Join a book club at the Des Moines Public Library! All our locations have discussions each month. Check out the upcoming discussions below. Books may be picked up at the information desks of their respective libraries. Books & Bites books can be picked up at the Central Library.
To learn more about each book discussion, click "learn more".
South Side Book Discussion Group
Thursday, March 21, 2 PM | South Side Library
The Easy Life in Kamusari by Shion Miura
From Shion Miura, the award-winning author of The Great Passage, comes a rapturous novel where the contemporary and the traditional meet amid the splendor of Japan's mountain way of life.
Forest Avenue Library Book Discussion Group
Monday, March 25, 6 PM | Forest Avenue Library
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she's really not. She's a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist. When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she's mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet... Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
The Varsity Cinema Book Club
Wednesday, March 27, Movie Showing 6 PM, Discussion 8:30 PM | The Varsity Cinema (1207 25th St.)
This month, we will be reading the novel Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, and watching the film Trainspotting by Danny Boyle. Limited copies of the book will be available for checkout at the Central Library Pick-up Window starting March 1.
Virtual Cookbook Club
Thursday, March 28, 6:30 PM | Zoom
Join us from the comfort of your own homes and kitchens for a DMPL cookbook club that celebrates substitutions, creativity, sustainability and independence in home cooking. Prepare or use for inspiration one or more recipes from the selected cookbook for the month and come prepared to discuss triumphs and challenges.
We try our best to select cookbooks that are accessible and feature recipes for all diets, experience levels, abilities and budgets. This month we will be cooking from Good Enough by Leanne Brown.
Franklin Afternoon Book Discussion
Monday, April 8, 1 PM | Franklin Avenue Library
Calling For A Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah
A moving and deeply engaging novel about a young Native American man as he learns to find strength in his familial identity.
Books & Bites
Tuesday, April 9, 6:30 PM | The Walnut (1417 Walnut Street)
Light From Uncommon Starts by Ryka Aoki
Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.
Reading On The Margins Book Club
Thursday, April 11, 6:30 PM | Franklin Avenue Library
How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler
A fascinating tour of creatures from the surface to the deepest ocean floor: this "miraculous, transcendental book" invites us to envision wilder, grander, and more abundant possibilities for the way we live (Ed Yong, author of An Immense World).
East Side Book Discussion Group
Monday, April 15, 2 PM | East Side Library
The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
With four starred reviews, Angeline Boulley's debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.
North Side Book Discussion Group
Tuesday, April 16, 2 PM | North Side Library
The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson
June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.
Books That Will Change Your Life: A Nonfiction Book Club
Wednesday, March 13, 6 PM | Central Library
A "thrilling" (The New York Times), "dazzling" (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world that will fill you with wonder and forever alter your perspective, by Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist Ed Yong.
South Side Book Discussion Group
Thursday, April 18, 2 PM | South Side Library
Cat Brushing and Other Stories by Jane Campbell
A rousing and original debut story collection that probes the erotic, emotional, and intellectual lives of elder women, Cat Brushing will be published in the author's 80th year.
Campbell, vigorously explores the sensual worlds of thirteen older women, unearthing their passions, libidinal appetites, integrity, and sense of self as they fight against prevalent misconceptions and stereotypes of the aging.
The Varsity Cinema Book Club
Wednesday, April 24, Movie Showing 6 PM, Discussion 8:30 PM | The Varsity Cinema (1207 25th St.)
This month, we will be reading the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and watching the film Romeo + Juliet (1996) by Baz Luhrmann. Limited copies of the book will be available for checkout at the Central Library Pick-up Window starting April 1.
South Side Evening Book Discussion
Thursday, April 25, 6:30 PM | South Side Library
Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner
From the indie rock sensation known as Japanese Breakfast, an unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American—"in losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself" (NPR).
Virtual Cookbook Club
Thursday, April 28, 6:30 PM | Zoom
Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
Join us from the comfort of your own homes and kitchens for a DMPL cookbook club that celebrates substitutions, creativity, sustainability and independence in home cooking. Prepare or use for inspiration one or more recipes from the selected cookbook for the month and come prepared to discuss triumphs and challenges.
We try our best to select cookbooks that are accessible and feature recipes for all diets, experience levels, abilities and budgets. This month we will be cooking from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat.