100 ESSENTAILS - All The King's Men
2025-09-11 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Meet the original American demagogue. All the King’s Men is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the corrupt, populist political rise and fall of fictional Governor Willie Stark, loosely based on Louisiana Governor Huey Long.
The story is told through the perspective of journalist Jack Burden, exploring themes of power, corruption, and morality in the 1930s American South. The novel was adapted into a classic 1949 film that won three Oscars, and a later 2006 film adaptation.
Bonus: Jimmy had already read this one, so he’s going to be joining us!

STAFF CHOICE: Atmosphere
2025-09-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Taylor Jenkins Reid comes back onto the scene with another heartbreaker – this time set against the backdrop of early-space-age Houston. It’s space month, y’all! Come cry with us!

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE: Orbital
2025-09-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
We continue space month with Orbital, the spectacular novel by Samantha Harvey, in which she looks at us and our planet through the eyes of astronauts orbiting. It’s gorgeous, and like 130 pages. Definitely read this one!
About the Book:
A slender novel of epic power and the winner of the Booker Prize 2024, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling through space. Selected for one of the last space station missions of its kind before the program is dismantled, these astronauts and cosmonauts–from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan–have left their lives behind to travel at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles an hour as the earth reels below. We glimpse moments of their earthly lives through brief communications with family, their photos and talismans; we watch them whip up dehydrated meals, float in gravity-free sleep, and exercise in regimented routines to prevent atrophying muscles; we witness them form bonds that will stand between them and utter solitude. Most of all, we are with them as they behold and record their silent blue planet. Their experiences of sixteen sunrises and sunsets and the bright, blinking constellations of the galaxy are at once breathtakingly awesome and surprisingly intimate.
Profound and contemplative, Orbital is a moving elegy to our environment and planet.

100 ESSENTIAL NOVELS - American Pastoral
2025-10-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This month, Story Line Books is diving into American Pastoral by Philip Roth — a Pulitzer Prize–winning novel that explores family, identity, and the unraveling of the American dream. We’ll gather to share thoughts, questions, and insights in a welcoming, conversational setting. Whether you’ve read Roth before or are picking him up for the first time, we’d love to have you join the discussion.
📖 Bring your copy, your curiosity, and your perspective — everyone’s voice adds something unique to the conversation.

STAFF CHOICE: The Cloisters
2025-10-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Step into the shadowy, enchanting world of The Cloisters by Katy Hays — a novel brimming with secrets, tarot cards, and a hint of the supernatural. This darkly atmospheric tale follows a young scholar drawn into the mysterious research halls of a gothic museum in New York City, where the line between scholarship and magic begins to blur.
It’s a perfect October read — lush, eerie, and spellbinding — the kind of book that begs to be read with a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and maybe a flickering candle or two. If you love stories about hidden histories, secret societies, and the seductive pull of the unknown, you won’t want to miss this one.

STORIES AT THE STATION - William Kent Krueger and Sarah Stonich
2025-10-16 18:00 - 20:00 | 1881 Eating House, 214 4th Street E, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
An Evening with William Kent Krueger & Sarah StonichThursday, October 16 6:00 pmUnion Depot, St. Paul
Join us for a special night of conversation and readings with two of Minnesota’s finest authors: William Kent Krueger and Sarah Stonich.
The evening will begin with brief opening remarks and introductions. Each author will read a selection from their work, followed by reflections on craft, place, and how Minnesota shapes their storytelling. We’ll follow with a conversation between them, touching on their different approaches, shared themes, and what’s next for each. Audience Q&A will follow, and there will be a book signing and book sale afterward. This event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from two voices deeply rooted in Minnesota’s literary landscape — one of them a master of atmospheric mystery and the other a chronicler of northern lives and landscapes. You’ll come away with new insights into how place shapes narrative, along with fresh enthusiasm for their newest works. Seating is first-come, first-served (if you need special accommodations, please let us know in advance). Admission is free with registration, and light appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

About the Authors
William Kent Krueger lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has long made the state his literary home, setting many of his novels in northern Minnesota. Krueger is best known for his Cork O’Connor mystery series, but also writes stand-alone novels like This Tender Land and Ordinary Grace (which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2013).His latest Cork O’Connor installment, Apostle’s Cove, is expected to continue his tradition of weaving suspense, place, and moral ambiguity.
Sarah Stonich was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and currently resides in Minneapolis.Her fiction often explores small towns in northern Minnesota, where she mines the tensions between place, identity, industry, and nature. Stonich’s first novel, These Granite Islands, was published in 2001 and went on to international translation and critical acclaim (including a Loft McKnight Award and a Minnesota State Arts Board Award). She recently published Fishing!, a sharp, funny novel about family, culture, and the outdoors.

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE: The Warm Hands of Ghosts
2025-10-22 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
As Halloween approaches, we’re reading something hauntingly beautiful — The Warm Hands of Ghosts: A Novel by Katherine Arden. Set in the aftermath of World War I, this lyrical novel weaves history and the supernatural into a story about love, loss, and the lingering spirits of the past.
With its mist-covered battlefields, ghostly encounters, and aching humanity, The Warm Hands of Ghosts feels like a candlelit séance between memory and myth. It’s the perfect October read — eerie enough to raise goosebumps, tender enough to break your heart, and best enjoyed with a mug of something warm while the wind rattles the windows.

NONFICTION- Just Mercy
2025-10-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This month, we’re reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson — a powerful true story about justice, redemption, and the fight for dignity in America’s criminal legal system. Stevenson’s memoir is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring, showing how compassion and courage can change lives even in the face of impossible odds.
We’re especially excited that Jimmy, who is a public defender in Hennepin County, will be leading the discussion! His real-world perspective promises an engaging, thought-provoking conversation about fairness, reform, and what mercy really means. Join us for an evening of good company, honest dialogue, and big ideas that stay with you long after you leave.

Halloween Trivia Night
2025-10-31 19:00 - 22:00 | 1881 Eating House, 214 4th Street E, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Do you know which real-life member of the European nobility inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula? Do you prefer a big, old, classy, and very haunted train station to the crowded bar scene? Join us for a celebration of all things spooky on Halloween night! There will be food and drink specials all evening, and our 3.5 round trivia game will start at 8, with the winners taking home a $30 gift card to SLB!
It’s not required, but if you RSVP below you’ll get 10% off your first cocktail of the evening!
Trivia Rules

Teams of between 1-4 people
Three full rounds of 10 questions each: Scary Movies; Horror in Literature; and Hauntings IRL.
+ 5 question bonus round of questions about ghosts haunting St Paul. Everything you need to know to ace this round will be talked about on the CynCity Union Depot Ghost Tour, offered several times a week all October long!
Once per round, you can send a team member into the bookstore to look up an answer in the books! Otherwise, this is a closed book test!
The questions will increase in difficulty within each round – harder questions are worth more points!
The winning team will get a $40 gift card to SLB, which can be split into up to four $10 cards!

100 ESSENTIALS: An American Tragedy
2025-11-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This month, Story Line Books is reading An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser — a landmark novel first published in 1925 that still resonates today. Based on real events, the story follows Clyde Griffiths, a young man yearning for success and respectability, who finds himself torn between love, ambition, and the crushing weight of his choices. Dreiser’s sweeping narrative explores the stark divides of class, the allure and danger of the American dream, and the moral struggles that can shape — or shatter — a life.
We’ll come together to reflect on the novel’s themes, its historical context, and the questions it raises about ambition, morality, and fate. Whether you’re encountering this powerful work for the first time or revisiting it with fresh eyes, we’d love to have you join the conversation.
📖 Bring your copy, your curiosity, and your perspective — everyone’s voice adds something unique to the discussion.

STORIES AT THE STATION - Pete Gallagher
2025-11-20 18:00 - 20:00 | 1881 Eating House, 214 4th Street E, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join us to meet local St. Paul author Pete Gallagher whose debut novel Backwashed was featured in Mary Ann Grossman’s column in the Pioneer Press.
Mr. Gallagher will read from his novel and then we will open the floor to questions and answers. As always, light appetizers will be served alongside a cash bar.
RSVPs appreciated for headcount purposes. but not required!

THE ESSENTIALS - Animal Farm
2026-01-14 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This extraordinary book does in 120 pages what it would take most people a treatise to do – deliver a clear-eyed and devastating takedown of authoritarianism and, more specifically, Soviet-style “communism.” Let’s talk about what it says, what it doesn’t say, and whether we should still be listening more than thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

STAFF CHOICE - Circe
2026-01-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - The Life Impossible
2026-01-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

NONFICTION - On Tyranny
2026-02-04 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

The League of Minnesota Poets - Poetry Reading
2026-02-07 12:00 - 14:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Join us Saturday, February 7 at noon as we welcome the League of Minnesota Poets to the store! Six of their members will be sharing their work with us, and there will be light snacks provided. We’ll get started at noon, be sure to arrive a little early to snag a seat! Poets will be reading from their own collections and will have books available for sale!
Poets:
Kathleen Wedl
Dralandra Larkins
Dennis Maulsby
Mary Joe Robinson-Jamison
Connie Bogard
Annette Gagliardi, Poet Laureate for the League of Minnesota Poets

THE ESSENTIALS - Fahrenheit 451
2026-02-11 18:30 - 20:00 | MN

STAFF PICK - Legendborn
2026-02-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
2026-02-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

Reading Series: Saint Paul Almanac - Illumination
2026-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Saint Paul Almanac Reading Series: Illumination
We Welcome:
Louis DiSanto
Donna Isaac
David Mendez
DeAnne Parks
Gordon Shumaker
Susan Spindler
Jenna Carlson
Saint Paul Almanac Volume 14: Illumination is an anthology of prose and poetry from Minnesotan writers that illuminate the tenacity, grit, pleasure, and grace of the human experience. This singular volume, the twentieth anniversary edition of the Almanac, is filled with thought-provoking and moving works by memoirists Sherry Quan Lee and Hedy Tripp; poets Stephani Booker, Donna Isaac, John Medeiros, and Debra Stone; and community activists Dr. LaVonne Moore and Clarence White. There are nearly 100 contributors, including winners of the 2023 Sidewalk Poetry Contest.
Illumination also highlights the voices we seldom hear. You’ll find incarcerated writers, those who experience health challenges, those who grieve and heal, and those who cope with marginalization. It also includes stories and poems from young writers who are elementary and high school students. There are reflections about longing to connect, the search for truth, the joy of abundance from nature, and a magical parable of possibility. Within these pages are testimonies to mentors and unexpected encounters with strangers.
“Illumination is as beautiful and moving an anthology as I have ever encountered. In poems and prose, in paintings and photos, it contains the stories, testimonies and images of what actually makes America great—our diversity of voices, our love for our families, our neighbors and our communities, the ways we overcome prejudice and hate. In these troubled times, this essential anthology will give you hope and courage.” – David Mura, author of The Last Incantations and The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives

NONFICTION - Everyone Who is Gone is Here
2026-03-04 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

STAFF CHOICE - The Once and Future Queen
2026-03-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - The Best American Short Stories (2025)
2026-03-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
March is both Short Stories Month and Women’s History Month, so for the month’s contemporary lit choice, we went with a short stories collection edited and curated by one of the most talented female authors currently writing. We’re excited to discuss the impact of the variety of pieces and what makes the “best” short stories!

NONFICTION - Caste
2026-04-01 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson is one of the most impactful books that a reader can pick up in their lifetime. It moves beyond the concept of race to reveal an underlying “invisible” architecture of human ranking that has shaped America’s history and current events, expertly drawing parallels between the caste systems of Nazi Germany, India, and the United States. It forces a look at the “hidden, hard facts” of social structures, which will trigger intense, deeply meaningful, and, at times, difficult conversations. This book club will be an intense one, but critically important in this time of social stagnation and, often, devolution.

THE ESSENTIALS - Appointment in Samarra
2026-04-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
Another one none of us had heard of!
Appointment in Samarra is John O’Hara’s acclaimed 1934 novel about the rapid, self-destructive downfall of Julian English, a wealthy young man in the fictional Pennsylvania town of Gibbsville over three days during Christmas 1930. Driven by alcohol, social pressure, and impulsive acts, Julian alienates his wife and society, leading to his tragic end, which mirrors the ancient fable of a man trying to flee his fated appointment with Death in Samarra. The book is celebrated for its sharp social commentary on class, status, and the dark side of the American dream.
Join us as we talk about this roller coaster of a book – it’s really very good and we think you should read it even if you can’t make it to club.

STAFF CHOICE - I, Medusa
2026-04-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
2026 is the year of rewriting our stories and refusing to let the world define us. Next up – Medusa, whose bad rap is legendary.
Medusa is a favored acolyte of Athena before she is violated by Poseidon and transformed into the monster we are all familiar with. The story follows her journey from a hopeful girl to a vengeful figure, focusing on her relationships with her sisters and the cruel games of the gods, and is praised for its fresh perspective, emotional depth, and relevance to modern issues like sexual assault and power dynamics.
Through a mythological lens, the book tackles themes of injustice, trauma, and female rage and has received acclaim for its powerful and heartbreaking retelling, with reviewers highlighting its emotional impact and its success in giving a voice to a misunderstood figure.
This is a fresh take on the story, which has already seen countless iterations. Let’s see what happens when women tell each other’s stories.

2026 Spring Art Crawl
2026-04-17 17:00 - 2026-04-19 18:00 | Union Depot, 214 4th Street East, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
The St. Paul art community brings us into the new year with the annual Spring art crawl throughout Lowertown, downtown, and exurban Saint Paul.
This is one of our favorite events of the year, and we can’t wait to see the Depot all decked out with art from local artists.

https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/blog/guide-to-the-saint-paul-art-crawl/

2026 Independent Bookstore Spirit Week
2026-04-20 08:00 - 2026-04-24 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
It’s Indie Bookstore Week!
Headed into Independent Bookstore Day on April 25, come and join us for a week of fun!

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - Good People
2026-04-22 18:30 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
In honor of Arab-American Heritage Month, we have chosen to read the extraordinary debut novel from Patmeena Sabit who was born in Kabul and grew up in Virginia. The book is extraordinary – it tells the story of a family of Afghan refugees living in Virginia as they experience a time of great fortune and devastating loss. It explores the reality of the immigrant experience in America and the power of cultural identity in American life. The book is sensational, but don’t take our word for it. Just look at these reviews:
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“Good People is a thrilling tour de force of a novel. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone.”—Ann Patchett
“This devastating début novel takes the form of an oral history about a tragedy that shatters a family. At its heart is a couple who arrived in the U.S. in the late nineteen-nineties as refugees from Afghanistan. They prospered, and brought up four children in an affluent suburb in Virginia. Rotating testimonies from people they know—family friends, a cousin, lawyers—offer theories about what led to the novel’s central catastrophe. Once the nature of the tragedy has been revealed, the book transforms into an intimate study of an Afghan immigrant community forced to reevaluate what it means to raise children in America.”—The New Yorker
“One of those novels where you know right away that a mysterious, unspeakable something has happened, and you are simultaneously terrified and desperate to get the details. . . . This skillful debut is both a bated-breath thriller and a richly atmospheric portrait of an immigrant community.”—Oprah Daily
“Good People is a gripping, thought-provoking novel that peels back the layers of family, reputation and truth. It’s a story that will leave readers questioning just how well we ever know the people closest to us.”—Women’s World
“A month into the year, the first great novel of 2026 is here. Patmeena Sabit’s debut, Good People, may remind readers of Celeste Ng’s bestselling Little Fires Everywhere in that it’s a domestic tale that reads like a propulsive thriller and springs from a clash of cultures.”—The Minnesota Star Tribune
“Sabit debuts with an electrifying whodunit . . . This propulsive tale heralds Sabit as a writer worth keeping tabs on.”—Publishers Weekly
“Good People is equal parts an immigrant novel, a tightly wound mystery, and an oral history. Patmeena Sabit moves between these with insight, ease, and grace to give us a remarkable, unsettling snapshot of our complicated times.”—Sameer Pandya, author of Our Beautiful Boys
“With startling empathy for all sides, Patmeena Sabit plumbs the fault lines of honor, truth, prejudice, and how identity shapes guilt in the aftermath of tragedy. What a spectacular triumph this book is.”—Khaled Hosseini
“A triumphant debut! With the sophistication and assurance of a seasoned writer, Patmeena Sabit has crafted a prescient East-West story as only a third culture talent could have. The plot: masterful. The writing: beguiling. The pacing: breakneck. The possibility I will read this again and again: absolute.”—Alka Joshi, author of The Henna Artist and the Jaipur Trilogy
“Sabit’s first novel masterfully dissects the glittering facade of the American Dream . . . This all unfolds like a binge-worthy true-crime podcast . . . At once heartbreaking and hypnotic, Sabit’s is a novel that demands to be devoured.”—Booklist, starred review

2026 INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY
2026-04-25 08:00 - 20:00 | Story Line Books, 214 Fourth Street E Suite 160, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
It’s back!
JOIN US FOR THE 13TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY! Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country. This is our second one and we could not be more excited!
Keep an eye on this space (and follow us on Facebook and Instagram) for more about special events, contests, and other goodies about the whole week!
