APTOS >> Book clubs are a common way for bibliophiles to discuss certain books they read and engage in their themes. Every year, Friends of the Aptos Library and its partners take this concept a step further by offering up a series of activities throughout the county, all through themes related to a specific book, as part of its annual Our Community Reads program.

This year’s featured book is “Flight Behavior,” Barbara Kingsolver’s 2012 novel that explores themes of climate change and the displacement of monarch butterflies. Many of this year’s activities will be centered around those themes, including book discussions, movie screenings, lectures, hands-on activities and more, all on various dates through March 13.

Program coordinator Denise Ward said this year’s events are more spread out than in previous years, allowing the program to run longer than usual.

“This first week we have three events, but after that, they’re spread out a little bit so they’re not all crunched together,” she said. “Some years in the past, it’s been a bit manic, so we just decided to slow down.”

The program began in 2018 with events centered around Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime” and was solely hosted by Aptos Friends. But in recent years, it has grown to include Friends of the Library groups from other branches in the Santa Cruz Public Libraries system, such as Capitola, La Selva Beach, Felton and Scotts Valley. This year, two more Friends groups have joined the mix from the Branciforte and Garfield Park libraries.

Each year, a committee reads a ton of books, narrows them down to a short list of four or five and has the community vote on which book will set the tone for the year’s events. Past years have included “The Monk of Mokha” by Dave Eggers, “The Death and Life of Monterey Bay” by Stephen R. Palumbi and Carolyn Sotka, “Red Letter Days” by Sarah-Jane Stratford, “Mary Coin” by Marisa Silver and “The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai. The committee generally chooses between novels and nonfiction books, but this year, Ward said they selected the only novel on the shortlist: “Flight Behavior.”

Written by Kingsolver — also known for “The Poisonwood Bible” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Demon Copperhead” — “Flight Behavior” tells the story of a woman from a fictional Appalachian town who goes hiking and sees a blaze of orange emanating from a tree. She thinks it’s on fire, but it turns out to be a cluster of monarch butterflies displaced from their migration to Mexico and then becomes concerned over their ability to survive the harsh Tennessee winter.

“It deals with climate change, it deals a lot with class, socioeconomic divisions,” said Ward. “It also talks about the different ways that people perceive something happening — is this a miracle, is this science?”

The program kicked off Tuesday with a field trip to Natural Bridges State Beach, where monarchs have been known to inhabit during the winter months. Interpretive ranger Martha Nitzberg and volunteer docent June Langhoff were on hand to provide information on the butterflies.

“It was great,” said Ward. “We had gorgeous weather, we had a terrific attendance (of) 75 people. It was actually more than we anticipated.”

The future events are as follow:

• A book discussion facilitated by Bookshop Santa Cruz owner Casey Coonerty Protti, 11 a.m. Thursday at The Loft Coffee Shop at Cabrillo College, 2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos.

• A screening of the 2019 documentary “Ice on Fire,” narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, exploring the potential extinction level events caused by arctic methane release, and carbon sequestering technologies that could reverse those effects, 5 p.m. Saturday at the La Selva Beach Library, 316 Estrella Ave. The event will feature a Q&A session after the film by Gary Griggs, UC Santa Cruz professor and author of the Sentinel column “Our Ocean Backyard,” as well as the book “California Catastrophes: The Natural Disaster History of the Golden State.”• Panel discussion “Through the Lens: Photographers in Nature,” with local photographers Seraphina Landgrebe, Kevin Lohman, Bruce Leventhal and Jim Bourne 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Radius Gallery at the Tannery Arts Center, 1050 River St. Suite 127, Santa Cruz.

• “Poetry in Flight,” a writing workshop hosted by Magdalena Montagne, where the community is invited to write poems based on the themes of “Flight Behavior.” The workshop is 1 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Fireside Room of the Scotts Valley Branch Library, 251 Kings Valley Road.

• A panel by Cabrillo College political science professor Nick Rowell on how climate change is causing dislocation and economic hardship in Latin America and beyond, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the Betty Leonard Community Room of the Aptos Branch Library, 7695 Soquel Drive.

• A preschool story time hosted by librarian Rowan Rammer featuring stories and a butterfly craft activity 11 a.m. Feb. 7 in the Betty Leonard Community Room at the Aptos Branch Library.

• The 38th annual Migration Festival, hosted by California State Parks and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, featuring a bevy of activities celebrating the migratory creatures that pass through Santa Cruz County, including birds, whales and butterflies. The event is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 8 at Natural Bridges State Beach, 2531 W. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.

• “Timber,” a panel on logging in local forests, at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Fireside Room of the Scotts Valley Branch Library.

• “On the Move,” a panel discussion on the factors causing displacement and population reduction of marine and terrestrial creatures on the Central Coast. The panel features UC Davis Ph.D. candidate Catherine Courtier and UC Davis Ph.D. graduate Paige Kouba, and will be moderated by Cabrillo College environmental science associate faculty member Lauren Hanneman. The discussion is 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Live Oak Library Annex at the Simpkins Family Swim Center, 979 17th Ave., Santa Cruz.

• “Musing on Monarchs,” an art workshop facilitated by artists and educators Sharon Ferguson and Jo-Neal Graves 1 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Ow Family Community Room at the Capitola Branch Library, 2005 Wharf Road.

• A screening of the film “Flight of the Butterflies” about the migration of monarchs from Canada to Mexico. The screening will feature information on monarchs provided by Nitzberg and a display of redesigned “Flight Behavior,” book covers designed by Aptos High School art students for a contest judged by staff members of Bookshop Santa Cruz and Two Birds Books. The screening is 6 p.m. March 4 in the Betty Leonard Community Room of the Aptos Library.

• A discussion on native plants residents can grow in their gardens that can support pollinators, led by UC Master Gardener Janice Kuch 10:30 a.m. March 8 at the Felton Branch Library Community Room, 6121 Gushee St.

• A trivia night hosted by Santa Cruz Public Libraries information specialist Victor Willis, with questions inspired by “Flight Behavior” 6 p.m. March 13 at Bruno’s Bar and Grill, 230 Mount Hermon Road, Scotts Valley.

Ward said three of the events — the panel discussions on Feb. 5, 13 and 19 — will also be streamed virtually to create a more accessible option for all.

“People who don’t want to drive at night or people who live out in Boulder Creek or some more remote location can tune in on Zoom, so that increases accessibility,” she said.

Ward said the goal is to create a community of people interested in wider topics.

“This is a program to bring people together,” she said.

All the events are free, but many require registration in advance. For more information, go to Friendsofaptoslibrary.org/our-community-reads.html.