Identity, how history shapes us, friendship, travel, ancestral connections, greed and exploitation, fantasy, even fantasy romance are among the themes on Cobb County Public Library’s July calendar of Book Discussion groups for adults. Most are in-person events alongside some virtual programs. A highlight for the month is a virtual discussion with a popular bestselling author of historical fiction.

The monthly meeting of the Romance Book Discussion group at North Cobb Regional Library, 3535 Old 41 Highway, Kennesaw 30144, is July 1 at 6 p.m. The July book is An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, historical fiction by Adriana Herrera. The book club meets the first Tuesday of each month.

Science Fiction Book Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Switzer Library, 266 Roswell St. in Marietta. The book for July 1 is Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.

Page Turners Morning Book Group and Page Turners Afternoon Book Group next meet Wednesday, July 2 at Mountain View Regional Library, 3320 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta 30066, at 10:30 am and 1 p.m., to discuss novels. The Morning title is All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot and the Afternoon selection is The Women by Kristen Hannah. Page Turners meets the first Wednesday of the month. To register, visit cobbcounty.gov/library.

East Cobb Walking Book Club will meet 10 a.m. Thursday, July 3 at the East Cobb Park, 3322 Roswell Road, Marietta 30068. Members gather near the park entrance to walk for exercise before a book discussion. The title for July 3 is Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson, a story about two teen misfits in summertime Tennessee. The club is organized by East Cobb Library. The book selection may change if there are not enough available copies. To confirm the July title and for more information, call 770-509-2730. 

The Silent Book Club at Gritters Library, 880 Shaw Park Rd., Marietta 30066, will meet Saturday, July 5 with participants arriving at 2 p.m., reading at 2:30 p.m. and socializing at 3:30 p.m. There is no assigned reading or discussion. No registration required.

Monday Night Murder Club meets 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month to discuss Agatha Christie mysteries at North Cobb Regional Library. The Man in the Brown Suit is the story for July 7. Visit cobbcounty.gov/library to sign-up for information on the club.

Booked for Lunch Mystery Book Club meets at noon on the second Tuesday of each month at Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta St. The July 8 title is The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, a fiction thriller set in 18th century Maine.

Romantasy Book Club meets 5 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at Sibley Library, 1539 South Cobb Drive, Marietta 30060. The July 9 selection is Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Registration is required as space is limited for the Sibley fantasy romance group. The registration form and more information are at cobbcounty.gov/library.

Fantasy Book Club meets at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center, 2051 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta 30068, on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The July 9 discussion will be on Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim.

Book Chat meets at Kemp Memorial Library, 4029 Due West Rd., Marietta 30064, on the second Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. The July 10 title is The Book of Lost Friends, historic fiction by Lisa Wingate set in Louisiana in 1875 and 1987.

Book Club & Tea Party meets the second Thursday each month at 4 p.m. at Sweetwater Valley Library, 5000 Austell-Powder Springs Road, Suite 100, Austell 30106. The July 10 title is The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, in which a retired bestselling author hosts a one-of-a-kind competition, with high risks and high rewards--giving the winner a chance to change lives.

The Last Word Book Discussion program meets simultaneously online and in the South Cobb Regional Library, 805 Clay Road, Mableton, on Thursday, July 10 at 4:30 pm. The July book is The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, a novel set in the city of Jaipur in northwestern India. For the link to join the program virtually, visit cobbcounty.gov/library.

Around the Library Book Club meets 1 p.m. on the second Monday of the month at Kemp Memorial Library for discussions on a different genre or theme. For the July 14 session, participants are asked to select a book that is a first-person narrative or autobiography.

African American Authors Book Discussion Group will meet 6:30 p.m. July 14 at Stratton Library, 1100 Powder Springs Rd., Marietta 30064, to explore together What You Leave Behind, a thriller set in coastal Georgia by Wanda M. Morris. The group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of the month.

North Cobb Regional Library is presenting a virtual author event featuring historical fiction author Kate Quinn. The special event focusing on the author’s novel The Briar Club, which is set in 1950 Washington, D.C., during the McCarthy era and involves female friendships and secrets, starts 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 15. Quinn is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels The Diamond Eye, The Rose Code and The Alice Network. The July 15 event is the monthly Cover To Cover Book Discussion program for the North Cobb library.

Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion meets 1 p.m. July 16 at North Cobb Regional Library to exchange views and insights about Funny Story, a romance novel by Emily Henry. The Book Discussion group meets the third Wednesday of the month. No registration required.

The East Cobb Book Discussion Group meets the third Thursday of every month with the morning session at 11 a.m. and afternoon session at 2 p.m. at East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta 30068. The July 17 morning selection is The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, a novel which follows three generations of a family in South India. The afternoon title is A Calamity of Souls, a legal thriller set in 1968 southern Virginia, by David Baldacci. The book selections may change if copies are not available. For more information, call 770-509-2730. 

Who Dun-It: Suspense and Thriller Book Club meets 2 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at Powder Springs Library. A thriller involving deception and identities, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, is the July 17 selection.

A book discussion session on the psychological suspense novel Havoc by Christopher Bollen is on the North Cobb Regional Library program calendar for 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 22.

A Deeper Look Book Discussion at South Cobb Regional Library starts 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23. The discussion will cover Black Candle Women, a novel by Diane Marie Brown and African American Voodoo and Hoodoo culture.

The Tea and Talk book group at West Cobb Regional Library will meet 2 p.m. Thursday, July 24 to discuss James by Percival Everett, the 2025 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction that reimagines the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from enslaved Jim’s perspective.

South Cobb Regional Library’s Graphic Novel Book Club monthly virtual-only program meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m. through Google Meet. Woman, Life, Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout, set in 1943 and 2011 Amsterdam, is the July 28 title. Visit cobbcounty.gov/library for more information.

West Cobb Fourth Monday Book Discussion will meet Monday, July 28, 6:30 p.m., at West Cobb Regional Library, 1750 Dennis Kemp Ln., Kennesaw 30152, to talk about The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, a thriller involving the world of fine art. The book group meets the fourth Monday of every month (holidays permitting).