Desert Book Club

The Desert Book Club features books that in one way or another touch on the theme of “desert.” Meetings have historically taken place in the homes of Morongo Basin residents, as well as at the Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center, A-Z West, The Firehouse, and in the virtual realm. 

The book club meets bi-monthly, typically on a Sunday or Monday. Locations, times and books will be announced here on our website, newsletter and Instagram @jtdesertbookclub. 

If you are interested in hosting a book club meeting at your Morongo Basin home, please email us at jtdesertbookclub @ gmail.com.

HISTORY

The Desert Book Club (formerly known as Desert Research Library Book Club and Kip's Book Club) was originally a project of High Desert Test Sites and grew out of our long-standing tradition of monthly book club meetings, first established by Katie Bachler during her Scout residency with High Desert Test Sites (2012-2013), then carried on as Kip’s Desert Book Club (2014 - 2021).

Every month from October 2014 until March 2020, Kip’s Desert Book Club gathered on the first Monday of the month in the home of a different resident of the Morongo Basin to discuss a book that in one way or another touches on the theme of “desert.”

After a brief hiatus during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, our in-person book club resumed in January 2022 as the Desert Research Library Book Club, facilitated by Elena Yu. Each month, a member of the Desert Research Library Artist Cohort or another member of the book club community selected a desert-related book from the library as that month’s book club selection.

In 2023, High Desert Test Sites and The Firehouse announced that The Desert Book Club would become an independent project facilitated by local writer Annie Connole. Annie is the fourth Desert Book Club facilitator in the program’s 10-year history. She is excited to continue the book club's tradition and expand meeting locations into more local art and community spaces.