Book clubs in New York.
22 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Midtown, Astoria, Bushwick. Most are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
A book club in New York is a monthly rhythm more often than a weekly one: a book is announced, three or four weeks pass, and the group meets to talk about it, usually in a library room, a café or the back of a bookshop. Some are run by libraries and some by readers, and nearly all are free.
Most publish the next book on their own page, which is where every listing links. Read it, or read most of it, and go. Nobody checks.
All 22 book clubs in New York.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Themed monthly book club that meets on a Sunday at Bronx Alehouse in Kingsbridge (Kingsbridge Library during football season). Members nominate and vote on the pick; finishing the book is optional.
Monthly on a Sunday (usually the third), midday, Bronx Alehouse, 216 W 238th St · The Bronx · Free · meetup.com →Writers of every kind meet twice a week in Bushwick cafes to write in 75-90 minute focused bursts with coffee breaks between: Sunday afternoons at Ange Noir Cafe, Wednesday nights at Tipsy Bean.
Sundays and Wednesdays, time varies · Bushwick · Free · meetup.com →Monthly non-fiction discussion (politics, history, biography) at The Local NY hostel bar in Long Island City; the host brings a question list so you can turn up having only half-finished the book.
Monthly, usually a Saturday 1pm at The Local NY, Long Island City · Long Island City · Free · meetup.com →Greenlight Bookstore's monthly fantasy discussion, held at Black Forest Brooklyn beer hall on Fulton St rather than in the shop. Free; RSVP on Eventbrite.
Monthly, a Tuesday 7pm at Black Forest Brooklyn, 733 Fulton St · Fort Greene · Free · greenlightbookstore.com →Greenlight Bookstore's monthly group reading contemporary fiction and non-fiction on queer life, meeting at Hops Hill bar on Atlantic Ave in Boerum Hill. Free; RSVP on Eventbrite.
Monthly, a Tuesday 7pm at Hops Hill at Atlantic, 533 Atlantic Ave · Free · greenlightbookstore.com →Small Heylo book club reading non-fiction about bridges, grids, water and the systems behind cities, meeting on Monday evenings in Hell's Kitchen roughly every other week.
Roughly every other Monday evening; dates on Heylo · Hell's Kitchen · Free · heylo.com →McNally Jackson's in-store book club built around New Directions titles, meeting on a weekday evening at the Prince St shop. Free with RSVP.
Monthly weekday evening at McNally Jackson SoHo; dates on the shop's events page · Soho · Free · mcnallyjackson.com →Open mic for narrative writing at The Churchill Tavern on E 28th St: each writer gets 15 minutes to read a story and 5 minutes of audience Q&A. Always free, no donations asked.
Monday evenings 7pm at The Churchill Tavern, 45 E 28th St; dates on Meetup · Flatiron · Free · meetup.com →Low-key monthly book club that votes on a title each month and meets midday on a weekend, in a park when warm and indoors when cold. Venue is shown to Meetup members after RSVP.
Monthly, weekend midday; venue announced to members on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Discussion group for books written roughly 1800-1960, meeting at The Hugh food hall on E 53rd St. RSVP on Meetup; no-shows are removed to free seats.
Roughly monthly weekday evening, announced on Meetup · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Large reading-group community working through philosophy and psychology texts a chunk at a time, with in-person weekend sessions at Pier 57 and the Maiden Lane atrium plus weeknight groups on Zoom.
Several groups a week; in-person Saturdays 12:30pm at Pier 57 and Sundays 4pm at 180 Maiden Lane, others online · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday-evening co-writing hour at The French Workshop bakery on Broadway in Astoria. One hour of uninterrupted writing, no prompts or feedback.
Wednesdays, 6:15pm · Astoria · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday-evening writing session at Bad Therapy bar on Cortelyou Rd in Ditmas Park: introductions, then focused writing time with no critique.
Wednesdays, 6:30pm · Free · meetup.com →Weekly Sunday-morning co-writing at Azal Coffee: quick introductions, then an hour of silent writing with no sharing or critique. Part of the free Shut Up & Write network.
Sundays, 10am · Forest Hills · Free · meetup.com →Early Tuesday-morning writing session at The Monkey Cup cafe on Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd: grab a coffee, introduce yourself, write. No feedback, no prompts.
Tuesdays, 9am · Harlem · Free · meetup.com →Bring whatever you are reading, say hello, then read in silence together for an hour or so before chatting. Sessions rotate between Brooklyn Public Library Central, a Bronx book cafe and uptown coffee shops.
Several sessions a month across the boroughs, announced on Meetup (incl. Saturday afternoons at Brooklyn Public Library Central) · Free · meetup.com →Social club reading romance and erotica, with a Manhattan chapter on the first Tuesday at Cornerstone Tavern and a Brooklyn chapter on the third Wednesday. Organisers stress it is free and not for profit.
Monthly, first Tuesday · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Ten-year-old book club for readers aged 18-45 that meets monthly on a Sunday afternoon in a rented studio on W 29th St. Conversation is loose and unstructured; 90-day free trial before the small annual dues.
Monthly on a Sunday, 3pm, Cre8tive Space, 134 W 29th St · Chelsea · $5/year · meetup.com →Monthly all-genre book club that votes on its pick and meets the second Wednesday at Kent Ale House. Mix of regulars and first-timers each month.
Monthly, second Wednesday · Williamsburg · $1 · meetup.com →Weekly in-person writing sessions that rotate between Central Park on weekends and bars or studios in Greenpoint, Williamsburg and the West Village on weeknights, mixing social time with craft and feedback.
Weekly; venue rotates (Central Park Saturday 2pm, Brooklyn/Manhattan weeknights 6pm), announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →McNally Jackson's Downtown Brooklyn book club reading NYRB Classics reissues, one title a month on a Thursday evening. Free with RSVP.
Monthly, a Thursday 7pm at McNally Jackson Downtown Brooklyn; dates on the shop's events page · Free · mcnallyjackson.com →Tuesday-night writing session at The Keep bar in Ridgewood: people work on their own projects over a drink, with a parallel Zoom room for anyone remote.
Tuesdays, 7:30pm · Ridgewood · Free · meetup.com →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I have to have finished the book?
Almost never. Most clubs would rather have you there than have you skip a month, and a few deliberately pick short books for that reason. If a club is strict about it, the listing says so.
How do I find out what they're reading?
Follow the link on the listing. Clubs announce the next book on their own page, usually right after the previous meeting.
What about writing groups, or film clubs?
They are here too. Writing groups, film clubs and other reading-adjacent groups are listed under Books, and the ones with enough clubs in New York have their own page.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a book club in New York we don’t? Add it.