Book & Film Clubs

Join us at the Mammen Family Public Library for community discussions exploring a variety of topics and ideas.

Find a Group

The library hosts several discussion groups. Space is limited, please check the individual group headings to see which groups are accepting new members and to stay up to date on the group schedules. For more information, visit our online calendar.

Join our library’s Documentary Club! Similar to a book club format, members will watch the documentary beforehand and then meet at the library to discuss the documentary. All of the documentaries are available through at least one of the library’s digital resources.

This group generally meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00pm and is facilitated by a library staff member.

If you are interested in joining this group, please visit our online calendar.

Documentaries for 2024:

  • January 4 – Americaville (available for free with your library card on Kanopy)
  • February 1 – The Lie Detector (available for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy)
  • March 7 – The Exiles (available for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy)
  • April 4 – The Booksellers (available for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy)
  • May 2 – Please Hold the Line (available for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy)
  • June 6 – The Last Resort (available for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy)
  • July 11 – The Thief Collector (available for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy) – Please note the July meeting date is Thursday, July 11 due to the Fourth of July holiday.
  • August 1 – Keep on Dancing (available for free with your library card on Kanopy)
  • September 5 – Beyond Sixty (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • October 3 – North Putnam (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • November 7 – The Laps Tasmania (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • December 5 – Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • January 2, 2025 – Film, The Living Record of Our Memory (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • February 6, 2025 – Cats of Malta (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • March 6, 2025 – Miniature (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • April 3, 2025 – Fioretta (available for free with your library card on Hoopla)
  • Stay tuned for information on the documentaries we will be discussing the rest of the year!

Join us for our newest book club, the BYOB Book Club! The BYOB Book Club will meet monthly on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:00pm-7:00pm. This book club is facilitated by a library staff member and is currently accepting new members.

What is the BYOB Book Club? Rather than having a designated book that all members read each month, each member will “Bring Your Own Book” to discuss during the meeting. Each month, there will be a featured genre or theme. Members will read a book within that theme, and then report back to the group during the monthly meeting with details on the book they read. This means you’ll get to read a book that interests you and will also get to hear about a bunch of other books!

To carry on the BYOB theme, you are welcome to bring your own personal beverage to enjoy during the book club meeting or enjoy a complimentary drink provided by the library.

If interested in joining this group, please visit our online calendar.

Genres for 2024:

  • April 9 – Fantasy
  • May 14 – Science Fiction
  • June 11 – Horror Fiction
  • July 9 – Historical Fiction
  • August 13 – Romance
  • Stay tuned for information on the genres we will be discussing the rest of the year!

Come be a part of one of the library’s newest book clubs! This book club is geared towards men (age 18 and up) but open to all interested adults. This is a non-partisan, non-religious program for discussions of fiction and non-fiction books of men’s interest. 

This group generally meets on the second Thursday of the month at 1:00pm. 

If you are interested in joining this book club, please visit our online calendar

Books for 2024:

  • March 14 – Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
  • April 11 – Open Season by C.J. Box (the first book in the Joe Pickett series)
  • May 9 – The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
  • June 13 – The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II by Anne R. Keene
  • July 11 – The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
  • August 8 – The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan
  • September 12 – The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (the first book in the Walt Longmire series)
  • Stay tuned for information on the books selected for the rest of this year!

This book club is led by library community members and is currently accepting new members. This group generally meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 1:00pm.

If you are interested in joining this book club, please visit our online calendar to register.

Books for 2024:

  • January 9 – Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (Please note the January meeting date is Tuesday, January 9th due to the New Year’s holiday.)

  • February 6 – The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham

  • March 5 – Horse by Geraldine Brooks

  • April 2 – Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer

  • May 7 – Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

  • June 4 – Solito by Javier Zamora

  • July 2 – The Last Ranger by Peter Heller

  • August 6 – Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

  • September 3 – Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

  • October 1 – The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan

  • November 6 – The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (Please note the November meeting date is Wednesday, November 6th due to Election Day.)

  • December 3 – Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

    This book club is led by library community members and is currently accepting new members. This group generally meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 10:30am.

    If you are interested in joining this book club, please visit our online calendar.

    Books for 2024:

    • January 9 – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
    • February 13 – The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
    • March 12 – The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
    • April 9 – The Searcher by Tana French
    • May 14 – Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
    • June 11 – The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar
    • July 9 – The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe
    • August 13 – The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor
    • September 10 – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
    • October 8 – Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
    • November 12 – TBD
    • December – This group does not meet for a book discussion in December.
    • January 2025 – The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
    • February 2025 – Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

     

    This book club is led by library community members and is currently accepting new members. This group generally meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 1:00pm.

    If you are interested in joining this book club, please visit our online calendar.

    Books for 2024:

    • January 16 – This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

    • February 20 – When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

    • March 19 – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

    • April 16 – What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

    • May 21 – Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

    • June 18 – West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

    • July 16 – Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe

    • August 20 – Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

    • September 17 – Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell

    • October 15 – The Anomaly by Herv Le Tellier

    • November 19 – The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart

    • December 17 – Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

    This book club is led by library community members and is currently full.

    Books for 2024:

    • January 18 – Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn

    • February 15 – The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

    • March 21 – The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee, David John

    • April 18 – The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar

    • May 16 – Horse by Geraldine Brooks

    • June 20 – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

    • July 18 – Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

    • August 15 – The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

    • September 19 – The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

    • October 17 – Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

    • November 21 – This meeting is dedicated to selecting the books for the 2025 reading list. There will not be a book discussion.

    • December – This group does not meet for a book discussion in December.

    This book club is led by library staff and is currently accepting new members. This group generally meets on a Friday morning mid-month at 10:00am.

    If you are interested in joining this book club, please visit our online calendar to register.

    Books for 2024:

    • January 19 – Still Life by Sarah Winman
    • February 17 – Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
    • March 15 – The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
    • April 19 – The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
    • May 17 – The Spectacular by Fiona Davis
    • June 14 – When the Rain Ends by Mary Ellen Taylor
    • July 19 – The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
    • August 16 – The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
    • September 20 – Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
    • October 18 – The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
    • November 15 – The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
    • December 13 – The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
    • January 2025 – Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

    This book club is led by library staff and is open to all members of the Bulverde Spring Branch Activity Center (BSBAC).

    This group generally meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 1:45pm at BSBAC.

    If you are a member of BSBAC and are interested in joining this book club, please send an email to outreach@mfplibrary.org.

    Books for 2024:

    • January 3 – Love & Saffron by Kim Fay
    • February 7 – The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
    • March 6 – Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
    • April 3 – The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes
    • May 1 – Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
    • June 5 – Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen
    • July 3 – The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

    • August 7 – Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

    • September 4 – First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

    • October 2 – The First Ladies by Marie Benedict

    • November 6 – The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

    • December 4 – Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

     

    If you have an appetite for new foods and fun conversation, come explore with the Cookbook & Potluck Club. Pick a recipe from the month’s featured cookbook and bring it to the meeting to share family style.

    Each month’s cookbook will be on display at the library for you to select a recipe to cook and share. Please sign up each month to join the group by registering on the library’s online calendar or by signing up on the Cookbook Club clipboard located at the library.

    Cookbooks for 2024:

    • January 11 – Just Eat by Jessie James Decker
    • February 8 – Dinner in French by Melissa Clark
    • March 14 – What’s Gaby Cooking by Gaby Dalkin
    • April 11 – Natasha’s Kitchen by Natasha Kravchuk
    • May 9 – Simply Symon Suppers by Michael Symon
    • The Cookbook Club takes a summer break and does not meet during June, July, and August. The group will return in September!
    • September 12 – The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready by Ree Drummond
    • October 10 – Big Bites by Kat Ashmore