Book Groups and Online Book Clubs
News: Deep Thoughts Philosophy Book Group has changed its meeting time from Mondays to Thursdays. Fall 2026 dates: (Thursdays) Sept. 17. Oct. 15, Nov. 19, Dec. 17. We still meet via Zoom.
The Longmont Public Library offers residents books groups that engage thought-provoking discussions among participants. Whatever genre of book you’re interested in, our book groups welcome you!
New participants are always encouraged; come a few minutes early and we’ll get you introduced!
These programs are generously funded by the Friends of the Longmont Library.
Books in a Bag Collection
Have your own book group or thinking about starting one? The Library has done all the legwork for you! Use our Books in a Bag program to jump start organizing your book group or as resources for an existing book group.
In-Person Book Groups
Click on the tabs below to view more information about each book group and the reading list.
The First Thursdays Book Group meets starting at 2 pm in the Library Meeting Rooms on the first Thursday of each month, unless that day falls on a holiday. Please Ask A Librarian if you have questions.
First Thursdays Book Selections
2026:
September 3: The gatekeepers: how the White House Chiefs of Staff define every presidency by Chris Whipple
November 5: Everything is tuberculosis: the history and persistence of our deadliest infection by John Green
December 3: Fascism: a warning by Madeleine Albright
2027:
January 7 – World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
February 4 – The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
March 4 – Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny
April 1 – The Fight Back: A Citizen’s Guide to Standing Up to Dictators by Maria Ressa
May 6 – Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy by Skye Perryman
June 3 – The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World by Tilar J. Mazzeo
July 1 – Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State by Michael Lewis
August 5 – Biography of a Tenement House in New York City: An Architectural History of 97 Orchard Street by Andrew S. Dolkart
September 2 – Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America by Ken Salazar
October 7 – 107 Days by Kamala Harris
November 4 – The Last Best Place on the Internet: A Human History of Wikipedia by Richard Cooke
December 2 – London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Second Mondays Book Group meets in-person in the Library Meeting Rooms starting at 6 pm on the second Monday of each month, unless that day falls on a holiday.
Please Ask A Librarian if you have questions.
Second Mondays Book Selections
January 12: My Ántonia by Willa Cather
February 9: Orbital by Samantha Harvey
March 9: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
April 13: There, There by Tommy Orange
May 4: Euphoria by Lily King
June 8: The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichi
July 13: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
August 10: Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
September 14: 1984 by George Orwell
October 12: The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
November 9: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kristin Miller
December 14: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
The Great Ideas Reading & Discussion Group meets in-person upstairs in the Unquiet Study Area (2nd floor) starting at 3 pm on select Thursdays each month, unless that day falls on a holiday. For more information go to http://great-ideas-group.weebly.com
Sept. 10: Great Books, Vol 2, pp 268-276 The Idea of Custom and Convention from the
Syntopicon-also in Great Books of the Western World or Mortimer Adler’s Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought, pp 118-126
Sept. 24: Great Treasury of Western Thought, pp 560-571 Custom and Moral Law and
The Essays of Montaigne, pp. 77-90, Translated by Donald M. Frame Of custom and not easily changing an accepted law
Oct. 8: Great Books, Vol 2, pp 363-370, The Idea of Physics from the Syntopicon or Mortimer Adler’s Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought, pp. 619-627
Oct. 22: Great Books, Vol 2, pp 158-165, The Idea of Metaphysics from the Syntopicon or
Mortimer Adler’s Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought, pp. 533-541
Nov 05: Great Books, Vol 3, pp 488-495 The Idea of Punishment from the Syntopicon or Mortimer Adler’s Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought, pp 679-687
Nov 19: Great Treasury of Western Thought, pp 875-889 Crime and Punishment
Dec. 3: Great Books, Vol 2, pp 358-365 The Idea of Duty from the Syntopicon or Mortimer Adler’s Great Ideas: A Lexicon of Western Thought, pp 161-168
Dec. 17: Great Treasury of Western Thought, pp 553-560 Moral Philosophy and Morality
Online Book Groups
Click on the tabs below to view more information about each book group and the reading list.
This group meets monthly to discuss a classic short work of philosophy or an excerpt from a longer work. Participants read the work prior to our meeting, and together we explore the meaning of the text and the value it offers us. All participants are welcome, including those who are unable to read the entire selection before the meeting.
Sessions are facilitated by Dawn Jacobs and other graduate students of the Philosophy Outreach Program of Colorado at CU Boulder (POPCO). Facilitators will focus on encouraging and guiding a group discussion/learning event rather than on teaching.
Would you prefer being in an online book club? Through one of our premium services, the Longmont Library is able to offer access to 12 (that’s right, 12!) online book clubs, depending on what you like to read.
Pick from:
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Romance
- Good News
- Teen Club
- Business
- Audio Books
- Mystery
- Sci-Fi
- Thriller
- Pre-Publication
- Penguin Classics
Truly something for every reader! This premium service, available only with a Longmont Library card, also includes exclusive weekly interviews and pictures with authors and book giveaways.
Get your library card ready and head over to our virtual book club world to join the conversations!