Manchester Public Library

Our October selection is "Deeper Than the Ocean" by Mirta Ojito. Copies of the book are available at both library buildings for check out. For more information, call the Reference Desk.
About the book, from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.goodreads.com</a>:&nbsp;
A moving multi-generational novel about the enduring power of a mother’s love, the ripple effect of secrets, and the strength of family bonds from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mirta Ojito. One hundred years after the shipwreck of the Valbanera, known to history as the “poor man’s Titanic,” Mara Denis gets an assignment to report on the Canary Islands, where, she has been told, her ancestors lived before they moved to Cuba. Unexpectedly, she discovers that the grandmother her mother cherished was listed among the dead of the Valbanera, years before Mara’s mother was even born. This fateful twist changes everything Mara thought she knew about her family and herself, and sends her on a quest to find the truth about her family. If her great-grandmother is a ghost, who is she and where did she come from? In spare, beautiful writing and a dual narrative, the author transports the reader to the Canary Islands and Cuba in the early part of the twentieth century and New York and Key West in the present. This epic tale of a young woman’s intense passion for her beloved as well as the redeeming power of family secrets at last uncovered will leave readers wanting more when they reach the last page. This moving, sweeping novel is perfect for fans of Isabel Allende, Julia Alvarez, and Kristin Hannah.

Local Event: Check 'Em Out Book Club- October 2026

Hartford County

Manchester

Connecticut

Check 'Em Out Book Club- October 2026

Our October selection is "Deeper Than the Ocean" by Mirta Ojito. Copies of the book are available at both library buildings for...

Teens! October is a season of character, transformation, and becoming something unexpected. Through drama and improv games, music - participants will explore self-expression without the pressure to perform or get it right. No experience is necessary.

Local Event: Teen Drama: Wild & Unmasked

Teen Drama: Wild & Unmasked

Teens! October is a season of character, transformation, and becoming something unexpected. Through drama and improv games,...

Teens and Tweens! Put your skills to the test in our library LEGO challenge! Bring your friends and have fun creating spootacular creations. The winner(s) will earn the bragging rights: their creation will be put on display in the Teen Room!

Local Event: Spooky LEGO Build Off Competition (Teen and Tween)

Spooky LEGO Build Off Competition (Teen and Tween)

Teens and Tweens! Put your skills to the test in our library LEGO challenge! Bring your friends and have fun creating...

Travel (vicariously) to Uganda in our latest Wanderlust Book Club pick!
In the Wanderlust Book Club, participants “travel” through reading a variety of atmospheric books that transport readers to locations around the world. Titles are primarily fiction, with an occasional non-fiction or memoir selection. Meetings are typically held on the third Thursday evening of the month. Our October book is “A Girl is a Body of Water” by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. Copies of each month’s book are available at both library buildings. This is a free book discussion program and no registration is required.&nbsp;Discussion will be held in the 2nd Floor Conference Room.

Local Event: Wanderlust Book Club - October 2026

Wanderlust Book Club - October 2026

Travel (vicariously) to Uganda in our latest Wanderlust Book Club pick!
In the Wanderlust Book Club, participants “travel”...

Join us for our first board game event in our new building! Learn to play: The Game Makers, Merchants of Magick, Diced Veggies, Kingdomino Origins, Honey Buzz, and DCeased.
No need to bring any board games; we'll provide them all. Free program for adults.

Local Event: Silk City Board Game Group- October 2026

Silk City Board Game Group- October 2026

Join us for our first board game event in our new building! Learn to play: The Game Makers, Merchants of Magick, Diced Veggies,...

Join our Teen Anime &amp;&nbsp;Manga Club to hang out with fellow fans, watch the latest series, chat about your favorite reads, and make fun crafts!

Local Event: Teen Anime and Manga

Teen Anime and Manga

Join our Teen Anime & Manga Club to hang out with fellow fans, watch the latest series, chat about your favorite reads, and...

Join us for a new, casual book discussion group, where there is no assigned reading! Come prepared only to talk about what books you have recently been reading to share with the group. Light refreshments to be served. For more information, call the Reference Desk.

Local Event: Sip and Chat- October 2026

Sip and Chat- October 2026

Join us for a new, casual book discussion group, where there is no assigned reading! Come prepared only to talk about what...

Join us at the library for Pumpkin Night, where we're ditching traditional carving tools and picking up vibrant markers to decorate your pumpkins. All pumpkins, markers, and supplies will be provided. Just bring your creativity! Spaces are limited to 15. Please call the Teen Desk to register at 860-647-4600.

Local Event: Teen Pumpkin Night: Marker Masterpieces

Teen Pumpkin Night: Marker Masterpieces

Join us at the library for Pumpkin Night, where we're ditching traditional carving tools and picking up vibrant markers to...

Our October selection is "The Reformatory," by Tananarive Due. Copies of the book are available at both library buildings for check out. For more information, call the Reference Desk. About the book, from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com:" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">goodreads.com:</a> Set in Jim Crow Florida, follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead. Gracetown, Florida June 1950 Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late. The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

Local Event: Take a Walk Together Book Club

Take a Walk Together Book Club

Our October selection is "The Reformatory," by Tananarive Due. Copies of the book are available at both library buildings for...

Local author Kara LaBella returns to talk about the famous legend behind one of Connecticut's most haunted taverns, Pettibone Tavern. Join us as we hear about life as it was in many of our towns almost 200 years ago -- from epidemics to religious revivals to the dawning industrial revolution -- and how these happenings shaped the events and characters in her latest compelling ghost story. Copies of LaBella’s book will be available for purchase and signing for $10.
No registration required for this free program for adults.

Local Event: Abigail's Ghost: Portrait of an 1830s Connecticut Town

Abigail's Ghost: Portrait of an 1830s...

Local author Kara LaBella returns to talk about the famous legend behind one of Connecticut's most haunted taverns, Pettibone...

Abigail's Ghost: Portrait of an 1830s Connecticut Town

Our November selection is "If It Makes You Happy," by Julie OIivia. Copies of the book are available at both library buildings for check out. For more information, call the Reference Desk. About the book, from <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAcGRvZgFicmlkETFXc2pJakVrMXZQbXhFbkI3c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkvgl2NyJQs2szZMTOrj34nyy1A9_WBcz0Ou81yFkMl4OUm706_94bWx6J1y_aem_O5YDwhFnZGmHWDCwzO8Gng&amp;h=AUAUA-Q2Gthpq8AczZDA4PKPkMyVHbMCtM1F3NUbmHWcZtszNH4orrdXG3kIgQTPAOqJhFO--57zjHOQNt5di9zPaypI7SEoJxjY4U9hE9Uh5e9oMfmZ9LkXlqeEO4eSY6uNbbXTZHIeMH5ApA&amp;__tn__=q&amp;c[0]=AUAU0ExK0Tha_09GQQEOoecPUiaa20cddlrg61lDhAmkMggCBrzNXCr87NRhxbvhS0WK-rl-obDxwCMZev0cmYkAhMeOXvScGAX3XIEZaBQp91_uqJH5pmrHml27_wENbKv0HGeBNZbirk3Th0K4FCILEn_cYSCcMUo" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.goodreads.com:</a> My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear. I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out. Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff. Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard. Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe. Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards. So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbor.

Local Event: Happily Ever After Book Club- November 2026

Happily Ever After Book Club- November 2026

Our November selection is "If It Makes You Happy," by Julie OIivia. Copies of the book are available at both library buildings...

Chris Dehnel

Hartford Metropolitan Area

Jay Kenney

South Windsor

Tolland County

Vernon

Glastonbury

Michael Lemanski

Greater Hartford

Rich Kirby

Wethersfield

Windsor Locks-East Windsor

Windsor

Rocky Hill

Tolland

West Hartford

Cheney Homestead Museum

The 1785 Cheney Homestead celebrates Autumn with guided tours and special autumnal floral decorations in each room that reflect the season. Hours are 12pm to 2pm.The Homestead is located at 106 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT

Local Event: The Homestead Celebrates Autumn with Special Autumn Decor

The Homestead Celebrates Autumn with Special...

The 1785 Cheney Homestead celebrates Autumn with guided tours and special autumnal floral decorations in each room that reflect...

The Homestead Celebrates Autumn with Special Autumn Decor

St. Joseph Catholic Church

BINGO&nbsp;the 2nd Friday of Each Month Oct thru Feb!$4000 Cash Bingo - Friday Oct 9, 2026 
$1000 Jackpot Guaranteed Last Game Details On Our Bingo Website <a href="https://onecau.se/stjosephbingo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">onecau.se/stjosephbingo</a> Play All Night and All Games for as little as $25! Doors Open 5pm - Bingo Starts 6:30PM
13 Total Raffle Prizes ! One Raffle Prize Drawn after each Color Game Sheet! 50" Smart TV Grand Prize Raffle!
Kitchen Menu Hot Dogs $3.00 Grilled Cheese $3.00 White Castle Cheeseburgers 2 for $4 or 3 for $5 Small bowl Garden Salad $3.00 Assorted BAGGED Chips $1.00 Frozen Klondike Ice Cream Bar $1.00 &nbsp; Soda - Bottled Water $1.00 Popcorn $1.50 Coffee - Tea FREE

Local Event: St Joseph Church $4000 Cash Prize Bingo

St Joseph Church $4000 Cash Prize Bingo

BINGO the 2nd Friday of Each Month Oct thru Feb!$4000 Cash Bingo - Friday Oct 9, 2026 
$1000 Jackpot Guaranteed Last Game...

Fall Fest is a wonderful time to spend the day with family and friends with a relaxing fall vibe. There will be live music, snacks, games and crafts for all, and more! Rain Date, Oct. 17, 2026.

Local Event: Fall Fest

Fall Fest

Fall Fest is a wonderful time to spend the day with family and friends with a relaxing fall vibe. There will be live music,...

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Check 'Em Out Book Club- October 2026

OCT

12

7:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Teen Drama: Wild & Unmasked

OCT

14

6:00 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Spooky LEGO Build Off Competition (Teen and Tween)

OCT

15

3:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Wanderlust Book Club - October 2026

OCT

15

6:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Silk City Board Game Group- October 2026

OCT

17

12:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Teen Anime and Manga

OCT

21

6:00 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Sip and Chat- October 2026

OCT

21

7:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Teen Pumpkin Night: Marker Masterpieces

OCT

28

6:00 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Take a Walk Together Book Club

OCT

29

3:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Abigail's Ghost: Portrait of an 1830s Connecticut Town

OCT

31

3:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

Happily Ever After Book Club- November 2026

NOV

2

7:30 PM

Manchester Public Library, 1041 Main St, Manchester, CT

The Homestead Celebrates Autumn with Special Autumn Decor

St Joseph Church $4000 Cash Prize Bingo

Fall Fest