Best bookstore café in Jacksonville, FL | Happy Medium Books Café

Happy Medium Book Club - North Woods
2025-04-30 10:30 - 23:30 (America/New_York) | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the café as we discuss North Woods by Daniel Mason.
As always, book club books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café!

Art RECEPTION - Mary Atwood "Triple Play"
2025-04-27 14:00 - 16:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Come join award winning local photographer, Mary Atwood to see her amazing depictions of her travels using her camera.
Author and fine art photographer Mary Atwood is a long-time resident of the Florida’s First Coast area whose deep appreciation of its natural beauty, rich history and diverse culture is often reflected in her work.
As the daughter of a World War II military photographer, Mary grew up with a camera in hand. Her earliest memories of taking photographs are of using a Kodak Brownie when she was six years old. From there, her experiences involved learning to use a wide variety of camera equipment from Polaroid to Hasselblad, and just about everything in between.
Mary’s fine art photography is included in numerous public, private, and corporate collections in the both the United States and France. She was the recipient of the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida’s prestigious Art Ventures grant in 2011, has done commissioned work for MOCA Jacksonville, and was invited by the Sister Cities organization of Nantes, France to exhibit her First Coast

INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY!
2025-04-26 08:00 - 20:00 | FL
Join us at Happy Medium for a day of celebration. Extended Hours 8am-8pm

Silent Book Club Audio Walk 9am
With Every $50 purchase become a Happy Medium Books Cafe Insider and get 15% off New Books for a YEAR!
Spin the Wheel of Wow & Play Plinko!
Exclusive Independent Bookstore Day Merch
Find the Libro.fm GOLDEN TICKET and win 12 audiobooks!
Café Samples
Specialty Drinks
Staff Picks Sale
Music

Storytime with Miss Dana
2025-04-25 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-04-18 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-04-11 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-04-04 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-03-28 10:30 - 11:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States

SciFi Book Club - The Wandering Earth
2025-04-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium as wel discuss The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu.
As Always, Book Club Books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café!

Yarning at Happy Medium
2025-04-24 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-04-10 17:00 - 19:00, 2025-03-27 17:00 - 19:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Do you crochet, knit, or just like to hang out with those who do? Join us at Happy Medium for Yarning! New 5pm time! No experience required!

A Night with Jim Draper
2025-04-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the Café for a Night with Artist and Author of newly released Shantyboat Stories, Jim Draper.
Jim’s new book, Shantyboat Stories consists of 23 stories that run the gamut from southern gothic inspired short fiction to creative non-fiction retelling of the author’s outdoor adventures. Shantyboat Stories is on sale now at Happy Medium Books Café. There will be books on sale during the event as well.

Jim Draper grew up in Kosciusko, Mississippi, the geographical center of the state. He attended the University of Mississippi where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1974 and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia at Athens in 1978. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Draper has taught drawing and painting at Florida State College at Jacksonville, Flagler College in St. Augustine, and as a faculty member and Galleries Coordinator for the University of North Florida. He is currently retired from teaching and works full-time in the studio.
His work, which includes drawing, painting, photography, video and writing, is informed by journeys into the wilds of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Drawing primarily from the philosophy of radical naturalism, Draper gets inspiration from myriad sources beyond nature in the form of conservationists, naturalists, and other artists who are known as experts at observation of the natural world.

Not Your Mother's Book Club - Soft Core
2025-04-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium Books Cafe to discuss Soft Core by Brittany Newell.
As Always, Happy Medium Book Club Books are 20% off.

Wine Date with a Book - Cork Dork by Biance Bosker
2025-04-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Cork Thyme @ All Spiced up Avondale, 3543 St Johns Ave, Jacksonville, FL, 32205
Join us at Cork Thyme & All Spiced Up Avondale to discuss Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker.
Cork Dork is 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café and Cork Thyme & All Spiced Up Avondale
Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine—until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork.”
With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist’s fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what’s the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine—and, perhaps, the way you live—forever.

First Coast Horror Book Club - Between Two Fires
2025-04-15 19:00 - 20:30 | FL
Join us at the Café as we discuss Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman.
As always, book club books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café!

Thelma Straight - PBS Documentary "Road Scholar"
2025-04-12 14:00 - 17:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Teacher and author Thelma Straight, distraught by the violence that can often become a reality for young Black men in America, wanted to make a difference with a new generation. Thelma took 10 at-risk teenage boys on the road for a crash course in what it means to be a Black man in America. The teens talked to older African American men about the challenges they’d faced, which Straight hoped might prevent these kids from being another statistic.

In this 4 part PBS Documentary, “Road Scholars,” you see how her work unfolds.

Join us at Happy Medium in Conversation with Thelma and learn more about her work.

BookTalk with Trish O'Kane
2025-04-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us in conversation with Trish O’Kane author of “Birding to Change the World.”
In her uplifting memoir, a professor and activist shares what birds can teach us about life, social change, and protecting the environment.
Trish O’Kane is an accidental ornithologist. In her nearly two decades writing about justice as an investigative journalist, she’d never paid attention to nature. But then Hurricane Katrina destroyed her New Orleans home, sending her into an emotional tailspin.
Enter a scrappy cast of feathered characters—first a cardinal, urban parrots, and sparrows, then a catbird, owls, a bittern, and a woodcock—that cheered her up and showed her a new path. Inspired, O’Kane moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to pursue an environmental studies PhD. There she became a full-on bird obsessive—logging hours in a stunningly biodiverse urban park, filling field notebooks with bird doings and dramas, and teaching ornithology to college students and middle-school kids.
When Warner Park—her daily birdwatching haven—was threatened with development, O’Kane and her neighbors mustered a mighty murmuration of nature lovers, young and old, to save the birds’ homes. Through their efforts, she learned that once you get outside and look around, you’re likely to fall in love with a furred or feathered creature—and find a flock of your own.
In Birding to Change the World, O’Kane details the astonishing science of bird life, from migration and parenting to the territorial defense strategies that influenced her own activism. A warm and compelling weave of science and social engagement, this is the story of an improbably band of bird lovers who saved their park. And it is a blueprint for muscular citizenship, powered by joy.

Book Bingo!
2025-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the Cafe for a night of Bingo – Bookstore style!
Bring some friends or make some new ones!
$5 registration required.

Mystery/Thrilling Book Club - The Butterfly Garden
2025-04-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the café as we discuss The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson.
As always, Happy Medium Book Club Books are 20% off at Happy Medium!

Puzzle Tournament
2025-04-06 13:30 - 16:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Back by popular demand! Join us in the cafe for Happy Medium Jigsaw Puzzle tournament.
Bring your friends, or make some new ones. Please indicate your ‘team members’ names,’ if you have one in the comments.
Teams can be no larger than 4.
$10 registration required,

Bookstore Crawl!
2025-04-05 15:00 - 17:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Bookstore Crawl: Join the Snail Trail!
Slow & steady writes the story! Presenting a free 4-part community writing series
at local bookstores every Saturday in April.
Jacksonville, FL – March 27, 2025 – This April, Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville invites you to hit pause and embrace the power of slow storytelling with Bookstore Crawl: Join the Snail Trail!, a month-long celebration of writing, reflection, and community.

Each Saturday in April, we’ll gather at beloved local bookstores (most of which are owned by women!) for free, welcoming writing circles centered on the theme of “snailing down”—moving slowly and deliberately, like our wise mascot, the snail. With themes like “Slow Beginnings” and “Under the Shell,” this four-part series offers a chance to explore personal stories, connect with others, and savor the joy of words.
Pick up a Library Checkout Card at your first event and collect a stamp each week. Attend all four, and you’ll be entered into a raffle for a free writing class sampler!

“This series is an invitation to breathe, reflect, and write at a gentler pace,” says organizer
Jennifer Wolfe. “We’re honoring what’s possible when we slow down—in bookstores, in community, and on the page.”
Event Schedule & Themes:
April 5 – Slow Beginnings

Embrace the beauty of starting slow with mindful writing and gentle prompts.
San Marco Books and More, 11–1 p.m. – Facilitator: Karen Allen
Happy Medium Books and Café, 3–5 p.m. – Facilitator: Jennifer Wolfe

April 12 – Leaving a Trail

What stories do we leave behind? Explore legacy, memory, and the marks we make.
Chamblin’s Uptown Bookstore, 12–1:30 p.m. – Facilitator: Juli Williams

April 19 – Under the Shell

Dig deep into personal narratives. What nourishes you? What has helped you grow?
Café Resistance (Northside), 1–3 p.m. – Facilitator: Tru Leverette Hall

April 26 -Snail Mail Finale

Write letters to your future self, loved ones, or favorite authors. Celebrate the journey.
The Literary Lounge (Murray Hill), 1–3 p.m. – Facilitator: Mary Moore
Femme Fire Books (Riverside), 11–3 p.m. – BOOK CLUB FAIR only
(Stop by our Jane Austen Book Club table to say hi, grab your final stamp, and check out book clubs from across the city!)

Bonus! April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day
Celebrate by visiting Jacksonville’s amazing local and women-owned bookstores. Buy a book, support small business, and finish your Snail Trail in style!
All events are FREE and open to the public. No writing experience necessary—just a love for stories, community, and taking things at a snail’s pace.
Learn more at www.womenwritingjacksonville.org
About Women Writing for (a) Change Jacksonville
We create safe and supportive spaces for individuals to cultivate their authentic voice through the art of writing. Our circles are rooted in conscious community, creativity, and inclusivity. All are welcome.

Silent Book Club
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-04-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States

Community Arts and Craft Social
2025-03-30 10:00 - 11:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Bring your favorite craft project and let’s create together!
Bring your own supplies and refreshments will be available for purchase at the Café.

Marsha Glaziére Book Signing
2025-03-29 11:30 - 13:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Meet author and artist Marsha Glaziére at Happy Medium as we celebrate her new book , “My Father, Picasso, and Me.”

Story time with Lala Watkins
2025-03-28 10:30 - 23:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium for Storytime with author Lala Watkins!
Lala is an illustrator extraordinaire whose work is like a summer pool party—and everyone’s invited! She makes fun illustrations and lovely stories that make her heart (and yours) emote the heart-eyed emoji. She graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and Interactive Communication from Ringling College of Art & Design. She’s in a long-term relationship with the sun, so she lives in sunny Florida.

The Sci-Fi Book Club - The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
2025-03-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the Café as we discuss The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
No Reservation Required.
As Always, Book Club Books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café.

Rebecca Yarros - Empyrean Trivia Night!
2025-03-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us in the cafe for Trivia Night with All Things Rebecca Yarros! Link in Bio for $5 Registration.

Not Your Mother's Book Club - The Blue Sisters
2025-03-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the cafe to discuss The Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors.
No reservation required.
As always, Book Club books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café.
