Book clubs in Palo Alto

Palo Alto reads a lot. The city library has five branches and runs its own book clubs, a bookstore a mile north of town hosts two clubs of its own and the senior center downtown fills its calendar with reading circles. Most of these groups are free or cheap and none require you to have finished the book. If you are new in town, a monthly book club is one of the easiest ways to meet the same people again and again.

This guide lists the clubs we confirmed in early November 2026, with the times their organizers posted. It starts in Palo Alto and then covers Kepler's in Menlo Park. Clubs change books every month and sometimes skip one, so check the listing before you buy the next title.

Book clubs at a glance

Library book clubs

The Palo Alto City Library lists its groups on a book clubs page. All are free. Some ask you to register so the leader can send a link or count chairs.

Palo Alto Pageturners

The library's main evening club meets monthly in person at Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road. It reads widely across fiction, nonfiction, biography and memoir. The November meeting is Thursday, November 12, 2026 from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., on Ian McEwan's novel What We Can Know. The December pick is Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

Graphic Novel Book Club

This monthly group for readers 16 and up meets at Mitchell Park Library, 3700 Middlefield Road. A local researcher and author with a PhD in linguistics leads it. The next meeting is Thursday, November 12 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Members choose the titles together.

Brown Bag Book Club

A lunch-hour club on Zoom on the second Tuesday of the month, from noon to 1 p.m. You are welcome even if you have not finished the book. The November 10 meeting reads a title for Native American Heritage Month. Register for the link through the library's events calendar.

Philosophy for Life and Short Story Social

Philosophy for Life is a reading and discussion group at Rinconada Library on selected Sunday afternoons, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m., with the next session on November 15. The Short Story Social is for busy readers who like the idea of a book club without a whole novel. It meets in the evening once a month, with sessions listed for January 28, February 25 and March 25, 2027.

On hiatus and new

The library's ESL Book Club, for English learners reading easier titles, is on hiatus. The library has also posted reading lists for a YA Reads club for teens and adults. Watch the events calendar for its next round.

Book club kits and recommendations

Running your own group? The library lends book club kits with multiple copies of one title, so members do not all have to buy the book. Its free Shelf Made service will also suggest five titles if you describe books your group has liked. You need a card for both. Our library card guide explains how to get one. Our libraries guide covers each branch and its hours.

Kepler's, Menlo Park

Kepler's Books, at 1010 El Camino Real in Menlo Park just north of the city line, is the area's best-known independent bookstore. Its nonprofit arm, the Kepler's Literary Foundation, runs author talks and two book clubs. Our history of Kepler's explains its roots in the 1960s.

• Non-Fiction Book Club. Meets on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9 p.m., usually early in the month. The November 3, 2026 meeting, online only, discussed Erik Larson's The Demon of Unrest. On December 1 the club reads Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World by Brandon Keim.
• Deep Cuts Book Club. Now in its fourth year, it reads four novels a year around a theme and meets on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. in the store. The 2026 theme was coming-of-age novels, ending with Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle on November 9. The club asks a $15 fee per meeting to cover food, drink and staffing.

Kepler's also runs free local author evenings and ticketed talks. See its book clubs page and our readings and literary events guide.

Avenidas reading groups

Avenidas, the nonprofit for older adults at 450 Bryant Street, has the busiest daytime reading calendar in town. Its fall 2026 catalog listed:

• Book Club. First Wednesdays at Avenidas and fourth Thursdays on Zoom, 2:30 to 4 p.m., listed at free or $5 depending on membership.
• Literary Hors d'oeuvres. A twice-monthly story discussion at $10 a session, on second Fridays from 3 to 4 p.m. (November 13 and December 11) and selected Thursdays (November 19 and December 17).
• Zoom reading clubs. A Shakespeare Reading Club on Mondays, a Wednesday Reading Club and a Flashback Friday Literature Reading Club, all from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Avenidas registers through its own catalog. Our resources for older adults page has more on its programs.

Books Inc. and other shops

Books Inc. at Town & Country Village is Palo Alto's main new-book store and a handy place to buy the month's title. Its website would not load for us in November 2026, so we could not confirm a current in-store club. Ask at the counter about book club discounts or events. Bell's Books on Emerson Street, open since 1935, is the place for used and older titles. Our bookstores guide covers both.

Tips for joining a book club

1. Try a free one first. Library clubs cost nothing and let you see what format you like.
2. Place a hold early. Popular picks have long library waitlists. Reserve the book as soon as the title is posted.
3. Come anyway. Most groups would rather you show up with half the book read than not at all.
4. Pick the right slot. Lunch clubs suit remote workers, evening clubs suit commuters and afternoon groups suit retirees.

Frequently asked questions