New monthly events offered by the Rock Island Public Library in January and February include the Downtown Movie Club on Thursdays, and the Coffee Break Book Club on Saturdays at Theo’s Java Café. 

The Downtown Movie Club features afternoon showings of a variety of films on the second Thursday of each month at the Downtown Library, 401 19^th Street. The first movie is Thursday, Jan. 11 from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. It features the 2023, PG-rated blockbuster movie about everyone’s favorite stereotypical fashion doll. 

The next Downtown Movie Club is Thursday, Feb. 8, also from 1 pm to 3:30pm. The 2017 movie is rated R, and is based on the true story told in the book, Woman Walking Ahead, In Search of Catherine Weldon and Sitting Bull, by Eileen Pollack. 

Movies are free and open to all, with popcorn included. All movies are selected for their appeal to adults.

Another new 2024 event is the Coffee Break Book Club, offered at 2:30 pm on one Saturday per month from February through April at Theo’s Java Café, 213 17^th Street, Rock Island. The Coffee Break Book Club features slightly different titles than most book clubs, and is great for those whose weekday schedules make other book clubs difficult to attend. No registration is required. Upcoming dates, times, and discussion titles include: 

• February 10 at 2:30 pm: Whalefall, by Daniel Kraus (Science Fiction, Action, Adventure) 
• March 9 at 2:30 pm: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, by Deepa Anappara (Mystery/Thriller, Amateur Sleuth, Literary Fiction) 

Physical copies of each book are available for checkout through the library’s shared PrairieCat catalog, and through the Libby digital app, in both eBook and eAudiobook formats. 

Though “club” is in both titles, both of these new events are open to anyone with no membership required. For more information about library events and services, visit the library website, call 309-732-7323 (READ,) or follow library social media pages. 

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