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

The Arc of an Idea with Jim Alabiso
2025-09-21 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Calling all artist, writers, musicians, and creatives!
Join us at Happy Medium with Jim Alabiso, as he takes us through the creative process and stages of an idea.
This is a free event, RSVP requested.

Happy Little Melodies
2025-09-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-18 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-09-13 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-09-11 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-09-04 11:00 - 14:30, 2025-09-04 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-09-04 08:00 - 17:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us for music, movement, and memory-making with your little one in this cozy, welcoming space!
👉 Reserve your spot before they’re gone: www.musictherapynow.net/happylittlemelodies

Storytime with Miss Dana
2025-09-19 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-09-12 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-09-05 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-08-29 10:30 - 11:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States

JAX PsychoGeo Night: Dirty, Dirty, Dirty: Scoundrels, Scandals, and Failed Leadership
2025-09-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium with Tim Gilmore and learn all about Jacksonville’s scandalous past.
This event is free to the public, but please RSVP.

Park After Dark
2025-09-18 18:00 - 21:00 | FL

Wine Date With a Book - The Vine Witch
2025-09-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Cork Thyme @ All Spiced up Avondale, 3543 St Johns Ave, Jacksonville, FL, 32205
Join us as we discuss The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith and taste some amazing wine!
*Wine tasting optional ($10 paid at Cork Thyme at the event)
** Great Discussion – FREE!
*** Books are 20% off at Happy Medium and Cork Thyme & All Spiced up!

Learn to play Mahjong - evening lessong Day 2
2025-09-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
This is a 2 day class for Mahjong Beginners.
$50 covers the 2 – 2 hour classes on Monday, September 15th and Wednesday, September 17th iat 6pm – includes the 2025 National Mahjong Card.

Learn to Play Mahjong - Evening Lessons
2025-09-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States

Second Sunday with Poets with Andy Rojas and Abel Harding
2025-09-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium for an afternoon with Author/Poets Andy Rojas and Abel Harding.
Abel Harding is a long-time bank executive. A former journalist, Abel is active in the Jacksonville
community and has served on a number of nonprofit and government boards, including the Jacksonville
Transportation Authority and the Jacksonville Planning Commission. He currently serves as chair of JAX
USA, the economic development arm of JAX Chamber, and as the vice chair of the Cummer Museum’s
board of trustees. A 7 th generation Floridian, Abel calls Atlantic Beach home.
Andres Rojas was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. at age 13. He holds an M.F.A. and a J.D. from the University of Florida and has served as poetry editor for Bridge Eight and Compose and as a poetry reader for New England Review and $ – Poetry Is Currency. His audio chapbook Season of the Dead (EAT Poems, 2016) is available free on line.

Fishweir School Spirit Day
2025-09-11 15:00 - 20:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at the Happy Medium Books Café and help us support Fishweir Elementary.
20% of proceeds between 3 and 8pm go to support Fishweir Elementary!

Learn to play Mahjong Day 2
2025-09-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
This is a 2 day class for Mahjong Beginners. Must attend Day 1
$50 covers the 2 – 2 hour classes on Wednesday, September 10th and Thursday, September 11th – includes the 2025 National Mahjong Card.

BookTalk with Kevin Sack
2025-09-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us in conversation with Kevin Sack, author of Mother Emanuel Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church
Kevin Sack is a veteran journalist who has written broadly about national affairs for more than four decades and has shared in three Pulitzer Prizes. Sack spent 30 years on the staff of The New York Times, where he was a senior writer, and worked previously for the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His work also has been featured in The New York Times Magazine.
Sack is the author of Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church (Crown, June 3, 2025). It explores the 200-year history of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, site of the 2015 massacre of nine parishioners by a young white supremacist
The project was supported by a New America Emerson Collective Fellowship and grants from the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
At The New York Times, Sack was known for producing long-form narrative and investigative projects on topics as varied as kidney transplantation, police militarization, refugee assimilation, and climate change. He also served as bureau chief in Atlanta and Albany, covered health care for the national desk, and reported extensively on race and domestic and presidential politics.
Sack was among those honored with the 2015 Pulitzer for international reporting for The Times’ coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, having co-authored a special report about the failures of global health groups to contain the epidemic. While at the Los Angeles Times, he and colleague Alan C. Miller won the 2003 Pulitzer for national reporting for an investigative series about the Marine Corps’ troubled Harrier attack jet, which they discovered had crashed 143 times in training, killing 45 pilots. Two years earlier, Sack shared the Pulitzer for national reporting and a George Polk award with a team of New York Times colleagues for the series “How Race is Lived in America,” which was later published in book form. He wrote the lead article, about the life of an integrated Pentecostal church in the Atlanta suburbs.
A native of Jacksonville, FL, and 1981 honors graduate of Duke University, Sack lives in Charleston, SC, with his wife, Dina Sack. They have three children.

Learn to Play Mahjong
2025-09-10 10:00 - 12:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
This is a 2 day class for Mahjong Beginners.
$50 covers the 2 – 2 hour classes on September 10th & 11th, 10am-12pm and includes the 2025 National Mahjong Card.

Mystery Thrilling Book Club The Final Act of Juliet Willoughby
2025-09-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium to discuss The Final Act of Juliet Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd.
As always, book club books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café.

Italian Cooking Class
2025-09-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Spend an afternoon with Diana, a passionate cook and expert in Italian cuisine, as she guides you through the delightful process of making HOMEMADE GNOCCHI from scratch. This immersive experience promises not only to teach you the art of crafting these delicious pasta pockets but also to share the cherished family traditions that have been passed down through generations. As you roll out the dough and fill it with a variety of mouth-watering ingredients, you’ll learn about the significance of each step in the process, as Diana recounts stories of how her grandmother taught her these time-honored techniques in their cozy kitchen.
During this hands-on workshop, you will not only master the technique of creating the perfect GNOCCHI but also the best flours that can be used. Diana will provide tips on balancing flavors and achieving the ideal texture, ensuring that your gnocchi will be both delicious and authentic.
In addition to the gnocchi, you will also learn how to prepare two traditional sauces that complement the pasta beautifully, each with its unique flavor profile. Diana will share her grandmother’s secrets for achieving the perfect consistency and depth of flavor in each sauce, elevating your homemade potato gnocchi to a whole new level.

This culinary adventure will not only enhance your cooking skills but also deepen your appreciation for Italian cuisine and the love that goes into every dish. By the end of the afternoon, you will have created a meal that is not just food but a heartfelt tribute to family traditions, ready to be shared with friends and loved ones. Join Diana for this unforgettable experience, where you will leave not only with newfound skills but also with a sense of connection to the rich culinary heritage of Italy. The class with conclude with dinner.

Menu:
Homemade potato gnocchi
Nonna’s Bolognese Sauce
Brown Butter and Sage

Special Storytime with Author Melissa Schultz
2025-09-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Special Storytime Event for the New School Year!
What if a secret signal could help your child feel closer to you, even when you’re apart?
Join us on Saturday, September 6 at 10:30 a.m. for Storytime with Melissa T. Shultz as she reads her heartwarming new picture book, What Will I Do if I Miss You? — perfect for children ages 3–6 and the grown-ups who love them.
Inspired by a real-life experience with her own son, Melissa’s story gives parents and little ones a simple, soothing way to ease separation anxiety.
After Storytime:
Book signing
Family activity
Handouts: Parent tip sheet, bookmarks, stickers!
Join us and help your child with the big feelings that can come with change. 💛

Silent Book Club of Metro Jax
2025-09-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us for the Silent Book Club Metro Jax at Happy Medium Books Cafe! Get settled at 7 PM and dive into your own book quietly at 7:30 PM.
It’s the perfect chance to enjoy great stories, explore a local business, and connect with fellow book lovers. Everyone is welcome! See you on Wednesday, September 3rd!

Reading Sprints
2025-09-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us at Happy Medium for a night of Reading Sprints!
What are Reading Sprints?
It is a style of reading that focuses on reading productivity. Similar to
The Pomodoro Technique for learning.
Everyone gathers with their individually selected titles and we spend time chatting, getting drinks and snacks, etc…
Once everyone is settled,
we set a timer for 20 minutes. everybody reads silently until that timer is finished.
5-10 minute stretch break, or time to chat…
Repeat!
We plan on 4 cycles of reading and when we are done, you have read 180 minutes of reading!

Happy Little Melodies - Parent & Me Music Class
2025-08-30 10:00 - 10:30, 2025-08-28 10:00 - 22:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join us for a morning of music, movement, and connection at Happy Medium Books Café!

Sci Fi Book Club - You Sexy Thing
2025-08-28 19:00 - 20:30 | Happy Medium Books Cafe, 2724 Park St, Jacksonville, FL, 32205, United States
Join Us at the Cafe as we discuss You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo.
As always, Book Club books are 20% off at Happy Medium Books Café.
