Book Club

Just in case your TBR pile isn't big enough: Jax Book Fest is back September 22-23 at the Main Library! Not only is this your chance to meet #1 New York Times bestselling authors Joe Hill and Angeline Boulley, but there will also be DOZENS of local authors set up throughout the Conference Level and first two floors. It's a book lover's dream! Plus, you can bring the kids to meet bestselling and award-winning author/illustrator Dan Santat - best known for The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and Disney's The Replacements. 

In the meantime, don't close the book about our Library Book Clubs! We've got some great reading recommendations this month that you're going to want to check out! 

Library U is a collection of programs and classes for adults as well as free email newsletters that keep you connected, sharing ideas and learning. Meet and learn from published authors, master gardeners, small business experts and other curious people, just like you!

Did you know? August 9 is National Book Lovers Day! If you're looking for ways to celebrate or a few fellow bibliophiles to celebrate with: Join a Library Book Club and get book recommendations from librarians and book lovers like you! Reading doesn't have to be a solitary activity when there are book lovers all over Jacksonville!

We are excited to offer not one but two exciting Lit Chat Interviews this August! We've got a bestselling mystery/thriller novelist and a bestselling historical fiction author! There's also a History Chat exploring Jacksonville's music history and culture and a publishing workshop for all of our aspiring authors out there! We also have gardening workshops, book clubs to join and a few Jax Book Fest updates you might want to check out!

We are really excited to bring a different kind of Writer’s Lab to the Library this month – a three-hour workshop on creating a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with a Wizards of the Coast employee! We also have great summery Lit Chats, gardening workshops for everyone, and 16 book clubs to check out. And, of course, the Jax Stacks Reading Challenge continues (with new prizes up for grabs)!

Building that TBR list for an upcoming vacation? Looking for more ideas for books to read for that one elusive Jax Stacks Reading Challenge category? Join a Library Book Club and get book recommendations from librarians and other book lovers! You might even make some bookish friends you can swap titles with! 

Summer is almost here and so are a ton of great programs! There are three - count them THREE - awesome Lit Chats in June, a Writer’s Lab doubleheader, and our newest Book Club at Pablo Creek! If you're not sure what to read this summer, we've got some great book recommendations for you on our blog.

In June, we'll announce the dates for Jax Book Fest 2023 and the three authors who'll be headlining that event! Join us at Lit Chats and Writer's Labs this summer and be sure to follow our social media (and read your emails) for the BIG reveal.

Whether it's a sizzling summer romance for that much-deserved day at the beach, a cozy mystery for that long flight or night in... or the perfect nonfiction audiobook for that cross-country road trip - you can count on the Library to have all of the hottest titles! And with all the money you save from those FREE books, that just means more money towards your next vacation (or stay-cation)! 

Book your next visit to the Library. Find your next read and chat with your fellow readers this summer at a Library Book Club near you!

May is Preservation Month, a time to celebrate and do our part to save historic places for the purpose of instilling community pride. The theme this year is “People Saving Places," a national high-five to everyone doing the great work of saving places—in ways big and small—and inspiring others to do the same. Jacksonville Public Library is kicking celebrations off with a lively, wide-ranging discussion about Jacksonville's history and architecture with Wayne Wood and Tim Gilmore on Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. at the Main Library.

May is a really fun time for comic book fans. The first Saturday of the month is Free Comic Book Day (at participating comic book retailers). Over 2000 stores take part annually! Of course, you can check out comics for free any day at the Library (or download them instantly on your favorite device with Hoopla)! Plus, you can meet other comic fans at Willow Branch Library for ComiClub to talk about a wide variety of comics and graphic novels. In addition to superhero comics, they also discuss horror, slice-of-life, nonfiction, and other genres! Beyond the Panel, another graphic novel book club is coming soon to Pablo Creek Library!