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Past Events

Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove

Sep13
PastBook ClubDowners Grove

Chronically Curious Book Club

3:00 PM • Sunday, September 13, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us in Downers Grove for our Chronically Curious Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Sunday, September 13th at 3:00 pm , and we will be discussing An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event. More about An Immense World : NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “thrilling” ( The New York Times ), “dazzling” ( The Wall Street Journal ) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world that will fill you with wonder and forever alter your perspective, by Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Ed Yong “One of this year’s finest works of narrative nonfiction.”— Oprah Daily ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Time, People, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Slate, Reader’s Digest, Chicago Public Library, Outside, Publishers Weekly, BookPage ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Economist, Smithsonian Magazine , Prospect (UK), Globe & Mail, Esquire, Mental Floss, Marginalian, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world. In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover’s fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved. Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called “the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.” WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL • FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/E.O. WILSON AWARD

Sep10
PastBook ClubDowners Grove

Romance Reads Book Club

7:00 PM • Thursday, September 10, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us for our monthly Romance Reads Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 10th at 7:00 pm, and we will be discussing The Magic We Made. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be in attendance at this event! This conversation will be moderated by Anderson's bookseller Sheila. More about The Magic We Made: She doesn’t believe in magic. He is magic. But when they meet, a spark is lit, and neither will ever be the same—in this charming new stand-alone in the Witches of West Harbor series from New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot. Frankie A trained therapist, Francesca Giovanni knows there’s a scientific explanation for everything. Unfortunately, she lives in West Harbor, CT, a town that’s recently exploded in popularity thanks to “witch tourism.” Suddenly, witches are everywhere, offering locals their psychic services. Frankie’s fine with this…until aspiring teenage witches begin to disappear, and strange things start happening in the lake house next door. Frankie suspects not all newcomers to West Harbor have the good of the community in mind—especially not her new neighbor, Ash Merit. Ash Ash Merit finds lost things—and people—for a living. All he wants is to help his clients, and maybe get to know the stunningly beautiful (and newly single) Dr. Frankie Giovanni a little better. But thanks to some troublesome young witches—not to mention his often faulty psychic “superpower”—everything goes wrong. If only Frankie wasn’t so distractingly attractive…and so unwilling to admit there might not be a logical reason for everything, including the flames that ignite whenever the two of them kiss. Ash hopes to change that, but first he and Frankie have to find the missing girls, as well as the truth about what’s happening in West Harbor…a truth that could change everything they thought they knew about themselves—and the magic of love.

Aug12
Marcus Kliewer event
PastAuthor EventFictionDowners Grove

Marcus Kliewer

6:00 PM • Wednesday, August 12, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$34

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Marcus Kliewer , to celebrate the release of The Caretaker, on Wednesday, August 12th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited. More about The Caretaker : Instant New York Times Bestseller Follow the Rites... Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake. From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes an eerie supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined. EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY. Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for. Besides, it’s only three days’ work… Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness. What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity. Follow the Rites... Follow the Rites... Follow the Rites... ..--- / ..... / ---.. About the Author: Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit. Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired by Simon & Schuster in the US for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Aug6
franchesca cocchi event
PastAuthor EventDowners Grove

Francesca Cocchi

6:00 PM • Thursday, August 6, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$23

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Francesca Cocchi , to celebrate the release of Have a Great Summer, on Thursday, August 6th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Cocchi will be in conversation with book reviewer Rachel Bush . Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: - Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff - There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) - There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

Aug2
PastBook ClubDowners Grove

Chronically Curious Book Club

3:00 PM • Sunday, August 2, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us in Downers Grove for our Chronically Curious Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Sunday, August 2nd at 3:00 pm , and we will be discussing Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event. More about Empire of AI : A New York Times Notable Book • Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction • A New York Times Bestseller • Named a Best Book of the Year by Smithsonian , Scientific American, and Elle • Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, NYPL Helen Bernstein Award, Whiting Award, and Porchlight Business Book Award “A bestselling page-turner that has made waves not just in Silicon Valley but around the world . . . With Empire of AI, Hao is fundamentally shaping many people’s perceptions and understanding of the company at the center of the AI revolution.” —TIME Magazine, “TIME100 AI 2025” “Excellent and deeply reported.” —Tim Wu, The New York Times “Startling and intensely researched . . . an essential account of how OpenAI and ChatGPT came to be and the catastrophic places they will likely take us.” — Vulture From a brilliant longtime AI insider with intimate access to the world of Sam Altman's OpenAI from the beginning, an eye-opening account of arguably the most fateful tech arms race in history, reshaping the planet in real time, from the cockpit of the company that is driving the frenzy. When AI expert and investigative journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, the organization was meant, its leader Sam Altman told us, to act as a check against more purely mercantile, and potentially dangerous, forces. What could go wrong? Over time, Hao began to wrestle ever more deeply with that question. Increasingly, she realized that the core truth of this massively disruptive sector is that its vision of success requires an almost unprecedented amount of resources: the “compute” power of high-end chips and the processing capacity to create massive large language models, the sheer volume of data that needs to be amassed at scale, the humans “cleaning up” that data for sweatshop wages throughout the Global South, and a truly alarming spike in the usage of energy and water underlying it all. The truth is that we have entered a new and ominous age of empire: only a small handful of globally scaled companies can even enter the field of play. At the head of the pack with its ChatGPT breakthrough, how would OpenAI resist such temptations? Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Armed with Microsoft’s billions, OpenAI is setting a breakneck pace, chased by a small group of the most valuable companies in human history—toward what end, not even they can define. All this time, Hao has maintained her deep sourcing within the company and the industry, and so she was in intimate contact with the story that shocked the entire tech industry—Altman’s sudden firing and triumphant return. The behind-the-scenes story of what happened, told here in full for the first time, is revelatory of who the people controlling this technology really are. But this isn’t just the story of a single company, however fascinating it is. The g forces pressing down on the people of OpenAI are deforming the judgment of everyone else too—as such forces do. Naked power finds the ideology to cloak itself; no one thinks they’re the bad guy. But in the meantime, as Hao shows through intrepid reporting on the ground around the world, the enormous wheels of extraction grind on. By drawing on the viewpoints of Silicon Valley engineers, Kenyan data laborers, and Chilean water activists, Hao presents the fullest picture of AI and its impact we’ve seen to date, alongside a trenchant analysis of where things are headed. An astonishing eyewitness view from both up in the command capsule of the new economy and down where the real suffering happens, Empire of AI pierces the veil of the industry defining our era.

Jul21
Sandra Jackson-Opoku
PastAuthor EventDowners Grove

Sandra Jackson-Opoku

6:00 PM • Tuesday, July 21, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Sandra Jackson-Opoku , to celebrate the release of Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils, on Tuesday, July 21st at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited. More about Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils : The next delectable mystery featuring quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, owner of a soul food café in Chicago. Savvy has her work cut out when an old friend hires her to cater a company luncheon at a nearby office building on Chicago's South Side. Stepping out of her traditional soul food comfort zone, Savvy whips together a menu of Creole classics, with her own spin, of course—mini po’boys with assorted fillings, sunburst salad, and bread pudding using Great Aunt Essie’s famous buttermilk biscuits. But when someone is found dead in the company’s conference room, Savvy’s culinary creations are suddenly in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. While the focus should be on their delicious flavors and inventive techniques, Savvy’s beloved café instead becomes the center of a murder investigation once again. Caught within a messy web of gossip, miscommunication, and fraught coworker relationships, Savvy will have to settle the confusion to clear her name. Somebody’s hiding something, and with the help of her trusty assistant manager, Penny Lopés, Savvy sets out uncover exactly who is to blame. With familiar faces turning up the heat on her investigation and her café still in hot water, will Savvy be able to save her reputation before it’s too late?

Jul16
PastBook ClubDowners Grove

Banned Book Club: The Kite Runner

6:00 PM • Thursday, July 16, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us in Downers Grove for our monthly Banned Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, July 16th at 6:00 pm , and we will be discussing The Kite Runner. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event. More about The Kite Runner: The #1 New York Times bestselling novel beloved by millions of readers the world over. New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century “A vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people [of Afghanistan] have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence—forces that continue to threaten them even today.”— The New York Times Book Review The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. Since its publication in 2003 Kite Runner has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic of contemporary literature, touching millions of readers, and launching the career of one of America's most treasured writers.

Jul14
Shirtaloon He who fights
PastAuthor EventDowners Grove

Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon)

6:00 PM • Tuesday, July 14, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Travis Deverell aka Shirtaloon , to celebrate the release of He Who Fights With Monsters, Book 1: Outworlder on Tuesday, July 14th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Event Format This event will consist of a signing and photo line.There will be no presentation or Q&A with the author. The line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: - Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff - There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) - There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited. More about He Who Fights With Monsters, Book 1: Outworlder : "Exciting, hilarious, irreverent, and action-packed." —Matt Dinniman (New York Times bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl) Survive an alternate universe and jump into the first installment of the witty and magic-fueled HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS series—now with a bonus short story exclusive to this deluxe hardcover edition. What’s it like to wake up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters? It’s not easy. For Jason, making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer is surreal. Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil. He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. Jason’s a stranger in a strange land, and if he’s going to survive, he’ll have to find something inside himself he never knew was there. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants. Experience the start of this legendary million-copy best-selling LitRPG epic where a snarky underdog takes on everything from corrupt aristocrats to literal gods in HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS, Book 1: OUTWORLDER. About the series: An isekai culture clash is unleashed as a laid-back Australian finds himself in a very serious world. See him gain suspiciously evil powers through a unique progression system combining cultivation and traditional LitRPG elements. Enjoy a weak-to-strong story with a main character who earns his power without overshadowing everyone around him, with plenty of loot, adventurers, gods and magic. Rich characters and world-building offer humor, political intrigue and slice-of-life elements alongside lots of monster fighting and adventure. He Who Fights With Monsters, Book 1: Outworlder includes: - The bonus short story "When Farrah Met Gary" - Sprayed edges Spot gloss dust cover - Foil-stamped case Foil-stamped spine - Custom art endpapers

Jun30
Virtual Educator Book Club!
PastJunior Book ClubFictionDowners GroveVirtual

Virtual Educator Book Club

4:30 PM • Tuesday, June 30, 2026Virtual EventPresented by Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us for our Virtual Educator Book Club! Our next virtual meeting will be held on Sunday, June 30th at 4:30 pm, and we will be discussing My Brother Oliver by R.L. Toalson. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event. If you would like to purchase a book for this event, click HERE. You may have the book shipped or come pick it up from either one of our two Anderson's locations.

Jun14
Chronically Curious is a Non-Fiction Book Club.
PastBook ClubNon-FictionDowners Grove

Chronically Curious Book Club

3:00 PM • Sunday, June 14, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Chronically Curious is a Non-Fiction Book Club. Our first meeting will be held on Sunday, June 14th at 3:00 pm, and we will be discussing When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event.

Jun11
romance reads book club
PastBook ClubRomanceDowners Grove

Romance Reads Book Club

7:00 PM • Thursday, June 11, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us in Downers Grove for our monthly Romance Reads Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 11th at 7:00 pm, and we will be discussing The Night Bus. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be in attendance at this event! This conversation will be moderated by Anderson's bookseller Sheila.

Jun10
katharine arden
PastAuthor EventFictionDowners Grove

Author Event with Katherine Arden/The Unicorn Hunters

6:00 PM • Wednesday, June 10, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$35

We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

Jun9
Michael Cerami,
PastAuthor EventSportsDowners Grove

Michael Cerami, of My First Trip to the Bleachers: Big Feelings at the Cubs Game ABDG

6:00 PM • Tuesday, June 9, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$24

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Michael Cerami, to celebrate the release of My First Trip to the Bleachers: Big Feelings at the Cubs Game, on Tuesday, June 9th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

Jun3
Author Event with Becca Grischow/For the Bride
PastAuthor EventRomanceDowners Grove

Becca Grischow

6:00 PM • Wednesday, June 3, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$24

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Becca Grischow, to celebrate the release of For the Bride, on Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Grischow will be in conversation with author Danielle Jackson. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

Jun2
JOHN PATRICK GREEN
PastAuthor EventMiddle GradeDowners Grove

John Patrick Green - InvestiGators

6:00 PM • Tuesday, June 2, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$19

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with John Patrick Green, to celebrate the release of InvestiGators: Weather or Not, on Tuesday, June 2nd at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Green will be in conversation with author Sara Varon. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

May27
Author Event with Heather Webb/The Hope Keeper
PastAuthor EventFictionDowners Grove

Author Event with Heather Webb/The Hope Keeper

6:00 PM • Wednesday, May 27, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$21

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Heather Webb, to celebrate the release of The Hope Keeper, on Wednesday, May 27th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Webb will be in conversation with author Mary Kubica. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) There is a limit of 1 personalization (unless otherwise stated) All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number.

May21
banned book club
PastBook ClubYoung AdultDowners Grove

Banned Book Club Book Club

6:00 PM • Thursday, May 21, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us in Downers Grove for our monthly Banned Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 21st at 6:00 pm, and we will be discussing Last Night at the Telegraph Club. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event. More about Last Night at the Telegraph Club: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND STONEWALL BOOK AWARD • From acclaimed author Malinda Lo comes a gripping, tender coming-of-age novel exploring identity, queerness, and historical upheaval set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1950s. “Lush, ambitious and layered, Malinda Lo’s sweeping historical novel is the queer romance we’ve been waiting for.”—Ms. Magazine Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root—that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly, everything seemed possible. But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day. Meticulously researched, emotionally stirring, and startlingly brave, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a standout work of historical fiction that has taken the world by storm. Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature • A Michael L. Printz Honor Book • A We Need Diverse Books Walter Dean Myers Honor Book • A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist • A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of

May14
romance reads book club
PastBook ClubRomanceDowners Grove

Romance Reads Book Club

7:00 PM • Thursday, May 14, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us in Downers Grove for our monthly Romance Reads Book Club! Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 14th at 7:00 pm, and we will be discussing Stranger Things Have Happened. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be in attendance at this event! This conversation will be moderated by Anderson's bookseller Sheila.

May14
andersons bookshop DG
PastBook ClubDowners Grove

Book Club Happy Hour- Downers Grove

5:00 PM • Thursday, May 14, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$15

Join Anderson's Bookshops for a Book Club Happy Hour on Thursday, May 14th at 5:00 pm! This event will be held in our Downers Grove store (5112 Main St, Downers Grove) and pre-registration is required as space is limited. This hour-long event will feature several booksellers sharing a few of their recent favorite titles, perfect for gift-giving, book club picks, or yourself! Tickets are $15, but you will receive a $10 coupon for use on purchases made that day. We'll also provide treats and refreshments. Please BRING a notebook & pen to take notes. We’re working to reduce our environmental footprint and will have minimum “paper” at the event. We look forward to seeing you soon to talk about our favorite things: BOOKS! Date: Thu, 5/14/2026 Time: 5:00pm Place: Anderson's Bookshop Downers Grove 5112 Main St Downers Grove, IL 60515

May8
nick bruel
PastAuthor EventGraphic NovelsDowners Grove

Nick Bruel

6:00 PM • Friday, May 8, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$19

Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an author event with Nick Bruel, to celebrate the release of Bad Kitty Gets a Job (Graphic Novel), on Friday, May 8th at 6:00 pm in our Downers Grove store. Event Format We will begin checking you in approximately 30 minutes before the start time. After a presentation and Q&A with the author, the line will form in numbered order with the following guidelines: Posed photo with your camera taken by our staff There is a limit of 2 books from home to be signed (unless otherwise stated) No personalizations. All events have open seating. The “Order Line Number” on your pdf ticket is your reserved place in the signing line. You will line up to meet the author based on that number. If you cannot attend, you must pick up your book (if included with ticket) at the hosting store within 30 days of the event. We can ship that book to you for an additional charge of $9.99; please call the store to arrange that. Pre-registration is required for this event because space is limited.

May5
book club red river rose
PastBook ClubMiddle GradeDowners Grove

Book Club Red River Rose

4:30 PM • Tuesday, May 5, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers GroveFree

Join us for our Virtual Educator Book Club! Our next virtual meeting will be held on Sunday, May 3rd at 6:30 pm, and we will be discussing Red River Rose by Carole Lindstrom. This will be a free event, but we highly encourage the purchase of the monthly book from our store. Please note that the author will not be present at this event. If you would like to purchase a book for this event, click HERE. You may have the book shipped or come pick it up from either one of our two Anderson's locations.

Apr28
Spring Teacher Open House
PastCommunity EventMiddle GradeDowners Grove

Spring Teacher Open House - Downers Grove

4:30 PM • Tuesday, April 28, 2026Anderson's Bookshop - Downers Grove$10

Join us for the Spring Teacher Open House in our Downers Grove store, where there will be a book talk, raffle prizes, and goodies to share! Come for the camaraderie, stay for the books, and leave with 1 hour of professional development! **Event will include Orphanland author, Lauren Fischer. Tickets are $10, and we ask that you please register below ahead of time, because we do have space limitations, so once tickets are gone here, we are sold out. Reminder: all attendees will receive a 20% discount and a $5 off coupon good for purchases made that day This event will be held in our Downers Grove store, and pre-registration is required as space is limited. Date: Tue, 4/28/2026 Time: 4:30pm Place: Anderson's Bookshop Downers Grove 5112 Main St Downers Grove, IL 60515 Ticketsto Spring Teacher Open House - Downers Grove