Booked
We're popping up at Sketchbook Evanston for a themed adult spelling bee, called SPELLED! This month's theme is Harvest! Open to all (adults)! Approx. 15 contestants, $10 entry, one winner, PRIZES, and buzzy vibes galore!
Cooked at Booked is a potluck-style club that meets monthly to enjoy a meal (or snacks!) featuring recipes from one shared cookbook! Food's better with friends, books are better with friends, and cookbooks are too! Questions? Email Scarlett@bookedevanston.com.
Dina Elenbogen and Pamela Wax join us at Booked for a reading at Booked in Evanston on November 2, 2026 at 7pm. RSVP HERE Dina Elenbogen's collection, Shore, "bears witness both to the suffering and loss in our world, but also to the healing power of family, faith, community, nature, and, most profoundly, words.” - Faisal Moyhuddin Both humorous and poignant, the poems in Pamela Wax's Every Single Beast of My Heart weave themes of aging, grief, mortality, and morality into a meditation on impermanence and meaning-making.
Come in costume to join author and illustrator Alex Willan for a Monsters Are the Worst! story time and draw-along! Come dressed in your costume and join author and illustrator Alex Willan for a Monsters Are the Worst! story time and draw-along on Halloween!
Bookseller Theresa is taking us to space with our newest book club! Join her to discuss MOSS'D IN SPACE, a cozy-sci fi novel. There will be moss! Email theresa@bookedevanston.com with any questions.
Bookseller Alicia hosts our Sunday Smut Book Club on the last Sunday of the month (most months!) at 3:30pm. Sunday Smut reads are the latest in romance novels with a range of subgenres, sexual and gender identities, and spice levels. Questions? Email alicia@bookedevanston.com.
Join us to celebrate the launch of Elsa Sjunneson's Dear Blind Lady: Disability Advice You Didn't Know You Needed. Sjunneson will be in conversation with Why Fish Don't Exist author, Lulu Miller. An unfiltered disability advice book answering the awkward, honest, and often complicated questions disabled and nondisabled people encounter in everyday life. In Dear Blind Lady, Deafblind author and disability rights activist Elsa Sjunneson delivers candid, funny, and practical guidance in an advice-column format. Written for disabled readers, allies, friends, family members, coworkers, and anyone who wants to build a more accessible and respectful world, this book tackles the questions nondisabled people may be afraid to ask—and disabled people are tired of answering. Inside, you’ll find: Straightforward answers about disability, relationships, social situations, and major life milestones Practical scripts and sample language for handling uncomfortable or unfamiliar conversations Real-world guidance on offering assistance, declining help politely, and responding to ableism Advice for complicated moments, from bad dates and weddings to parenting and public encounters Creative extras, including sample dating profiles and ableist bingo cards you’ll never want to win
Booked Club reads contemporary, literary fiction and nonfiction from a diverse range of authors. Booked owners Abby and Betsy host Booked Club on the third Wednesday of the month (most months!) at 7:00pm at Booked. Bringing snacks and beverages to share is always encouraged but never required. Questions? Email abby@bookedevanston.com.
Devin Elle Kurtz returns for the launch of the THIRD Bakery Dragon picture book! Join us at Art Maker's Outpost for some magical fun. Author and illustrator Devin Elle Kurtz is coming back to Evanston for the launch of her third book in the Bakery Dragon series! What are the odds the Booked staff can pull off making a giant cookie? Join us at Art Makers Outpost on Saturday, October 17th from 1 to 2pm for real, edible cookies, a GIANT cookie craft, and a drawing demonstration from Devin! The bestselling Bakery Dragon is back, braving a snowstorm to deliver cookies and cheer, just in time for Christmas! And a friend in need requires the greatest cookie of all, one that can warm even the coldest heart.
Join us for horse-themed crafts and a Q&A with local author Amy Alznauer, to celebrate the launch of her new books Where the Wild Horses Are. This event will take place at Art Makers Outpost in Evanston.
THE HORRORS PERSIST, but so do we! Dumpster Fire Book Club welcomes adults and teens (12+) every other month to read dystopian fiction, led by Betsy! We love imagining a better world through imagining just how bleak it can get first! Email betsy@bookedevanston.com if you have any questions!
GET YOUR SPELL ON! We're popping up at Sketchbook Evanston for our inaugural themed adult spelling bee, called SPELLED! This month's theme is Horror and Halloween! So come out and show us how good you are at spelling spooky words! Open to all (adults)! Twelve contestants, $10 entry, one winner, PRIZES, and spooky vibes galore!
Bookseller Theresa is taking us to space with our newest book club! Join her to discuss MOSS'D IN SPACE, a cozy-sci fi novel. There will be moss! Email theresa@bookedevanston.com with any questions.
Bookseller Alicia hosts our Sunday Smut Book Club on the last Sunday of the month (most months!) at 3:30pm. Sunday Smut reads are the latest in romance novels with a range of subgenres, sexual and gender identities, and spice levels. Questions? Email alicia@bookedevanston.com.
Don't let the state of world get you down: come get cozy and fantastical at Booked! We're celebrating Bookstore Romance Day with Jaleigh Johnson, author of the magical new book The Reimagining of Thornwood House. We'll have whimsical snacks, whimsical non-alcoholic drinks, whimsical craft projects (all supplies provided), plus you'll get to meet Jaleigh and spend time with other cozy fantasy readers! THERE WILL BE SO MUCH WHIMSY THAT YOUR HEART WILL EXPLODE IN JOY!
Booked Club for Grown-Ups: Booked Club for Grown-Ups, our literary book club, is reading its first graphic memoir: Everything in Color, a debut book from Stephanie Stalvey.
Dumpster Fire Book Club: AT THE END OF EVERYTHING event flyer Thu, Jul 9, 7 - 8:30pm
Evanston Public Library invites you to meet Yuko Ohnari and Koshiro Hata, the internationally known Japanese creative team behind the 2025 picture book Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-Splash! Enjoy a bilingual Japanese and English reading of this book, a sensory-rich story about a young boy enjoying a summer rainstorm. Booked will have copies of the book for sale at the event. For children of all ages and their caregivers. No registration required; find all the details on the library's website.
Booked is partnering with Art Makers Outpost to celebrate Lucy Knisley's newest picture book, Searching for Wocks! Join us for storytime with Lucy, rock painting, and the inaugural installation of the Temporary Wocks Museum! You can BYOW (bring your own wock) to display in the museum! All wocks will return to wock collectors after being displayed, along with their museum placard. We will also have an Adopt-a-Wock box for anyone who needs a new wock. The event is free; please RSVP on Eventbrite. Also, if you preorder Searching for Wocks from Booked, you'll get EXCLUSIVE wocks washi tape, designed by Lucy
Booked Club for Grown-Ups: The Disaster Gay Detective Agency Event Presenter/Author Abby Event Location Booked It's pride month, and Booked Club is reading The Disaster Gay Detective Agency! Join us to chat about for this punchy mystery-thriller!
Adventurers Guild: The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia Event Presenter/Author Abby & Alicia Event Location Booked The Adventurers Guild Book Club is reading The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia! The Adventurers Guild Book Club is for middle grade (ages 8-12) readers of fantasy and adventure. A monthly membership in the guild includes the book, an awesome package of bookish goodies, and participation in the Guild meeting. Program registration required. Email betsy@bookedevanston.com with any questions. About the Featured Items: Adventurers Guild - June 2026 1:30pm Session Purchase this to reserve your child's spot in the 1:30-3 pm session of the Adventurers Guild! Adventurers Guild - June 2026 3:30pm Session Purchase this to reserve your child's spot in the 3:30-5pm session of the Adventurers Guild!
Get zesty with us at our community potluck night for Cooked Book Club! We'll be sharing our favorite citrus-themed dishes themed around our featured cookbook. Email scarlett@bookedevanston.com with any questions.
Event Presenter/Author Evanston Rotary Club Event Location One Rotary Center, Evanston Friends and neighbors are invited to join in a conversation about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize winning author of King: A Life. Evanston’s own Rotarian and Chessman Bryant Wallace will lead the conversation. We're delighted to be included as bookseller for the event. The event is free; RSVP on Eventbrite.
Join Storytime Dads with storytime fun every Wednesday at 10:30am
Come join Storytime Dads at 10:30am every Wednesday!
The Adventurers Guild Book Club is a monthly, 90-minute book club and craft session for kids ages 8-12. Each month, Guild members read a graphic novel or chapter book, participate in a guided discussion, and do a book-related craft. This month, we're reading the fantasy novel Greenwild by Pari Thomson. Due to increased popularity, we are now offering two sessions of the Guild on the same day. Please make sure you are reserving a spot in your preferred times lot: 1:30-3pm OR 3:30-5pm. If you have any questions about the Guild, please email info@bookedevanston.com.
Storytime Dads every Wednesday at 10:30am!
Get glam at a moms-only night out at the bookstore! It's time to get glam the way we always want to: after hours at an indie bookstore! We're transforming Booked into a party zone for moms only! What's included for everyone: Glitter gel and lip gloss packs Dirty sodas from Pop Shop Sodas + more drinks Tasty treats! DJ Norah from Modern Love DJs spinning a sweet playlist A night out where no one is gonna be creepy or annoying! Some other surpsies from the Hot Moms gang No dudes, no kids! You can add on A glamour shot style portrait of YOU from Angela Renee Photography
The world is a flaming dumpster! Are you unsure what to do about all that hot garbage and societal/environmental/political destruction? Well, a good first step is joining us at the bi-monthly Dumpster Fire Book Club to read dystopian YA! We promise you'll feel better about the horrors persisting around us! (At the very least, there will be snacks!) This month, we're reading Andrew Joseph White's Hell Followed With Us. The book is recommended for ages 14 and up; adults are welcome, too!
Join us every Wednesday at 10:30am for Storytime with the Storytime Dads! Stories, songs, and a good time for 0- to 5-year-olds and their caregivers!
Get smutty with us! All are welcome (18+), email alicia@bookedevanston.com with any questions! Girl Like Her (Deluxe Edition) LIMITED TIME DELUXE EDITION She's hard to hold onto, but he's good with his hands... Prickly, autistic, and shadowed by a scandalous past, Ruth Kabbah will always be Ravenswood's black sheep. It's a lonely life, but at least it's safe... until Evan Miller comes to town. Calm, confident, and instantly accepted by their small English town, Evan is Ruth's opposite in every way--yet he meets her suspicion with a smile, handles her awkwardness with ease, and watches her with a hunger that threatens to tear down her all her defenses. The gossips want to know how she's bewitched him. Ruth just wants to know when he'll get bored and leave. Because if there's one thing she's learned, it's that girls like her don't get happily ever afters. But when a monster from Ruth's past comes back to haunt her, she's forced to make a choice: should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?
Join us every Wednesday at 10:30am for Storytime with the Storytime Dads! Stories, songs, and a good time for 0- to 5-year-olds and their caregivers!
Jacob Grant, author of UMAMI, NO PANTS!, and NO FAIR! is back with a sweet and beautiful picture book about a turtle who needed a little extra time in her shell before sprinting across the sand to the sea--TURTLE SLEPT IN! With Bird to help her, Turtle (spoiler alert) traverses the busy beach and heads into the big sea. We cannot wait for you and your family to fall in love with Turtle and her search for her family! Jacob will join us at Booked for a pajama storytime and draw-along, a turtle egg hunt, and book signing! This event is free, but please RSVP here.