Book Clubs

We currently offer two types of book clubs, those led by librarians and others led by community members. All book clubs are open to anyone who wishes to join!

Librarian-Led 

4th Tuesday Book Club (Southern Branch in Carrboro)

The 4th Tuesday Book Club meets from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Branch in Carrboro! Join us in-person for engaging discussions on a great selection of books. You can pick up a copy of this month's book at Southern while supplies last. Register for book club here or in person at the Southern Branch. 

Not a Book Club logo

Not a Book Club (Online)

The next best thing to reading a good book is talking about it with our fellow readers. Join us online the 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. for an informal book discussion. We’re "Not a Book Club," so there’s no assigned reading and no pressure. Just grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and let’s talk books! Register here or call 919.245.2525 for more details.

Page Turners Book Club (Seymour Center in Chapel Hill)

Join us the 3rd Friday of the month from 10-11a.m. at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill. The book club is free, open to the public and no registration required. In addition to physical copies in our library collection, all titles should also be available electronically through hoopla. Call Maureen at 919.245.2535 or email msocha@orangecountync.gov if you have any questions.

Library After Dark: A Silent Reading Club (Main Library in Hillsborough)

Wouldn't it be great to have a quiet hour to sit and read whatever you want (and maybe have a little snack)? You can do that at Library After Dark! From September through may, we'll gather on 4th Tuesdays of the month from 6:30-7:30pm at Main Library in Hillsborough -- be sure to get here before the library closes at 7! Bring whatever you'd like to read. We'll also have a selection of Lucky Day and New Release books to check out if you like. Coffee, tea, and some light refreshments will be available.

We'll read silently together for an hour. If you'd like to stick around after, we'll chat for a while about what we've been reading lately. If this sounds like fun, be sure to register!

Community Member-Led Book Clubs

First Monday Classics (Main Library in Hillsborough)

This club meets the 1st Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Please email James Maxey for more details. 

To celebrate 250 years of America, we're doing only American classics this year, in more or less sequential order, oldest to newest. For a fuller view of American writing, we're also adding an optional short work or two. From the 1920s onward, most of the short stories can be found in The Best American Short Stories of the 20th Century edited by John Updike.

  • January 5, 2026 - Twice-Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Bonus reading: Common Sense by Thomas Paine; "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving
  • February 23, 2026* - Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Bonus reading: "Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville 
  • March 2, 2026 - The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. Bonus reading: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
  • April 6, 2026 - Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. Bonus reading: "Blood-Burning Moon" by Jean Toomer
  • May 4, 2026 - My Antonia by Willa Cather. Bonus reading: "The Other Woman" by Sherwood Anderson
  • June 1, 2026 - Home to Harlem by Claude McKay. Bonus reading: "The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway
  • July 6, 2026 -The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. bonus reading: "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
  • August 3, 2026 - East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Bonus reading: "The Resemblance Between A Violin Case and a Coffin" by Tennessee Williams
  • October 5, 2026 - Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Bonus reading: "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin; "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
  • November 2, 2026 - Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth. Bonus reading: "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
  • December 7, 2026 - The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Bonus reading: "A City of Churches" by Donald Barhelme

*rescheduled due to weather

Tuesday Evening Book Club (Main Library in Hillsborough)

This club meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Library's meeting room. For meeting information, please contact Sara Levinson.