the stacks Lounge
Upcoming events
Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. Coffee brewing. The quiet magic of writing time awaits
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Bookstore After Dark Live Music in the Lounge
First Friday of the Month!
November 6th, 2026, 7-9PM
Featuring Performances by:
Gabriie Gonzales
BOOKSTORE AFTER DARK: UNPLUGGED
First Friday of Every Month
Live Music in the Lounge
$15 Cover; 15% off in store
BYOB and BYO snacks! Some refreshments available for purchase.
Author Event - Nicholas Goodfellow Jr. Reading and Signing
Signing, and Reading at Noon
A Layman's Guide to Effectively Negotiate with Credit Card Companies: Orchestrating Your Own Life - Fifty Commonsensical Ways to Cultivate Well-Being and Financial Freedom
Unlike many self-help finance books, which lean heavily on tactics, this book leans into character, honesty, humility, perseverance, and faith. It also emphasizes negotiations through kindness, civility, and emotional control. The Orchestrating Your Own Fifty Commonsensical Ways to Cultivate Well-Being and Financial Freedom.
Trivia Tuesday! The Hunger Games!
Consider this your formal invitation to show off all the delightful, useless, and wildly impressive knowledge you’ve been collecting over the years. Expect clever questions, literary nods, general knowledge curveballs, and the cozy chaos that only happens when curious minds gather among shelves of books. Come solo or bring a team. Confidence optional, enthusiasm encouraged.
🧠 Trivia TuesdayThe Hunger Games Book One Literary themed trivia. BYOB.
📆 Second Tuesday of every month⏰ 6:30–8 PM
💵 $5 per person
Reel Lit, Book vs Movie Club
Meeting on the Second Wednesday of Every Month
What we’re reading and watching and making…
November 11/11/26: Reading and watching: All The Light We Cannot See. Making Braille punch candle holders.
December 12/8/26: Reading Beth is Dead and watching Little Women. Making Sisters’ Secrets Journals
$25.00
Second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM
Participants watch the movie/show as well as read the book.
• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Author Talk - Offsite at Hunterdon County Historic Courthouse
Author Talk: Mariah Fredericks on "The Lindbergh Nanny"
Join us and the Hunterdon County Library Author talk at the Hunterdon County Historic Courthouse, site of the 1935 Lindbergh trial, for an author talk with Mariah Fredericks about The Lindbergh Nanny. Her novel tells the story of the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping through the eyes of Betty Gow, the nursemaid who cared for the child and found herself at the center of the most sensational crime in America.
Following the talk there will be a Q&A and book signing. We will have books available for purchase by Read Mill Books.
Doors open at 5:30. The first 75 registered guests at the door will receive a specially designed tote bag to commemorate the evening.
About the author: Mariah Fredericks was born, raised, and still lives in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series as well as The Lindbergh Nanny, The Wharton Plot, and The Girl in the Green Dress. This October she'll have a newly published book, Murder on 34th Street.
The courthouse is ADA accessible.
Traditional vs Self Publishing Workshop with Stacey Wilk
Traditional vs Self Publishing Workshop with Stacey Wilk
Audiobook Walk!
FREE!
Meet us at the bookstore to take your current audiobook outdoors and enjoy a relaxed community walk through beautiful Clinton.
Please Register Here
Craft Tea with Author Peggy Ehrhart
Come get crafty at our Crafternoon Tea with Author Peggy Ehrhart!
Saturday, November, 14th 2026 at 2 PM
Come get crafty at the Craft Tea. Each ticket includes one pot of hot tea, or one pitcher of iced tea, and two mini scones from Scouts, with clotted cream and jam.
Author Event - Leigh Feather Book Signing and Reading
Signing from 2-4 PM
Reading at 2:30 PM
Stories I Tell Strangers is a collection of personal stories from the childhood memories of a girl growing up in Washington, DC, in the 1970s and 1980s.
Leigh Feather is a graphic designer, photographer, and writer. She loves minimalism, Danish modern decor, clogs, books, and art of all kinds. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two teenagers, and one rescue dog. Stories I Tell Strangers is her first book.
Read it and Scream Horror Book Club
Meeting on the Third Tuesday of Every Month
What we’re reading…and what were doing…
November 11/17/26: Night Film, Marisha Pessel. “At Night All Birds Are Black” Reusable Tote
December 12/15/26: NOS4A2, Joe Hill. Scrabble Tile Coasters
Read It and Scream, Horror Book Club
Third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM
• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Miller's Corner Fiction Book Club
Meeting on the Third Wednesday of Every Month
What we’re reading…
November 11/18/26: The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
December 12/16/26: The Book Club for Troublesome Women, by Marie Bostwick
January
Feburary
March
April
May
June
Summer Hiatus!
September
October
November
December
Casual • Come as you are • Great conversation • BYOB
Third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM 
Night Write Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. BYOB. The quiet magic of writing time awaits.
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Journal Making Workshop
A hands-on, creative gathering where participants learn to bind and customize their own personalized books using everyday materials, scrap paper, and simple stitching techniques.
Memoir Poetry Workshop with Terin Weinberg
Join Terin Weinberg for a night of memoir poetry workshopping meant to excavate the past of your memories in a new light. Terin Weinberg earned her MFA from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She teaches in the English departments at both DeSales University and Northampton Community College. Her work has been published in journals and anthologies such as Flyway: Journal of Writing & the Environment, South Dakota Review, The Normal School, and Split Rock Review. When she’s not writing or teaching, she is farming and caring for her menagerie of animals.
Join Terin Weinberg for a night of memoir poetry workshopping meant to excavate the past of your memories in a new light. Terin Weinberg earned her MFA from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She teaches in the English departments at both DeSales University and Northampton Community College. Her work has been published in journals and anthologies such as Flyway: Journal of Writing & the Environment, South Dakota Review, The Normal School, and Split Rock Review. When she’s not writing or teaching, she is farming and caring for her menagerie of animals.
Author Event - Nolan Leyesa
After the murder of her father, a thirteen-year-old young lady in the Philippines stepped into a role of maturity-training in martial arts and keeping a part of her father alive.
Crossing the ocean, her son was immediately enrolled in martial arts —a discipline he would turn into a livelihood.
Meet Christopher Leyesa and follow his debut on the world stage representing Team USA and his journey to becoming an ITF World Champion in Amsterdam, Netherlands-paying homage to his lineage.
Three years later, his son Nolan would do the same-training to achieve gold and carrying out his father’s legacy at the ITF World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Read about Leyesa’s battles with loss, injury, systemic adversity-and the dream run he took on his forty-first birthday.
Thematic Journal Writing Workshop with Mark McNEase
Junk Journaling Workshop Sunday, November 22nd, 4PM - 6PM | $25
Junk Journaling
This is a hands on creative workshop where you learn to turn recycled materials, everyday paper scraps, and personal ephemera into a handmade, custom book.
What You Do in the Workshop:
• Assemble the Base: You can attend our Journal Making Workshop on Friday 11/20/26 to learn how to bind or construct a journal, we will have old hardcover books available, or you can bring your own journal!
• We will layer, stitch, paint or glue collections of ephemera, such as old book pages, and music sheets into the journal. Add texture: Create secret tuck-spots, fold-outs, envelope pockets, and "Franken-papers" using tickets, tags, stamps, and fabric scraps. Collage and embellish pages with your own photos, notes, or memories to make a unique keepsake.
Bell, Book & Candle Witchy Book Club
Meeting on the last Tuesday of every month.
What we’re reading… What we’re doing…
November 11/24/26: Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood; decorate your own sweet or savory cupcake!
December 12/29/26: Sweet in Love, Elle Hartford.
Last Tuesday of every month.
Spellbinding reads, moonlit moods, and magical discussion for lovers of witchcraft, folklore, and the supernatural.
Author Event - Christy Schillig
Christy Schillig is a middle school teacher who lives in a log cabin in suburban South Jersey with her two children, her husband/best-friend since 6th grade, and her dogs, Puppay and Sheep. Christy graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Italian Literature and Language (yes, that’s a real degree) and uses that degree to commentate classroom science games in Italian and plan off the grid trips to the Italian Rivieras. On any given day, you can find her reading young adult paranormal romance beneath her desk at school or writing laugh-out-loud slow burns during her prep.
Wish You Weren't Here: An Italian Summer Romance
by Christy Schillig
Ava Graham's ducks are in a row as she heads off to Italy to complete her final law school credits and fulfill a promise she made to her late mother five years ago. Ava expects her long-term boyfriend to propose before her trip, but instead of giving her a ring, he suggests they use her time abroad as a “break” before settling down.
When James Massini arrives late to pick up Ava as a favor to his aunt and uncle, he’s surprised to find that she’s not a young student, but a fascinating woman approaching thirty with serious control issues and a habit of underestimating him. When she’s assigned to his class as a TA, he becomes determined to prove to her that there is more to life than plans and lists, no matter how hard she fights with him–or how annoyingly charming he finds their banter.
Lessons in Falling: A Romantic Comedy (Out of Office Series Book 1) by Christy Schillig
A slow burn, heartwarming and hilarious romantic comedy for lovers of Abby Jimenez and Christina Lauren. Devon Gallagher is all settled into her comfy life like a wireless bra that you forget to take off before bed. Tenured as a beloved eighth-grade math teacher, her routine is safe and predictable—as she likes it. But when her sister Tara forces an impromptu getaway to Chicago and convinces Devon to take center stage, a karaoke incident from hell spirals into an even more humiliating experience in the post-operative recovery room. Enter Dr. Jeff Harrison, orthopedic surgeon and unwitting recipient of Devon’s drug-induced stream-of-consciousness rant. Though the conversation expands his vocab for lady bits several times over, he can’t say he minds this particular send off from residency to his coveted spinal fellowship in Philadelphia. However, the sobered patient certainly minds when he shows up at a bar in Philly with her best friends and a pocketful of her most embarrassing secrets. As Devon recovers from the fall, it becomes clear that she’s tumbling right into the man she’s working so hard to avoid. And this time, no surgeon will be able to piece her back together.
Author Event - Christine Groff
Meet Christine Groth and get her book Treasured Memories of Clinton, NJ. A heartwarming collection of small-town stories and local history shared by the people who call Clinton home.
Christine will be here signing her book on Saturday November 28th from 12-2 and Sunday December 13th from 12-2
The Return of -Black White & Read Cinema!
Your monthly vintage movie night! Featuring classic films, moody lighting,and free popcorn. BYOB and byo snacks. Refreshments available for purchase. Last Friday of every month. $10
🎬 Black, White & Read Movie NightYour monthly vintage movie night.Classic noir films. Cozy Lounge. Free popcorn.Byob and byo snacks.
📆 Last Saturday of every month ⏰ 7:00 PM
💵 $10 per personVOTE FOR NOVEMBER!
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Miracle on 34th St (1955)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1967)
Author Event - Mark Zhutianli
Meet the author, sharing the stories behind
THE TOWN OF CLINTON - THE PHOTOGRAPHS.
A friendly community meet‑up at Read Mill Book, where the author shares the stories behind Clinton’s first journalistic photobook. Join us for a Q&A, photo insights, and a conversation about the town’s memory and the making of the book
BYOB ² - Candle Making with Wicked Flicker and Bedazzling!
That’s Bring Your Own Book and Bring Your Own Beverage.Bring a book you love (or one begging for a glow-up), bring your drink of choice, and join us for a cozy, creative, sparkle-forward evening. We’ll handle the bedazzling supplies, the playlist, the snacks, and the vibes, you just show up ready to make a mess (the fun kind).March is Folded Book Vases! Learn how to transform an old hardback book into a beautiful vase for a floral arrangement. Bring your bev, bring your bud, or just bring yourself. Low-pressure, high-cozy creative time. Supplies and snacks provided. No need to bring your own book this time as we will be cutting and folding them to make the vases. Starts at 6:30pm.Senior Brunch and Bingo! Sponsored by Jen Santoro
Includes brunch buffet, multiple rounds of bingo, and community prizes!
Sponosored by Jen Santoro
Night Write Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. BYOB. The quiet magic of writing time awaits.
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Santa’s Workshop!
Three hours of gifting, crafting, and holiday fun for ages 5 to 12!
Let your little elves take charge of the gift giving! Kids will “shop” with tickets for surprises for their families, create handmade craft gifts, and wrap their treasures to keep the surprises under wraps.
Choose your workshop package:
🎁 Little Elf - $45
Shop for 3 gifts + make 1 craft gift
🎁 Merry Maker - $60
Shop for 5 gifts + make 2 craft gifts
🎁 Santa’s Helper - $75
Shop for 7 gifts + make 3 craft gifts
Every package includes three hours of holiday fun, gift wrapping and tags, a snack, a holiday story, and extra activities between workshop stations.
You provide the names on their gift list, we’ll help them bring home something thoughtful! All tiers include the full three hours, wrapping supplies, and shared activities.
How the shopping works:
Each child receives a holiday shopping bag, a family gift-list card, and their package’s shopping tickets. One ticket equals one gift from Santa’s Shop. Craft vouchers are separate.
Three craft stations to choose from:
Keepsake ornament: Decorate a ceramic ornament with paint pens, stickers, and a personal message.
Decorated wooden picture frame: Create a frame with a drawing or handwritten “Why I love you” note inside.
Personalized Mini Tote: Decorate a small canvas tote with fabric markers and stencils.
Choose your craft projects at registration.
🎁 Little Elf - $45
Shop for 3 gifts + make 1 craft gift
🎁 Merry Maker - $60
Shop for 5 gifts + make 2 craft gifts
🎁 Santa’s Helper - $75
Shop for 7 gifts + make 3 craft gifts
Bookstore After Dark Live Music in the Lounge
First Friday of the Month!
November 6th, 2026, 7-9PM
Featuring Performances by:
Seven
BOOKSTORE AFTER DARK: UNPLUGGED
First Friday of Every Month
Live Music in the Lounge
$15 Cover; 15% off in store
BYOB and BYO snacks! Some refreshments available for purchase.
Trivia Tuesday!
Consider this your formal invitation to show off all the delightful, useless, and wildly impressive knowledge you’ve been collecting over the years. Expect clever questions, literary nods, general knowledge curveballs, and the cozy chaos that only happens when curious minds gather among shelves of books. Come solo or bring a team. Confidence optional, enthusiasm encouraged.
🧠 Trivia TuesdayLiterary themed trivia. BYOB.
📆 Second Tuesday of every month⏰ 6:30–8 PM
💵 $5 per person
Reel Lit, Book vs Movie Club
Meeting on the Second Wednesday of Every Month
What we’re reading and watching and making…
December 12/8/26: Reading Beth is Dead and watching Little Women. Folded Book-Page Ornaments.
$25.00
Second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM
Participants watch the movie/show as well as read the book.
• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. Coffee brewing. The quiet magic of writing time awaits
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Candlelight Night Sip and Shop with AR Workshop
Sip and Shop and Make a Mini (8”) Book Page Wreath!
True Story Non- Fiction Book Club
Meeting on the Second Thursday of Every Even Month
What we’re reading…
December 12/9/26: Wild Atlantic Women, by Gráinne Lyons
February 2/11/27: Seeking Shama by KeeKee Buckley
April 4/8/27: TBD
June 6/10/27: TBD
August 8/12/27: TBD
October 10/14/27: TBD
December 12/9/27: TBD
Casual • Come as you are • Great conversation • BYOB
Non-Fiction Book Club
Second Thursday of every month at 6:30 PM
Scottish Holiday Afternoon Tea (Outlander Themed)
Step into a cozy afternoon that feels like visiting Grandma, (if she were British). Imagine a charming English cottage, where the tea is always warm, the china is mismatched just so, and every bite is served with care.
Join us for a high tea featuring a mini, brunch-inspired fare, with thoughtfully prepared sweet and savory bites. Sip, chat, and steep yourself in stories and steaming pots of tea, in an intimate, bookish setting.
This experience is BYOB, because even Grandma understands a well-chosen pour. Juice mixers and soft drinks will be available for purchase, if you’d like to craft a sparkling mimosa or a light, fruity spritz to accompany your tea.
Get ready to settle in, and savor an afternoon designed for conversation, comfort, and a little old-world charm, with a gentle twist.
Second Saturday of the Month (Excluding July and August)
🕛 12 PM (Noon) -2PM
💛 $35 per person; $15 for children under 12
🎟 Tickets online only
🍾 BYOB welcome - we’ll have juices and Mixxers on hand if you’d like to dress up your afternoon sip.
Come linger, laugh, and let the afternoon unfold, one cup (or glass) at a time.
An Outlander-Inspired Scottish Holiday Tea!
Tickets required for entry.
Dinna fash Sassenach, come in from the cold, and settle into a cozy holiday afternoon inspired by Outlander and the charm of the Scottish Highlands. Imagine visiting Grandma, if she were Scottish, with warm pots of tea, mismatched china, and a seat saved just for you.
Join us for a festive tea featuring mini, brunch-inspired sweet and savory bites, thoughtfully prepared and served with care. Sip, chat, and share stories in our intimate, bookish setting. Bring your love of Jamie and Claire, your favorite tartan, and an appetite for a little holiday cheer.
This experience is BYOB, because even Grandma appreciates a well-chosen dram. Juice mixers and soft drinks will be available for purchase if you’d like to enjoy a sparkling mimosa or festive spritz alongside your tea.
Gather your favorite people for an afternoon of conversation, comfort, and Highland-inspired holiday charm, no journey through the standing stones required.
🕛 12 PM (Noon)
💛 $35 per person; $15 for children under 12
🎟 Tickets online only
🍾 BYOB welcome; juices, mixers, and soft drinks available for purchase.
Tartan encouraged, warm company promised. Come linger, laugh, and celebrate the season, one cup, or glass, at a time.
Author Event - Christine Groff
Meet Christine Groth and get her book Treasured Memories of Clinton, NJ. A heartwarming collection of small-town stories and local history shared by the people who call Clinton home.
Christine will be here signing her book on Saturday November 28th from 12-2 and Sunday December 13th from 12-2
Read it and Scream Horror Book Club
Meeting on the Third Tuesday of Every Month
What we’re reading…and what were doing…
December 12/15/26: NOS4A2, Joe Hill. Scrabble Tile Coasters
Read It and Scream, Horror Book Club
Third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM
• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Miller's Corner Fiction Book Club
Meeting on the Third Wednesday of Every Month
What we’re reading…
December 12/16/26: The Book Club for Troublesome Women, by Marie Bostwick
January
Feburary
March
April
May
June
Summer Hiatus!
September
October
November
December
Casual • Come as you are • Great conversation • BYOB
Third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM 
Tales and Tankards History Book Club
Meeting on the Third Thursday of Every Even Month
What we’re reading… What we’re doing…
December 12/17/26: The Typewriter and the Guillotine, by Mark Braude, Handmade Paper Typewriter Message Ornaments
February 2/18/27: Operation Garbo, Juan Pujol Garcia and Nigel West. Making Secret Book Boxes
April 4/15/27: TBD
June 6/17/27: TBD
August 8/19/27: TBD
October 10/21/27: TBD
December 12/16/27: TBD
Third Thursday of every month at 6:30 PM• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Black White & Read Cinema Double Feature!
Your monthly vintage movie night! Featuring classic films, moody lighting,and free popcorn. BYOB and byo snacks. Refreshments available for purchase. Last Friday of every month. $10
🎬 Black, White & Read Movie NightYour monthly vintage movie night.Classic noir films. Cozy Lounge. Free popcorn.Byob and byo snacks.
📆 Last Saturday of every month ⏰ 6:00 PM
💵 $10 per personVOTE FOR DECEMBER! TOP TWO WIN
Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) A live-action comedy and musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale starring the legendary comedy duo Abbott and Costello.
The Little Princess (1939) Shirley Temple shines in this colorful classic about a resilient young girl who refuses to give up hope while searching for her missing father.
A Christmas Carol (1949) A nostalgic, half-hour television adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens holiday tale narrated by Vincent Price.
Family and Friends Game Night!
Choose from our arsenal of board games!
Admission is free, but donations are welcome! (Suggested: $15 per family)
Bell, Book & Candle Witchy Book Club
Meeting on the last Tuesday of every month.
What we’re reading… What we’re doing…
December 12/29/26: Sweet in Love, by Elle Hartford. Holiday Party Featuring Secret Craft Gifts! and Holiday Snacks
Last Tuesday of every month.
Spellbinding reads, moonlit moods, and magical discussion for lovers of witchcraft, folklore, and the supernatural.
Card Collecting Workshop Workshop with Alex Iskowitz of Lelands
We’re thrilled to welcome Alex Iskowitz of Lelands Auctions for an exciting Card Collecting Workshop for ages 9–18. Whether students have been collecting for years or just opened their very first pack, this workshop is designed to make the hobby approachable, educational, and fun for everyone.
Students will learn:
The basics of card collecting
Smart ways to find cards beyond retail shelves
Tips for organizing and building a collection
How the hobby works and why cards hold value
PLUS attendees are encouraged to bring up to 10 favorite cards to share and talk about during class.
Each ticket includes:
5 Nine-Pocket Binder Pages
5 Card Saver I Sleeves
1 Card Toploader
Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. Coffee brewing. The quiet magic of writing time awaits
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Weekend Woo - Intro to Tarot
JAN 8 | Introduction to tarot
History, divination, choosing a deck, dos and don’ts, spiritual hygiene, shuffling, reading, and spreads.
JAN 15 | The Major Arcana
The Fool through The Lovers.
JAN 22 | The Major Arcana
The Chariot through Temperance.
JAN 29 | The Major Arcana
The Devil through The World.
FEB 5 | Numerology in tarot
What each number means.
FEB 12 | Wands & Cups
The Minor Arcana: elements and court cards.
FEB 19 | Swords & Pentacles
The Minor Arcana: elements and court cards.
(Skip FEB 26 and MAR 5)
MAR 12 | Tying it all together
Spreads, building a reading, intuition, meditation, and tarot in everyday life.
Sunday Writers' Circle
Pull up a chair, you’ve found your writing people!
Our Sunday Writers’ Circle brings local writers together to swap ideas, share works in progress, and cheer each other on. Whether you’re untangling a fictional plot, shaping a memoir, or figuring out what comes next, bring your questions, your pages, and your creative brain. You’ll find thoughtful feedback, fresh perspectives, and friends who understand getting emotionally attached to imaginary people.
Refreshments available for purchase.
Night Write Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. BYOB. The quiet magic of writing time awaits.
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. Coffee brewing. The quiet magic of writing time awaits
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Sunday Writers' Circle
Pull up a chair, you’ve found your writing people!
Our Sunday Writers’ Circle brings local writers together to swap ideas, share works in progress, and cheer each other on. Whether you’re untangling a fictional plot, shaping a memoir, or figuring out what comes next, bring your questions, your pages, and your creative brain. You’ll find thoughtful feedback, fresh perspectives, and friends who understand getting emotionally attached to imaginary people.
Refreshments available for purchase.
Night Write Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. BYOB. The quiet magic of writing time awaits.
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. Coffee brewing. The quiet magic of writing time awaits
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Sunday Writers' Circle
Pull up a chair, you’ve found your writing people!
Our Sunday Writers’ Circle brings local writers together to swap ideas, share works in progress, and cheer each other on. Whether you’re untangling a fictional plot, shaping a memoir, or figuring out what comes next, bring your questions, your pages, and your creative brain. You’ll find thoughtful feedback, fresh perspectives, and friends who understand getting emotionally attached to imaginary people.
Refreshments available for purchase.
Night Write Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. BYOB. The quiet magic of writing time awaits.
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
BYOB ² - Harvest Table Book Vase
That’s Bring Your Own Book and Bring Your Own Beverage.Bring a book you love (or one begging for a glow-up), bring your drink of choice, and join us for a cozy, creative, sparkle-forward evening. We’ll handle the bedazzling supplies, the playlist, the snacks, and the vibes, you just show up ready to make a mess (the fun kind).March is Folded Book Vases! Learn how to transform an old hardback book into a beautiful vase for a floral arrangement. Bring your bev, bring your bud, or just bring yourself. Low-pressure, high-cozy creative time. Supplies and snacks provided. No need to bring your own book this time as we will be cutting and folding them to make the vases. Starts at 6:30pm.
Season of the Witch - Grown Ups Halloween Party
Calling all witches, warlocks, and creatures of the night! Prepare yourselves for an enchanting night of Halloween activities. 🎃🦇
Enter the SEASON OF THE WITCH at Read Mill Books, our grown-ups Halloween party is
FREE TO ATTEND!
Join us for live music, spooky surprises, and a little Halloween mischief. The night’s delights include:
🖤 Live music by The Stinas
🔮 Tarot readings
🧥 Battle Jacket Pop Up
📚 Miniature Bookshelf Bar
🎩 DIY Hat Bar
✨ DIY Tea Bar
🎃 DIY Book Page Pumpkin Craft
🧹 DIY Mini Broom Bar
🎬 Black-and-white spooky movies all night!
✨ And more!
Costumes encouraged, there will be prizes! Come dressed to enchant, haunt, terrify, or finally wear that costume you’ve been planning since July.
🗓️ Friday, October 30 · 5–10 PM
Gather your Halloween crew, and make a night of it! BYOB.
Spooky Creativity Workshop with Leah Epstein
Imagination is limitless, and so are the stories waiting to be told. This analog, hands-on workshop invites middle and high school students to build confidence and tell their best stories through prose, poetry, novels, and even graphic novels. All journals, writing supplies, and light art materials will be provided, students just need to bring their curiosity.
Hosted by Leah Epstein, a published writer and lifelong educator. Leah is passionate about bringing confidence and motivation to young writers, helping them to express their unique inner voice.
Spooky Creativity Workshops - Includes Bedazzling!
$30.00
Wednesday, October 28th, 2026
Middle School Workshop from 3:30-5:00PM
High School Workshop from 5:30-7:00PM
Bell, Book & Candle Witchy Book Club
Meeting on the last Tuesday of every month.
What we’re reading… What we’re doing…
October 10/27/26: ARC READ! Shadows of the Witch by Amanda Lippincott; Understanding Auras Workshop. Book included with cost of club.
November 11/24/26: Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood; decorate your own sweet or savory cupcake!
December 12/29/26: TBD
Last Tuesday of every month.
Spellbinding reads, moonlit moods, and magical discussion for lovers of witchcraft, folklore, and the supernatural.
Book Launch! Kinder to Dogs, by MaryAnn L. Miller
Brief reading by the author and LOTS of dog talk!
Dogs are welcome (as long as they are good doggies, because… you know…)
Prizes!
Doggie treats!
MaryAnn L. Miller the author of Falling into the Diaspora (Finishing Line Press 2023), Time is a Snake’s Tongue (CW Books 2023), Cures for Hysteria (FLP 2018) and Locus Mentis (PS Books 2012.) has been thrice nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Most recently her painting “Woman with Migrants” appeared in Big Wing Review. Also, her art appears in New Feathers Anthology and Feral.
Her work has appeared in Still Water Review, Wild River Review, Presence Journal, Ovanque Siamo, Passager, International Review of African America Art, and the anthologies Illness as a Form of Existence, Welcome to the Resistance, Stained, and Convergence: Poetry on the Environmental Impact of War (Scarlet Tanager Press 2025). She has the rare condition Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis. It has slowed her down, but has not stopped her.
Kinder to Dogs is a Western Pennsylvania gothic tale, set during the beginning of the twenty-first century. A young boy named Perry, is attacked by his grandmother’s Rottweilers. He was so severely injured his throat had to be rebuilt using tissue from his intestines. He was left with an eternal limp in his right leg, and in his spirit. How can he heal from this assault, his mother’s subsequent abandonment, and his father’s sudden death? Is he strong enough to remain best friends with his friend Randall who returns as a veteran from Afghanistan suffering from a violent stress disorder, and as physically damaged as Perry? He turns to nature as a magical second mother, and his few friends to patch together a life for himself. He recognizes himself as a combination of ignorance and information. How can he become the kind of man he wants to be?
Author Event - Krishna Kumar Book Signing
Krishna Kumar is a historian and analytical writer specializing in Indian history, and British colonial rule in India, with particular focus on the Indian freedom fight. His work examines the empire's decline through strategic, political, and economic lenses while challenging established historical narratives.
Influenced by early exposure to political debate and first-hand insights from participants in India’s independence movement, he developed a lifelong interest in colonial history, imperial strategy, and wartime geopolitics in South Asia. After a successful career as an entrepreneur in India and the United States, he retired to devote himself full-time to historical research and writing.
His debut non-fiction book, 1942: When British Rule in India Was Threatened, explores a pivotal year in which British authority collapsed.
He is currently working on a non-fiction trilogy covering India’s freedom movement from 1900 to 1950.Nationalist Stirrings 1900-1944,Part I of trilogy,analyzing India’s Freedom Fight,Strategies,actions and results is expected to be out soon.
Krishna Kumar lives in the United States with his wife and children.
Clinton Pumpkin Fest
Live Music from SEVEN on our pOrch
6-8PM!
Story time with Read Mill Books and Morgan Young at the Hunterdon Art Museum 5PM
Pumpkin Contest: Bring your carved, painted, or illuminated pumpkin to enter. Ribbons are awarded for creativity, and a $100 People's Choice Prize is up for grabs. Register your entry at the tent on Main Street.
Entertainment: Enjoy performances and activities featuring Wanda the Wacky Witch and professional pumpkin carver Tomas.
Local Attractions: Main Street is closed to traffic for the evening
Book Launch! Devil’s Wood by Mark Mcnease
Antiques dealer Peter Brightly encounters an unusual walking stick at a mysterious estate sale where strangers come to bid on the remnants of a life. He sees its multi-colored wood, lovingly carved as if by the gods. It’s not just any walking stick. It has a sense of history and mystery to its beauty. He desires it at any price, knowing he must possess it. What he doesn’t know is that it must possess him, too.
Something changes when he brings it home. His health declines as his life unravels. Determined to understand what’s happening to him, Peter traces the object’s history through the lives of those who’ve owned it before, each trail leading further into darkness. A tree, an ancient people, a man and a curse. A woman he joins forces with to find the truth. Will the walking stick claim him as a debt to pay? Or will he bury it along with the forces that gave it life? Enter the Devil’s Wood for the answers. You may never come out.
Mark will be raffling off a walking stick made by Bruce Michaels. It is just like the one that insprired his writing! (photo below)
Please Register Here
Night Write Open Writers Studio
Pens ready. BYOB. The quiet magic of writing time awaits.
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Miller's Corner Fiction Book Club
Meeting on the Third Wednesday of Every Month
What we’re reading…
October 10/21/26: The Lion Women of Tehran, by Marjan Kamali
November 11/18/26: The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
December 12/16/26: The Book Club for Troublesome Women, by Marie Bostwick
January
Feburary
March
April
May
June
Summer Hiatus!
September
October
November
December
Casual • Come as you are • Great conversation • BYOB
Third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM 
Read it and Scream Horror Book Club
Meeting on the Third Tuesday of Every Month
What we’re reading…and what were doing…
October 10/20/26: I Was a Teenage Slasher, Stephen Graham Jones. Horror cassette tape art
November 11/17/26: Night Film, Marisha Pessel. “At Night All Birds Are Black” Reusable Tote
December 12/15/26: NOS4A2, Joe Hill. Scrabble Tile Coasters
Read It and Scream, Horror Book Club
Third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM
• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
A Women’s Wellness Workshop With Dr. Mandy Rodrigues
A Women's Wellness Experience
A restorative experience where women can step away from their everyday responsibilities, connect with other women, learn practical wellness strategies, move, laugh, and intentionally spend time caring for themselves. Ladies, leave feeling lighter, connected, refreshed, encouraged, and equipped with a few realistic wellness practices you actually want to continue.
Meet Your Host -
Dr. Mandy Rodrigues, Health and Wellness Expert
20+ Years of Expertise in Holistic Well-being:
Dr. Rodrigues holds a Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership alongside Master's degrees in Public Health and Coaching Psychology, and is currently working toward her Registered Dietitian license.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Stress reduction & relaxation
Positive psychology & connection
Nourishing food for mental wellness
Gentle movement, laughter and joy!
Author Event - Jack Dieteman Book Signing
Jack Dieteman grew up in northern New Jersey in the late 1970s and early 1980s, where roller rinks, music, cars, and long-distance romance shaped the rhythm of his youth.
Drawing from shoeboxes filled with saved letters, cards, notes, and photographs, he spent years reconstructing the memories and moments that eventually became “As The Wheels Turn”. This will be his debut book, to be published 9/22/26 by Koehler Books.
He is a retired letter carrier and an active member of his local classic car club. When he’s not writing, he enjoys spending time with his wife, driving his classic cars, and revisiting the music that soundtracked the era captured in his novel.
As The Wheels Turn by Jack Dieteman
In the summer of 1978, long before his hometown rink ever opens its doors, a New Jersey teenager meets a girl from Minnesota who captures his heart at first glance. What begins as a fleeting vacation romance deepens into something neither time nor distance can easily erase.
Soon, a new roller rink becomes the center of his world—a place of flashing lights, pulsing music, and new love in constant motion. Weekend by weekend, he comes of age beneath the glow of the rink, caught up in its rhythms and rituals. Yet beyond it all, the letters from Minnesota keep arriving, each one a quiet reminder that his story may be unfolding somewhere far beyond New Jersey.
But then the letters stop.
In the silence that follows, heartbreak gives way to determination, sending him in search of the girl he never forgot. As the phone rings, one question lingers: Was their connection truly lost—or simply waiting for him to find his way back?
Inspired by real experiences and told with warmth, honesty, and vivid nostalgia, As the Wheels Turn captures the exhilaration, innocence, and ache of coming of age in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Horror Open Mic Night with Fright Lines
A Horror-Lit Open Mic Series
Dare to share your darkest stories.
On October 16 the shadows come alive and the mic goes cold. Fright Lines invites writers, poets, and fearless fans of the macabre to a weekly open mic series that celebrates the terrifying, the twisted, and the uncanny. Each night, we gather at a different haunted (or just haunting) venue to share original horror-themed works—and maybe raise a few goosebumps.
Whether you’ve got bone-chilling flash fiction, a nightmare-inducing poem, or a tale that keeps you up at night, this is your chance to let it out… before it eats you alive.
WHEN
October 16, 6-8 PM
Signups are on site a half hour before the open mic begins. Check the schedule below for complete details.
WHAT TO BRING
5 minutes of original work
A willingness to be haunted
A friend to clutch during the scary parts (optional… but encouraged)
Open to All!
First-timers, seasoned writers, and horror-lovers welcome. Signups happen on site. First come, first scream.
This open mic is a haven for horror lovers, storytellers, and creepy creatives of all kinds. We welcome monsters, misfits, and ghost-story geeks, but we do not welcome hate. All performers and listeners are expected to treat each other with respect and keep the space free from discriminatory, derogatory, or harmful speech or behavior. We’re here for chills, not cruelty. Violators will be shown the door… and possibly fed to something lurking in the basement.
Sign Up: tinyurl.com/ReadMillFLSignUp
Each participant will have up to five minutes to perform their piece(s).
20 open spots before waitlist.
Plan on participating? Check out our Performer Guidelines page.
Tales and Tankards History Book Club
Meeting on the Third Thursday of Every Even Month
What we’re reading… What we’re doing…
October 10/22/26: Blood Countess, by Shelley Puhak
December 12/17/26: The Typewriter and the Guillotine, by Mark Braude
February 2/18/27: TBD
April 4/15/27: TBD
June 6/17/27: TBD
August 8/19/27: TBD
October 10/21/27: TBD
December 12/16/27: TBD
Third Thursday of every month at 6:30 PM• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Reel Lit, Book vs Movie Club
Meeting on the Second Wednesday of Every Month
What we’re reading and watching and making…
October 10/14/26: The Book of Magic, by Alice Hoffman, and Practical Magic 2 (in theaters); Body Oil Workshop
November 11/11/26: TBD
December 12/8/26: TBD
$25.00
Second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM
Participants watch the movie/show as well as read the book.
• Unlimited coffee & tea
• Themed hors d'oeuvres
• Themed cocktail or mocktail
• 15% off merch during the meeting
• Occasional bonus treats and surprises!
Trivia Tuesday Gilmore Girls!
🧠 Trivia TuesdayLife's Short, Trivia Fast, Gilmore Girls Literary themed trivia. BYOB.
📆 Second Tuesday of every month⏰ 6:30–8 PM
💵 $5 per personConsider this your formal invitation to show off all the delightful, useless, and wildly impressive knowledge you’ve been collecting over the years. Expect clever questions, literary nods, general knowledge curveballs, and the cozy chaos that only happens when curious minds gather among shelves of books. Come solo or bring a team. Confidence optional, enthusiasm encouraged.
Approaching Historical Fiction Workshop (Ages 16+)
Approaching Historical Fiction Workshop (Ages 16+)
Let’s be honest. Historical fiction can feel intimidating. Balancing research of your chosen time period with your vision and creative invention can be the biggest challenge of approaching the genre.
Historical fiction can have a “literary” feel, but it can also be just as fun as sci-fi, fantasy, or any other genre.
Join Silvana Corrales Cantelmi as they help to shake away any doubt and lead you through the process of developing, planning, and writing a historical fiction work.
New Jersey native, Silvana Corrales Cantelmi earned their MA in Writing Popular Fiction from Edinburgh Napier University. They are working on their debut novel, a historical crime thriller, as they complete their MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
The Magic of Dreaming Workshop
Join us and Alexis Carmody during the New Moon for an engaging conversation exploring the mysterious world of dreams. Together, we’ll share our interpretations of what dreams may be, examine our personal relationships with them, and discuss fascinating topics including dreaming, astral travel, and mysticism. Come with an open mind, and perhaps a dream or two to share!
Only 13 spots available!
$33
True Story Non- Fiction Book Club
Meeting on the Second Thursday of Every Even Month
What we’re reading…
October 10/8/26: In Defense of Witches, by Mona Cholett
December 12/9/26: Wild Atlantic Women, by Gráinne Lyons
February 2/11/27: TBD
April 4/8/27: TBD
June 6/10/27: TBD
August 8/12/27: TBD
October 10/14/27: TBD
December 12/9/27: TBD
Casual • Come as you are • Great conversation • BYOB
Non-Fiction Book Club
Second Thursday of every month at 6:30 PMOpen Writers Studio
Pens ready. Coffee brewing. The quiet magic of writing time awaits
Join us for Open Writers Studio, a cozy, creative space to write, focus, and finally make progress on that idea you’ve been carrying around. Whether you’re drafting, journaling, editing, or just getting started… this is your time.
$10 | Space is limited
Come write alongside fellow creatives, soak in the atmosphere, and let the words flow.
Author Event - Ms. Phyllis CaccaveLli Book Signing
destitute young lady is swept off her feet by a swashbuckling baron – the stuff that fairytales and Hollywood movies are made of… But, this timeless tale of Lady Frankland, (Agnes Surriage) is made up of more than fairy dust and cinema scope!
The “Pygmalion” style love story faced the challenges posed by society shunning the differences between the aristocracy and commoners. The baron creates a charming life for the two to share in a luxurious mansion in Hopkinton, thirty miles west of Boston. Removing them from the busy tongues of Colonial Boston, that echoed across the pond to cosmopolitan London.
Despite the conflicts inflicted on the hero and heroine, the two were inseparable and beat all odds. Ultimately, Agnes, rises to become, “ The Lady Frankland,” winning the affections of her once opposers, both in Boston and London.
Author Event - Amber Love Book Signing
Author Event - Amber Love (Elizabeth Amber Love) is the author of THE FARRAH WETHERS MYSTERY SERIES and the stand alone slasher novella, MISTY MURDER. In 2018, the BEAR ROOTS novella launched; it's a new adult magical realism world with a bisexual WoC protagonist.
She makes creator-owned comics about THE WINCHESTER-NABU DETECTIVE AGENCY and cats, Gus and Oliver, taking on cases.
She's been a member of Sisters in Crime since 2020. One of her short stories will be in an anthology for the Upper Hudson River chapter.
She’s been published in the Anthony Award nominated PROTECTORS 2: HEROES with many other authors including Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison, Josh Stallings, and edited by Thomas Pluck.
In 2017, she had a short story appear in the anthology ATHENA VOLTAIRE: PULP TALES created by Steve Bryant and edited by Chris Murrin.
She has worked in comics since 2011 including Red Stylo Media's SHAKESPEARE SHAKEN comics anthology where she co-authored the short story "No.130, For Love" with Kristen McHugh. In 2015 she wrote a short story in the comic anthology RISE: COMICS AGAINST BULLYING published by Northwest Press. She was also a guest writer for the webcomic strip SUBCULTURE (printed by Action Lab Entertainment). In 2020, she had a short comic in the anthology INSIDER ART edited by Shelly Bond.
Weekly cat detective stories are inspired by daily hikes with feline companions, Gus and Oliver. Year One of the cat detective case files has also been compiled into a paperback version.
Bookstore After Dark Live Music in the Lounge
Justina Carubia
Pamela Flores
First Friday of the Month!
October 2nd, 2026, 7-9PM
Featuring Performances by:
Justina Carubia and Pamela Flores
BOOKSTORE AFTER DARK: UNPLUGGED
First Friday of Every Month
Live Music in the Lounge
$15 Cover; 15% off in store
BYOB and BYO snacks! Some refreshments available for purchase.
Book Launch! Sublimation by Jonah Duckworth
Sublimation explores the process by which humans better themselves (sublimate!) through trial and failure, via images of nature, mythology, and the human body. It draws inspiration from Howard Nemerov, Stephen Dunn, and Mary Oliver, and is something that I’ve spent the last four years of my life refining.
Audiobook Walk!
Meet us at the bookstore to take your current audiobook outdoors and enjoy a relaxed community walk through beautiful Clinton.
Please Register Here
Bell, Book & Candle Witchy Book Club
April 4/28/26: The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner feat. Tea and intention bottle workshop
May 5/26/26: A Resistance of Witches, by Morgan Ryan; Mini Sound Bath Meditation
June 6/30/26: White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi; Door Protection Wreaths Workshop
July 7/28/26: The Witch’s Daughter, by Paula Braxton; Book of Shadows/Grimores Workshop
August 8/25/26: The Working, by BrightFlame; TBD
September 9/25/26: Book of Magic (Practical Magic 2), by Alice Hoffman; Body Oil Workshop
October 10/27/26: TBD
November 11/24/26: TBD
December 12/29/26: TBD
Author Event - Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Q&A with GINA SAMPAIO, and Signing
Author Event - Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Q&A with Gina Sampaio, and Signing
Sunday, September 27th, 2026 from 3 - 5PM ( We will be staying open an hour later for this event! )
Q&A with Gina Sampaio at 3PM with a signing afterwards
Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, a North Hunterdon High School graduate, is the author of the debut novel, What Remains of You.
Her writing can be found in TheBoston Globe, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, and Embark Literary Journal, among other publications. She’s also been included in two anthologies: The Pandemic Midlife Crisis: Gen X Women on the Brink and Specimen Science: Ethics and Policy Implications.
Kimberly’s professional background is in nonprofit management, where she spent more than thirty years working for and volunteering at mission-driven organizations. She’s also been a consultant; blogger; elected official; and producer and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze, an online literary platform, where she co-hosted Authors Love Bookstores, interviewing booksellers and authors.
She lives in Massachusetts with her family and their very shy rescue dog.
