Book Groups
Tuesday Night Book Group
What we read: We choose books that spark great conversations! Members recommend titles, and then we vote on them. New members are always welcome—just grab a copy of our next book and join in! Connect with us on Goodreads!
Register for the book club meetings online through the events calendar or call (586) 329-1261.
Here is a list of our Tuesday Night Book Group Titles 2017-2025
February 24th at 6:00 p.m.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Book Description:
A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined.
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and Earth itself will perish.
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?
March 31st at 6:00 p.m.
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Book Description:
Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power…
Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.
Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.
April 28th at 6:00 p.m.
A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
Book Description:
When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet. Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.
Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts. A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.
Murder & Booze Book Club
What We Read: We look for books that give us a lot to talk about! Mysteries, thrillers, true crime, and books with lots of twists and turns are ideal. Enjoy a cold one and grab an appetizer at a new location every month for our mystery, thriller, and true crime book club!
Registration is REQUIRED due to restaurant capacity!
Register for the book club meetings online through the events calendar or call (586) 329-1261.
Please check the calendar for dates.
Wednesday, March 11th at 6:00 p.m.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
We are meeting at:
Gumbo's
53 N Walnut St, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043
Registration is required. Please register via our Events calendar or contact the library.
Book Description:
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
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.
Wednesday, April 8th at 6:00 p.m.
The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
We are meeting at:
River Rat Restaurant
29370 S River Rd, Harrison Twp, MI 48045
Registration is required. Please register via our Events calendar or contact the library.
Book Description:
London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.
May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.
Silent Book Club
What We Read: At Silent Book Club, there's no assigned reading. Bring whatever book you are reading and join an evening out with fellow book lovers. All readers are welcome - ebooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books... it's BYOBook.
At the beginning of each meeting we will have time to mingle followed by an hour of of silent reading.
Register for the book club meetings online through the events calendar or call (586) 329-1261.
Please check the calendar for dates.
Book Club Kit
HTPL is excited to be a lending partner of the 2026 Great Michigan Read.
Do you want to host a book club outside the library, but are not sure where to begin? Whether you’re part of an existing group or starting a new one, you can borrow a Book Club Kit from the library! Our kit includes everything you need to lead a book club discussion.
With the help of Michigan Humanities, HTPL's first Book Club Kit is now available for checkout! This year's Great Michigan Read is "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" by Detroit-born Curtis Chin.
Book Kits will come in a sturdy tote bag that include:
• 10 copies of Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant
• 1 pack of Conversation Cards with 40+ conversation prompts, facts, and extension ideas
Are these Kits only for established Library Book Clubs?
No! Anyone with a library card can check out a Book Club Kit.
How many copies of a title are included in each Book Club Kit?
The kit includes 10 copies of the book and a deck of conversation cards.
How do I place a Book Club Kit on hold?
The kit may be reserved through the online catalog or at the library.
How long can I keep a Book Club Kit?
Check out is 21 days to give your group plenty of time to read and discuss.
Can I renew a Book Club Kit?
Kits may be renewed twice if there are no holds.
The 2025–26 Great Michigan Read is presented by Michigan Humanities. Additional support is provided by national, statewide, and local partners, including the Library of Michigan and MSU Federal Credit Union. This program is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.