For Readers

> Join one of our Book Discussion Groups

> Upcoming online author talks from Illinois Libraries Present

> Tips for managing your account 

> Request an Interlibrary Loan

Current Staff Picks

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones
The Man From the Train by Bill James
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick
The Puzzler by A.J. Jacobs
The Book of Phobias & Manias by Kate Summerscale
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Literary Yarns by Cindy Wang
Mending Life by Nina and Sonya Montenegro

 

Bestsellers Club
We’ll put the holds on so you don’t have to! CAPL cardholders are invited to fill out our form online or at the Library and be put on hold automatically for the most popular authors.

NextBook
CAPL cardholders can request personal reading suggestions based on their preferences.

Digital Branch
We have thousands of titles available online to CAPL cardholders. Explore our ebook, eaudiobook, and comic/graphic novel options through our Digital Branch.

Submit a Patron Pick
We have a revolving display of titles recommended by other readers like you. Find it by the return in-takes, on the reverse side of the Staff Pick selections. Submit a title for display.

Readers Resources 
Need authoritative help finding series order or read alikes for a particular author or genre? Access Novelist with your CAPL card.

Helping readers find their next favorite book and more...
Recommendations for titles, authors, and series.
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Supports local authors with online creation and publishing tools ...

Help for local book groups

Home Book Club Concierge
Our Adult Services Librarian, Joel, can help you and your local book group by:

  • procuring copies of the book from our library consortium with 10 days notice before they are needed (planning ahead 2-3 months is recommended for popular titles)
  • suggesting possible discussion titles
Fill out our Home Book Club Concierge form to request assistance.

 

Instant Book Club Bags
Didn’t have time to contact our concierge? Everything you need for your book group in one convenient bag, including 12 copies of the book to distribute to your members and discussion questions. See the 39 titles to choose from. The collection is located on the shelves opposite the public copier, so feel free to browse during your next visit.

hoopla
Running an online book club? Or prefer ebooks and/or eaudiobooks? Hoopla is a digital collection with instant access (= no waitlists!). Users must have a CAPL card and will need to create a hoopla account upon the first login. Learn more about hoopla.