Cicada Books and Coffee, located on 14th St. in Huntington, has garnered a reputation for their coffee, books, and now, two book clubs. Offering an array of espressos, tea and hot chocolate, Cicada Books encourages a book along with their menu. On their website you can find a “top 50” set of books recommended by their barista, Dawn Nolan. For those wanting a friendlier, in-person experience, the shop offers two different clubs for patrons to join.Run by mother and daughter Dawn Hylbert and Katie Norman, Cicada books created their first book club in January 2019. The first club created at Cicada Books is called Tasty Reads. Tasty Reads focuses on books about cooking, what to cook and even a few biographical books by famous chefs. Nolan, barista and head of marketing, said around a dozen show up to the meetings, but around 100 people from around the area are in their Facebook group, and follow along with posts, even if they’re not able to make it in person.Nolan said because people have been binging T.V. shows over the past several months, the book club wanted to discuss shows based on books. Thus, the Based on Books Club was founded. Meetings take place the third Thursday of every month and focus on books that have recently hit the screen. The first book being read by the book club is “The Queen’s Gambit” by Walter Tevis. As they had their first meeting Thursday, community members can join on their Facebook group, bearing the same name of the club, or in person. Social distancing measures are in place and masks are required for the in-person meetings, so patrons can still feel safe while participating. “The Queen’s Gambit” is available for purchase at Cicada, but the quantity is limited.

Cicada Books| 2/2Cicada Books and Coffee also offers board game nights, knitting groups and student movie nights to encourage members from the community to come together. According to Nolan, the Bookstore and Coffee Shop is, “not just a bookstore, not just a café, but a community space.”