DMPL Book Clubs

DMPL Book Clubs

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: Lessons in Chemistry

Thursday, November 16, 2 PM | South Side Library

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Meet Elizabeth Zott: "a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention" (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. 

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East Side Book Discussion: 

Monday, November 20, 2 PM | East Side Library

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Hailed as "breathtakingly suspenseful," Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Plot is a propulsive read about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.

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North Side Book Discussion: 

Tuesday, November 21, 2 PM | North Side Library

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

This blood-chilling debut set in New Mexico's Navajo Nation is equal parts gripping crime thriller, supernatural horror, and poignant portrayal of coming of age on the reservation.

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Forest Avenue Library Book Discussion: 

Monday, November 27, 6 PM | Forest Avenue Library

All That She Carried by Tiya Miles

Winner of the National Book Award. A renowned historian traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women to craft a "deeply layered and insightful" (The Washington Post) testament to people who are left out of the archives.

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Introvert Book Club

Tuesday, November 28, 6:30 PM | North Side Library

Love books and hate talking to people? Join like-minded readers as we sit quietly and read. Discussion optional and icebreakers forbidden. Bring your own book. 

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Varsity Cinema Book Club: Interview With A Vampire 

Wednesday, November 29, 6 PM (Movie) 8:30 PM (Discussion) | The Varsity Cinema

Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

This month we will be reading Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice and watching the film Interview with a Vampire by Neil Jordan. Limited copies of the book will be available for checkout at the Central Library Pick-up Window starting the first of the month. 

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YA for Adults Book Club

Thursday, December 7, 6 PM | Central Library

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Transgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.

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Franklin Afternoon Book Discussion

Thursday, December 11, 1 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America by Mayukh Sen

Who's really behind America's appetite for foods from around the globe? This group biography from an electric new voice in food writing honors seven extraordinary women, all immigrants, who left an indelible mark on the way Americans eat today. 

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Daisy Darker

East Side Book Discussion

Monday, December 11, 2 PM | East Side Library

Daisy Darker, by Alice Feeney

The New York Times bestselling author of Rock Paper Scissors returns with a locked-room mystery when a family reunion leads to murder in a delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller, as seen on The TODAY Show.

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The Magician's Daughter

Books & Bites

Tuesday, December 12, 6:30 PM | The Walnut (1417 Walnut St)

The Magician's Daughter, by H.G. Parry

In the early 1900s, a young woman is caught between two worlds in H. G. Parry's cozy tale of magic, miracles, and an adventure of a lifetime.

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Atomic Habits

Books That Will Change Your Life: A Nonfiction Book Club

Wednesday, December 13, 6 PM | Central Library

Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results, by James Clear

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

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The Sentence

Reading on the Margins Book Discussion

Thursday, November 9, 6:30 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

In this New York Times bestselling novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage, and of a woman's relentless errors.

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Favoe Books

North Side Book Discussion

Tuesday, December 19, 2 PM | North Side Library

No specific book discussion book this month. We will be discussing our favorite books of the year! 

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The Bandit Queens

South Side Book Discussion

Thursday, December 19, 2 PM | South Side Library

The Bandit Queens, by Parini Shroff

A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful - until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands - in this razor-sharp debut.

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