Carol  Samantha Silva 

 


 

Illinois Prairie District Public Library - Spring Bay Branch

The Spring Bay Bookies celebrated 17 years in January.  Meeting are held once a month at the Spring Bay Branch.  We hope to avoid conflicts with other book clubs in getting our selections, and the past year proved successful.  We take turns selecting books and hosting that meeting.  

Reading

Author

Meeting 

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

Ann B Ross

Feb 4

Running Blind 

Lee Childs

 Mar 4

The Cat Who Knew A Cardinal

Lillian Braun Jackson

 April 1

The Book Thief

Marcus Zusak

May 6

The 17th Suspect

James Patterson

Jun 3

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

 Jul 1

The Last Original Wife

Dorothea Benton Frank

Aug 5

Before We Were Yours

Lisa Wingate

 Sep 5

The Things We Keep

Sally Hepworth

Oct 7

A Man Called Ove

Fredrik Backman

Nov 4

A Light in the Window

Jan Karon

Dec 2

Alaskan Holiday 

Debbie Macomber

Jan 6, 2020

Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore

Robin Sloan

Feb 3, 2020

 


 

 

Lillie M. Evans Library District in Princeville "Talk About a Good Book” Discussion Group

Usually meets last Monday of the month at 3 pm in Turner Room

 

                       2019(Our 16th year)

January 28

Cuckoo's Calling

Galbraith, Robert

February 25

Almost Sisters

Jackson, Joshilyn

March 25

Celine

Heller, Peter

April 29

Hidden Figures

Shetterly, Margot Lee

May 20

Story of Arthur Truluv

Berg, Elizabeth

June 24 

Bluebird, Bluebird

Locke, Atttica

July 29

Educated

Westover, Tara

August 26

Between You and Me

Wiggs, Susan

Sept 30

IQ

Ide, Joe

October 28

Last Castle

Kiernan, Denise

November 25

Great Alone

Hannah, Kristin

December 9th @ 3pm —Coffee Chat about your favorite books of 2019

& get our new list for 2020

 

Blog available online at: http://talkaboutagoodbook.blogspot.com/ 

Contact Beth Duttlinger lill@lmelibrary.org for more information.


Macomb Public Library

Great Reads

Great Reads Book Club is an adult reading/discussion group sponsored by the Friends of the Macomb Public Library. It meets from September through May (except for December) on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. The book club will meet at the Macomb Public library multi-purpose room.

 

Date Title Author
July 1, 2019
The New Iberia Blues
James Lee Burke
September 11, 2019 
Go, Went, Gone
Jenny Erpenbeck
October 8, 2019
Educated Tara Westover
November 13, 2019
Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens
December 2019
TBA
TBA
January 8, 2020 Warlight Michael Ondaatje
February 19, 2020 The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border Francisco Cantu
March 11, 2020 Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
April 8, 2020 Washington Black Ese Edugyan
May 13, 2020 There Will Be No Miracles Here: a Memoir Casey Gerald

 

Mystery Book Club

Mystery Book Club is an adult reading/discussion group sponsored by the Friends of the Macomb Public Library. The group schedule is in a state of revision, but these are the dates available so far. The book club will meet at the Macomb Public library multi-purpose room.

 

Date Title Author
July 1, 2019
The New Iberia Blues
James Lee Burke
October 23, 2019 The Death of Mrs. Westaway Ruth Ware
December 4, 2019 Buckingham Palace Gardens Anne Perry
February 26, 2020 The Indian Bride Karin Fossum

 

Patron-run book clubs

These groups use Macomb Public Library for interlibrary loan of book club titles, but these groups are not directly sponsored by our library.

 

Book Club 1

This group usually meets the final Friday of the month and selects the title for the next month on their meeting dates. Some exceptions are made for holidays with this schedule, though. This group usually requests 4-5 copies of a selection.

 

There are also book clubs affiliated with our local university, so a few patrons sometimes request titles for those as well. Those patrons usually place their requests on RSACat with no assistance, so I am usually unaware the titles are intended for book club use or how long they may be in use unless the patron expresses concern about being able to renew a title. These particular patrons are usually very responsible about their usage, though, and the titles are usually not in high demand at the time these patrons place their requests. 

 

When we see there is a situation of a book club title not being easily available, we expand our searches to I-Share, SHARE Illinois libraries, and non-RSA libraries in our region.

 

Contact Carla Ainslie macomblib.carla@gmail.com or macomb.pld.rsa@gmail.com for more information.

 


Morrison & Mary Wiley Library (in Elmwood)

 

January 3, 2019 -- To Kill a Mockingbird (movie) Harper Lee

February 7, 2019 -- What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw! Agatha Christie

March 7, 2019 -- The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins

April 4, 2019 -- Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

May 2, 2019 -- Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

June 6, 2019 -- In Pieces, Sally Field

July 4, 2019 -- No Book Group due to holiday

August 1, 2019 -- A House Without Windows, Nadia Hashimi

September 5, 2019 -- The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje

October 3, 2019 -- Outlander, Diana Gabaldon

November 7, 2019 -- The Lost City of Z, David Grann

December 5, 2019 -- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

 

Our Book Group meets the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 PM. New members and visitors are always welcome!

 


 

Morton Public Library Book Club

Held at the Morton Public Library at 315 W. Pershing St in Morton, IL

 

Contact Tahdra for more information:   TahdraT@mortonlibrary.org 

 


 

Normal Public Library

NPL Book Club at the Normal Public Library, 206 West College Avenue, Normal meets on the 3rd Wednesday every other month

 

January 16 - The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Hinton

March 20 - Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

May 15 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

July 17 - One Light Still Shines: My Life Beyond the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting by Marie Monville

September 18 - The President is Missing by Bill Clinton & James Patterson

November 20 - The Gift by Richard Paul Evans

 

Contact our volunteer book club leader, Pixie for more information: ask at normalpl.org


 

Pekin Public Library

We meet the 1st Monday of the month at 2 and 6:45 (same book both times) I ORDER 38 BOOKS EACH MONTH (sorry to deplete the supply)

 

January - Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

February - As Bright As Heaven

March - Rebecca

April - Educated by Tara Westover

May -  Stars are Fire by Shreve

June - Sometimes I Lie  

July - The Great Alone by Hannah

August - American Marriage by Jones

Sept - Alternate Side by Quindlen

Oct - Button Man

Nov - Stranger in the Woods by Finkle

Dec - Elevation by King

 


 

Prairie Skies Public Library District

 "Bookies" Book Club 

Meet at the Pleasant Plains location on the 4th Thursday of each month @ 7 pm

    

All are welcome

 

ABC book club

Meets at Ashland location on the third Tuesday of each month @ 6:30pm

     


Quincy Public Library

Bookies--meet in the Library on the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 PM

October 2019 - The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonia Iturbe 

November 2019 - Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell 

December 2019 - The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan 

     

Renaissance Readers--meet in the library on the second Tuesday of each month at 10:15 AM

September 2019 - Radium Girls by Kate Moore 

October 2019 - Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson 

November 2019 - Pick your own book with the theme "Women of Note" 

December 2019 - End of Year party - no book 

 

All Over the Page--meets at local restaurants on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM

September 2019 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon 

October 2019 - Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi 

November 2019 - A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell 

December 2019 - Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton 

 

Unshelved--meets in the library on the second Wednesday of each month at 1:00 PM

September 2019 - The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood 

October 2019 - The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry 

November 2019 - Hiddensee: a tale of the once & future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire

December 2019 - No meeting 

 

20s & 30s SciFi/Horror reading group -- meets in the library on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM.  

September 2019 - 1984 by George Orwell 

October 2019 - TBA 

November 2019 - TBA 

December 2019 - TBA 

    

Literary Angles--meet at the library on the third Tuesday each month at 1:30 PM

September 2019 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 

October 2019 - Pick your own Horror book 

November 2019 - An Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan 

December 2019 - End of Year party - no book 

    


 

Tremont District Library

Third Thursday Bookclub -- Meet at Eli's coffee shop in Tremont at 12:30PM on the third Thursday of each month.

 

Young Adult Book Club -- Meets at Eli's coffee shop in Tremont at 7pm on the third Tuesday of each month.

 

January          BYO Book (Swap Reading Recommendations with Others)
February        Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

March            Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

April              Carnegie's Maid

May               A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

June              Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West

July               

August          The Address by Fiona Davis

September     The Great Alone

October          Crazy Rich Asians

November     Educated by Tara Westover

December

 


Washington District Library

We meet the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM in the Main library study rooms. (We do not meet during June/July, due to Summer Reading.)

January 10, 2019                   (1st in a Series)                    Virgin River                                   Robyn Carr
February 14, 2019                 (Romance)                            One Plus One                              Jojo Moyes

March 14, 2019                     (Classic)                               The Haunting of Hill House          Shirley Jackson (probably the BEST book discussion I have ever attended!)

April 11, 2019                        Author event with The Book Nook                                          Susan Furlong spoke about her cozy and not-so-coy mysteries

May 9, 2019                         (Mystery/Thriller)                    I Found You                                 Lisa Jewell

BREAK FOR SUMMER READING

August 8, 2019                    Topical Book Choice - True Crime                                             Each member read a true crime book of choice and book talked it at the meeting.

September 12, 2019             ("Potluck" Book Choice)          Good Riddance                        Elinor Lipman

October 10, 2019                  (Mystery/Thriller)                    Bring Her Back                          B. A. Paris

November 14, 2019              (Fiction)                                   The Last Romantics                  Tara Conklin

December 12, 2019               (Biography/Memoir)               Born Standing Up                    Steve Martin

 


 

Wyoming Public Library Book Club

Meet at One Eleven Coffee at 5:45 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month

2019 

Jan 8th           Jiles, Paulette                          News of the World

Feb 13th         Owens, Delia                           Where the Crawdads Sing       

Mar 13th        Flynn, Gilliam                          Sharp Objects 

April 16th       Salinger, J.D.                           The Catcher in the Rye           

May 14th       Dugoni, Robert                        The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell 

June 11th       Benedict, Marie                      The Only Woman in the Room

July 9th           Williams, Beatriz et. al            The Glass Ocean

Aug 13th        Kistler, Bonnie                         House on Fire

Sept 10th       Jonasson, Jonas                       The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out …

Oct 8th           Tyler, Anne                              Clock Dance

Nov 12th        Krueger, W.K.                          This Tender Land

Dec 10th         Cohen, Jon                               Harry’s Trees                            

 


 

Questions about this wiki?  

Contact Beth Duttlinger

bethd@lmelibrary.org 

Lillie M. Evans Library District

207 N Walnut, PO Box 349

Princeville, IL 61559

lmelibrary.org