CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - Remarkably Bright Creatures
2026-05-27 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

NONFICTION - One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
2026-06-03 18:30 - 20:00 | MN

THE ESSENTIALS - To Kill a Mockingbird
2026-06-10 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

STAFF CHOICE - Song of Achilles
2026-06-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - Woodworking
2026-06-24 18:30 - 20:00 | MN

NONFICTION - Black AF History
2026-07-01 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
We love birthdays. They are amazing opportunities to take stock of your life, what brought you here, and where you’re going.
America’s birthday is no different. Join us as we read “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America” and enter the 251st year of American history with clear eyes and a better understanding of the country’s future so we can build her into something we can all be proud of.

100 ESSENTIALS - Beloved
2026-07-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

STAFF CHOICE - A Curse so Dark and Lonely
2026-07-15 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
July is Disability Pride Month, and our Staff Choice Book Club is reading A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer.
This inventive fantasy reimagines the classic Beauty and the Beast tale through the eyes of Harper, a heroine with cerebral palsy whose disability is simply one part of who she is—not the sum of her story. Harper is resourceful, determined, and fiercely independent, reminding us that great heroes come in many forms.
Join us as we explore a magical world, memorable characters, and a story that celebrates resilience, courage, and the power of seeing people for who they truly are. Whether you’re a longtime fantasy fan or just looking for a compelling summer read, we’d love to have you in the conversation.

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - Call Us What We Carry
2026-07-22 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
The 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence invites us to reflect on what it means to be American—not just where we’ve been, but where we’re going. This month, our Contemporary Literature Book Club is reading Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman, a powerful collection that wrestles with our nation’s history, its present challenges, and the possibilities that still lie ahead.
Rather than offering easy answers, Gorman’s poems ask us to consider what we inherit, what we choose to carry forward, and how hope can exist alongside honesty. It’s a thoughtful, timely read for anyone looking to engage with America as it is—while imagining what it could become.
Join us for an evening of poetry, conversation, and reflection as we explore one of the most compelling contemporary voices writing today.

NONFICTION - Everything is Tuberculosis
2026-08-05 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This month, we’re reading Everything Is Tuberculosis, a fascinating blend of history, science, and social justice that asks us to rethink one of humanity’s oldest diseases. Far from being just a medical story, this book explores how poverty, inequality, politics, and access to healthcare have shaped who gets sick—and who gets to recover.
Together, we’ll discuss how disease can illuminate the structures of society, why tuberculosis continues to affect millions despite being preventable and treatable, and what this story reveals about compassion, public health, and our shared responsibility to one another. Join us for an engaging conversation about a book that is as much about humanity as it is about medicine.

ESSENTIALS - The Big Sleep
2026-08-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

SIGNING - Steven Lawrence Lang
2026-08-15 11:00 - 13:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Meet Local Author Steven Lawrence Lang
Join us at Story Line Books this Saturday for a special signing with St. Paul author Steven Lawrence Lang, celebrating his debut novel, The Art of Falling Apart.
Set in the Twin Cities, The Art of Falling Apart follows Minneapolis artist William Link, who should be on the verge of everything he’s worked for: his first major gallery exhibition, a huge and suspiciously affordable studio apartment, and a relationship with a woman he can’t quite believe wants to be with him. Instead, his life is coming apart. His relationship is faltering, his eccentric neighbors are adding to the chaos, and—most troubling of all—he keeps seeing his dead mother.
As William races to finish the paintings for his exhibition, those visions become harder to dismiss, especially when it appears his mother may be meddling with his artwork. Is William genuinely being haunted, or is he experiencing the same mental instability that consumed his mother? And if she really is changing the paintings, whose art is it?
Funny, surreal, dark, and unexpectedly tender, The Art of Falling Apart is a story about creativity, grief, family, love, and the sometimes very blurry line between falling apart and finding your way through.
Stop by Saturday to meet Steven, talk books and art, and pick up a signed copy of his debut novel while supporting a member of our local literary community.
This event is free and open to everyone. No registration required.

STAFF CHOICE - The Life of Herod the Great
2026-08-19 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join the Story Line Books Book Club as we discuss The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston.
Best known for Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston spent years working on this ambitious retelling of the life of Herod the Great—the brilliant, ruthless, and deeply controversial king of Judea. Reimagining a figure most often remembered as a biblical villain, Hurston draws on history, religion, politics, and storytelling to create a more complicated portrait of a man navigating empire, ambition, loyalty, and power.
Published decades after Hurston’s death, The Life of Herod the Great also gives us the chance to talk about Hurston herself: the choices she made in interpreting the ancient world, the unfinished and posthumous nature of the work, and how our understanding of historical figures changes depending on who gets to tell their story.
Come ready for a lively conversation about power, legacy, historical memory, faith, and the complicated line between history and storytelling.
All are welcome—even if you haven’t finished the book!

CONTEMPORARY LIT - Yesteryear
2026-08-26 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join the Story Line Books Book Club as we discuss Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.
When Natalie is invited to join Yesteryear, an idyllic online community devoted to embracing the simplicity and traditional values of the past, it seems like an escape from the pressures of modern life. But as the carefully curated world of homemaking, femininity, and nostalgia begins to reveal its darker edges, Natalie finds herself confronting the unsettling forces hiding beneath the picture-perfect surface.
Sharp, provocative, and deeply interested in the stories we tell ourselves about the “good old days,” Yesteryear explores the seductive power of nostalgia—and what can happen when an idealized version of the past becomes a blueprint for the present.
Come ready for a lively conversation about social media, gender roles, belonging, influence, and why the promise of a simpler life can be so difficult to resist.
All are welcome—even if you haven’t finished the book!

SIGNING - William Kent Krueger
2026-08-30 11:30 - 13:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
William Kent Krueger: Signing & Conversation
Sunday, August 30 at 11:30 a.m.
We’re thrilled to welcome William Kent Krueger to Story Line Books for a special Sunday morning signing and conversation celebrating the release of his newest novel, God’s Country.
Krueger is the New York Times bestselling author of The River We Remember, This Tender Land, and Edgar Award–winning Ordinary Grace, as well as the beloved Cork O’Connor mystery series. His newest novel, God’s Country, is the 22nd installment in the series, returning Cork to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters for a story of danger, difficult choices, and justice.
Join us at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 30 for a relaxed conversation with one of Minnesota’s most celebrated authors, followed by a book signing. We’ll be serving brunch-style hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar will be available during the event.
Guests who park in a Union Depot parking lot can have their parking validated at Story Line Books. For lot locations, entrances, and other parking information, see the Union Depot Parking Guide.
Come spend your Sunday morning with us, enjoy a bite and a drink, and hear William Kent Krueger talk about God’s Country, Cork O’Connor, and his work as a storyteller before getting your book signed.

NONFICTION - Empire of AI
2026-09-02 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join the Story Line Books Nonfiction Book Club as we discuss Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao.
Drawing on years of reporting and extraordinary access to the people shaping the artificial intelligence boom, Hao takes readers inside the rise of OpenAI—from its idealistic beginnings as a nonprofit devoted to developing AI safely to its transformation into one of the most powerful forces in the global technology race. Along the way, she looks beyond Silicon Valley to the enormous resources that make AI possible: data, energy, water, computing power, and the often-invisible labor of workers around the world.
Part corporate history, part investigation, and part examination of power, Empire of AI asks urgent questions about who is building the technology rapidly reshaping our lives, who bears its costs, and who gets to decide what the future of AI should look like.
Come ready for a lively conversation about technology, ambition, labor, environmental impact, corporate power, and what responsibility looks like in the age of AI.
All are welcome—even if you haven’t finished the book!

ESSENTIALS - Blood Meridian
2026-09-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join the Story Line Books Book Club as we discuss Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Set along the U.S.–Mexico border in the mid-19th century, Blood Meridian follows a teenage runaway known only as “the kid” as he falls in with the Glanton gang, a brutal band of scalp hunters roaming a landscape already shaped by war, displacement, and violence. At the center of their journey looms Judge Holden—scholar, philosopher, manipulator, and one of the most unsettling figures in American literature.
McCarthy takes the mythology of the American West and strips away its romance, replacing heroic frontier stories with a haunting examination of conquest, violence, and the forces that shaped westward expansion. Beautiful, difficult, and deliberately disturbing, the novel asks what happens when violence is not an interruption of civilization, but woven into its creation.
Come ready for a lively conversation about morality, history, fate, the mythology of the American West, McCarthy’s extraordinary use of language, and the endlessly debatable question of what, exactly, Judge Holden represents.
All are welcome—even if you haven’t finished the book!

STAFF CHIOCE - Gods of Jade and Shadow
2026-09-16 18:30 - 20:00 | MN
Join the Story Line Books Staff Choice Book Club for Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, part of our year of retellings celebrating the power of telling your own stories instead of letting someone else tell them for you.
In 1920s Mexico, Casiopea Tun spends her days cleaning her wealthy grandfather’s house and dreaming of a life beyond her small town. When she opens a mysterious wooden chest and accidentally frees Hun-Kamé, the deposed Mayan god of death, she is swept into a journey across Mexico to help him reclaim his throne from the brother who betrayed him.
Drawing on Maya mythology while embracing the glamour, upheaval, and possibility of the Jazz Age, Moreno-Garcia tells a story in which ancient gods and legends belong not to a distant or vanished past, but to a vibrant, living culture. At its heart is Casiopea herself—a young woman determined to decide who she will become rather than accept the life others have chosen for her.
There’s plenty here to dig into together: mythology and retelling, cultural identity, fate and free will, and what changes when stories rooted in a culture are told by the people whose histories and traditions they represent.
All are welcome—even if you haven’t finished the book!

CONTEMPORARY LIT - Cool Machine
2026-09-23 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join the Story Line Books Contemporary Literature Book Club as we discuss Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead, the final installment in his acclaimed Harlem Trilogy (don’t worry, the books all stand on their own, you don’t need to have read the first two!)
It’s the 1980s, and New York City is changing fast. Ray Carney—furniture salesman, family man, and sometime fence—has built a life that increasingly resembles respectability. But when his wife is denied a loan for her new business, one last job pulls Carney back toward the criminal world he has spent years trying to leave behind. Meanwhile, his old partner Pepper finds himself navigating a very different corner of the city, and the past offers Carney one final chance to make right something he has never been able to forget.
Spanning 1981 to 1986, Cool Machine is both a crime novel and a portrait of a city reinventing itself—one where new wealth and glittering skyscrapers rise alongside displacement, inequality, and the people pushed out of sight. Whitehead brings the Harlem Trilogy to a close by asking what survives as neighborhoods change, what we owe the people who came before us, and whether anyone ever really escapes the choices that made them who they are.
We’ll dig into crime and respectability, family and legacy, race and class, the transformation of New York, and the ways Whitehead uses genre fiction to tell a much larger story about American life.
No need to have read the first two books in the Harlem Trilogy—Cool Machine stands on its own. And, as always, you’re welcome even if you don’t finish the book!
