Open Book Club

A library-sponsored group open to everyone ages 18 or older! Take part when and where you want. Our goal is to read a wide variety of books and meet new people! We request that everyone be respectful of other's opinions. Want more information? Email us your questions!

Library Meetings

Join us on the 2nd Monday of the month at 6:30 pm for our Open Book Club meetings.. If you can’t commit to every month that’s not a problem—just come when you can! 

OBC Oct 9 2023


Online Discussions

Take part in the online component of our book club. People who are not able to join in face-to-face meeting times or who just want some more discussion can do so here!

How to Join

  1. You must have a Goodreads.com account to access the online group.
  2. Log into your Goodreads account and click on "Community" and "Groups." 
  3. Search for "Open Book Club at Kearney Public Library" and request to join the group.

Currently Reading:  The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Discussion Meeting: Monday, October 9 at 6:30pm

 After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.


Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel. Via Goodreads


Next Month: The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama

Daniel Abe, a young doctor in Chicago, is finally coming back to Hawai'i. He has his own reason for returning to his childhood home, but itColor of Air is not to revisit the past, unlike his Uncle Koji. Koji lives with the memories of Daniel’s mother, Mariko, the love of his life, and the scars of a life hard-lived. He can’t wait to see Daniel, who he’s always thought of as a son, but he knows the time has come to tell him the truth about his mother, and his father. But Daniel’s arrival coincides with the awakening of the Mauna Loa volcano, and its dangerous path toward their village stirs both new and long ago passions in their community.

Alternating between past and present—from the day of the volcano eruption in 1935 to decades prior—The Color of Air interweaves the stories of Daniel, Koji, and Mariko to create a rich, vibrant, bittersweet chorus that celebrates their lifelong bond to one other and to their immigrant community. As Mauna Loa threatens their lives and livelihoods, it also unearths long held secrets simmering below the surface that meld past and present, revealing a path forward for them all. Via Goodreads

Do you have titles to suggest? Email them to us!