Book clubs in Camberville for every age and taste

Read has established to us here at Cambridge Day that we live in a literary-inclined area: There are bookstores of every stripe, including the queer feminist All She Wrote and Narrative Bookshop emphasizing Bipoc and marginalized voices; book talks with authors galore; and frequent creative events such as literary crawls and book fairs. (By covering these happenings, perhaps we’ve established ourselves as literary-inclined.) I wondered: Do people still host book clubs? Meet up to chat about books? Yes, it turns out. Whether you want to attend a book group in a library (where chosen books can be loaned instead of bought), a cafe or a brewery and talk about fantasy, romance or general fiction, there’s one for you here, all on stress-free monthly schedules.

Harvard Square Book Circle
At Faro Cafe
Last Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.

Organized by the Harvard Book Store in partnership with Faro Cafe, this book club meets after the cafe closes for the day. Each book discussed is one of the store’s featured monthly titles. No commitment is necessary, and new participants are welcome. This month’s selection is “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler, being discussed Aug. 27.

All She Wrote Books: Breakfast Club
At All She Wrote Books
One Sunday a month at 10:30 a.m.

All She Wrote’s book group brings Sunday brunch into the equation, where a $5 ticket gets you coffee and pastries from Gran Prix-winning Michette in addition to admission to a book discussion. The meeting Aug. 18 discusses “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourne. “Ambition Monster” by Jennifer Romolini is next, on Sept. 22. (All She Wrote Books hosts a second monthly book club at Juliet Social Club, where authors attend to speak about their books.)

PSB Book Club
At Porter Square Books
Fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m.

Hosted by Porter Square Books bookseller Wendy, this club skips August to meet again Sept. 23, and though the book has not been announced, recent selections include “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders, “Convenience Store Woman” by Sayaja Murata, “The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai and “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner.

Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Club
At Porter Square Books
Third Monday of each month at 7 p.m.

Porter Square Books booksellers Connor and Alyssa just established this book club for fans of science fiction and fantasy. It met for the first time in July to discuss “Mistborn” by Brandon Sanderson; the next meeting is Aug. 19 for “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Tough Guy Book Club
At Joe Sent Me
First Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.

Tough Guy Book Club was started in Melbourne, Australia, in 2012, and has grown into an international network of men’s book clubs meeting in local pubs. “For too long the pokie machine, the cover band and sports on the TV have left the men in our pubs a bunch of boring pricks with nothing to say,” the founders explain. “It’s time to change that. Let’s put heavy duty discussion back on the table at the pub.” In an FAQ that may be more gendered than is strictly relevant for Cambridge and Somerville, they give a sense of the reading list: “We mostly read books about men because we’re a men’s book club, and so we find that kind of thing more interesting to talk about. Guys read enough nonfiction – don’t get me wrong, nonfiction is great if you want to learn about the planes of World War II – but you can learn more about people from stories.” While it’d be “pretty stupid to cut out over half the books ever written,” meaning by female authors, “we do read a lot of old dead white guys because a lot of them are interesting to talk about for us.” Past books include “The Chase” by Candice Fox, “Hag-Seed” by Margaret Atwood and “Open Water” by Caleb Azumah Nelson. The next meeting in North Cambridge is Sept. 4.

East Branch Book Club
Somerville Public Library
Fourth Friday of each month at 11 a.m.

The Somerville Public Library does not play around when it comes to book clubs, and its many offerings accommodate lots of interests. The East Branch club reads fiction and nonfiction. At the next meeting, Aug. 30, it discusses “Catch the Sparrow: A Search for a Sister and the Truth of Her Murder” by Rachel Rear. Other months’ books have included “Taste: My Life Through Food” by Stanley Tucci and “The View From Castle Rock” by Alice Munro.

(Somerville Public Library) Books & Brews
At Aeronaut Brewing
Second Wednesday of each month at 6:15 p.m.

This library event at Aeronaut Brewing is a social book group for readers in their 20s and 30s and the young at heart. The next time it meets is Wednesday, when members discuss “Small Mercies” by Dennis Lehane. Selections usually trend toward popular literary fiction such as “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett and “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin.

The SPL Supper Club
At Remnant Brewing
Third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

The Somerville Public Library Supper Club is a cookbook-based book club that each month picks a cookbook so everyone can bring a dish from it for a potluck dinner. August’s book is “Tenderheart” by Hetty McKinnon, an homage to her bicultural identity as the child of a Chinese father in Australia. The all-vegetarian cookbook has more than 180 recipes featuring 22 fruits and vegetables.

CelebriTea Book Club
Somerville Public Library, West Branch Community Room
Last Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

The CelebriTea Book Club reads celebrity tell-all memoirs while drinking and spilling the tea. Past selections have included “The Woman in Me” by Britney Spears, “Hello, Molly” by Molly Shannon and “Not My Father’s Son” by Alan Cumming. Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite mug to sip from.

(Somerville Public Library) Between the Covers Romance Book Club
On Zoom
First Tuesday of each month at 7 p..m.

Somerville Public Library also runs a few groups that meet over Zoom, such as this romance book club for readers ages 21-plus. When the group meets Sept. 3, it will discuss “The Bodyguard” by Katherine Center.

(Somerville Public Library) Mystery Book Group
On Zoom
Last Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

The Mystery Book Group is similarly pretty self-explanatory. It next meets Aug. 28 to discuss “The Appeal” by Janice Hallett and on Sept. 25 to discuss “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” by Claudia Gray.

Queer Book Club
Somerville Public Library, central branch and on Zoom
Third Monday of each month at 6 p.m.

The Queer Book Club meets in a hybrid format, alternating between the in-person and virtual. The club reads queer fiction, nonfiction and memoirs, and while allies are appreciated, these meetings are intended for people in the LGBTQIA+ community. On Aug. 19, the group discusses “The Bruising of Qilwa” by Naseem Jamnia. September’s book is “Florida Woman” by Deb Rogers.

Central Square Book Club
Cambridge Public Library, Central Square
Third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

The Cambridge Public Library has just started a book club at its Central Square branch focusing on contemporary adult fiction. The club met for the first time in July to discuss recent favorite reads. The first book is “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See, to be taken up Aug. 21.

Romance Book Group
Cambridge Public Library, main
Second Tuesday of each month at 7:15 p.m.

A second option for those interested in romance book groups. The coming week’s meeting discusses “Lore of the Wilds” by Analeigh Sbrana.

Magic Tree House Book Group, Merlin Missions Book Group, Graphics Are Great! Book Group
Cambridge Public Library, O’Connell Branch and on Zoom
First Friday of each month at 4 p.m.; first Friday of each month at 4:30 p.m.; last Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m.

There are a few book groups for kids at the CPL’s O’Connell Branch, which participants can join via Zoom. For 5- to 10-year-olds, the Magic Tree House Book Group meets to discuss selections in the ongoing Mary Pope Osborne series that began publishing in 1992, such as “Warriors in Winter” and “To the Future, Ben Franklin.” For readers in the same age group who are ready for longer adventures about Jack and Annie, the Merlin Missions Book Group is held immediately afterward. In September, it discusses the first in the subsidies, “Christmas in Camelot”; in October, it moves on to “Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve.” The Graphics Are Great! Book Group (focused on graphic novels for readers age 8-12) meets Aug. 27 to discuss “Lo & Behold” by Wendy Mass; on Sept. 24, it moves to “Always Anthony” by Terri Libenson.

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