Virtual Book Clubs

Turning to literature to pass the time and stay busy? Join our new virtual book clubs and let’s talk books! While the Library is temporarily closed, our virtual book clubs will be meeting on Zoom once a month, and we’ll provide the books for free! Space in each book club is limited and participation will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Happy reading!

Thursday Night Book Club

We read popular titles, best sellers, award winners, and more! Meets the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m.

HOW TO REGISTER:

  • Please send an email with your name, book title, and the date of the book club to Bill at bstephens@benlib.org
  • Once we receive your registration, we will notify you when your book is available for curbside pickup.
  • We will email you an invitation to the Zoom meeting two days prior to the event.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Thursday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to participate, please register by Monday, May 25 to ensure you receive your book on time.

Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins. Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Thursday, July 2 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to participate, please register by Monday, June 22 to ensure you receive your book on time.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

Thursday, August 6 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to participate, please register by Monday, July 27 to ensure you receive your book on time.

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, and, particularly, their acting classes. Two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.  Captivating, tender, and surprising, Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties.

Carapia's Coven

We read horror short stories and novellas available for free digitally on Project Gutenberg! Meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.

HOW TO REGISTER:

  • Please send an email with your name, book title, and the date of the book club to Sofia at scarapia@benlib.org
  • Once we receive your email, we will reply with an invitation to the Zoom meeting!

The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft

Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.

The Shunned House is a novelette by H. P. Lovecraft, originally written in October 1924. Its first wide publication was in the October 1937 issue of Weird Tales. The narrator and his uncle, Dr. Elihu Whipple, investigate an old house with a disturbing reputation for either driving its occupants insane or causing them a slow wasting death.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) by 26 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue (1871–72), the story is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Tuesday, July 21 at 8:00 p.m. | Note Time Change!

The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed.

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

Tuesday, August 18 at 8:00 p.m. | Note Time Change!

The Great God Pan is a horror and fantasy novella by Welsh writer Arthur Machen. Machen was inspired by his experiences at the ruins of a pagan temple in Wales. What would become the first chapter of the novella was published in the magazine The Whirlwind in 1890.

Lit Chicks

We read young adult fiction! Meets the third Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m.

HOW TO REGISTER:

  • Please send an email with your name, book title, and the date of the book club to Penny at pmandziara@benlib.org
  • Once we receive your registration, we will notify you when your book is available for curbside pickup.
  • We will email you an invitation to the Zoom meeting two days prior to the event.

Lovely War by Julie Berry

Monday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to participate, please register by Friday, June 5 to ensure you receive your book on time.

They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it’s no match for the transcendent power of Love.

Life in Reverse by Beth Michele

Monday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to participate, please register by Friday, July 10 to ensure you receive your book on time.

Ember never thought she’d fall for a bad boy like Vance, even if he did read Hemingway. Vance and Ember didn’t love each other at first sight. They didn’t even like each other. Ember, with her quirky ways, and Vance, and his angry, broody exterior. But there was more to both of them than met the eye. And when layers were peeled back, all their broken pieces exposed, they soon got a lot more than they ever bargained for… And found a love they never expected. 

One of Us is Next by Karen McManus

Monday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to participate, please register by Friday, August 7 to ensure you receive your book on time.

The highly anticipated sequel to One of Us Is Lying! There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules. A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.  Until now. This time it’s not an app, though—it’s a game. 

Book Brunch

We read popular titles, best sellers, award winners, and more! Meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m.

HOW TO REGISTER:

  • Please send an email with your name, book title, and the date of the book club to Bill at bstephens@benlib.org
  • Once we receive your registration, we will notify you when your book is available for curbside pickup.
  • We will email you an invitation to the Zoom meeting two days prior to the event.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Thursday, June 25 at 10:00 a.m.

In order to participate, please register by Monday, June 15 to ensure you receive your book on time.

Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins. Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Thursday, July 23 at 10:00 a.m.

In order to participate, please register by Monday, July 13 to ensure you receive your book on time.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

Thursday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m.

In order to participate, please register by Monday, August 17 to ensure you receive your book on time.

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, and, particularly, their acting classes. Two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.  Captivating, tender, and surprising, Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties.

Art & Relaxation

Art & Relaxation doesn’t have to end while the Library is closed… Let us supply you with a selection of coloring pages to choose from, along with a playlist of calming music — all you need is a printer and some markers, crayons, or colored pencils!

Share your finished coloring pages with us! Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

AGES: Adults only!

Join us every second Wednesday of the month from 7:00 — 8:30 p.m. for some calming coloring and peaceful music. Stop in for a few minutes or stay the whole time if you like; however long it takes for you to unwind!

Summer Reading 2022

Join Bensenville Library’s summer reading program, Read Beyond the Beaten Path! Summer reading has something for everyone — from babies to adults! Read and partake in Library activities all summer long and win prizes! Register at the Library or through our online program site, benlib.beanstack.org!

KIDS: Complete all of the reading challenges and activities online or pick up a reading log at the Library! Once you complete them all, turn in your log to receive your Summer Reading t-shirt, a ticket for the raffle prize drawing, and a free book of your choice. All prizes available while supplies last!

 

ADULTS: Read and log 6 books to complete the program and earn this year’s prize: a “Camp iRead” insulated tote for your next adventure! For every book you read, you will earn a raffle ticket for our grand prize drawing! (Max. 10 total entries per person.) We’re raffling off three Kindle Fires!

 

The last day to complete Summer Reading is July 29, 2022.