Debut titles, memoirs, books for kids and some seasonal holiday events are on the bill this month. (To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.)
Dec. 3
Book Passage All-Stars Annual Holiday Book Talk: Elaine Petrocelli, founder of Book Passage, and bookstore staff recommend their favorite books in many genres, for all ages, in a session dedicated to seasonal gift-giving. The event also will stream for free. [11 a.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 4
Mark Oshiro: The queer, nonbinary author of young adult books “Anger is a Gift,” “Each of Us a Desert” and “The Sun and the Star” speaks about “Jasmine Is Haunted,” their new middle-grade title, described as “a queer, Latinx fantasy about ghosts, grief and friendship.” [6 p.m., Books Inc., 2251 Chestnut St., San Francisco]
Dec. 4
Anita Felicelli: The Bay Area critic and writer releases “How We Know Our Time Travelers”—a “dark, intellectual, and surreal [story] collection that explores themes of technology, climate change, reality, love and loss”—in conversation with novelist Nayomi Munaweera. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
Dec. 4
Cher: The iconic entertainer discusses “Cher: The Memoir, Part One” with pop music writer Joel Selvin in a ticketed ($100-$130 includes copy of the book) “Unscripted” event presented by Broadway SF. [7:30 p.m., Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco]
Dec. 6
Nayantara Roy: The author speaks about her debut novel “The Magnificent Ruins”—in which a young Indian American book editor inherits her estranged family’s ancestral home and their buried secret—with May Cobb, author of “The Hunting Wives.” [6:30 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 7
Jacqueline Winspear: The author of 18 books in the award-winning, bestselling series featuring psychologist-investigator Maisie Dobbs appears with critic and feature writer Andrew Smith to promote the new Collector’s Edition of Maisie Dobbs and discuss the points where their work and research have intersected; RSVP requested. [11 a.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 7
Henry Michalski: The author of “Torn Lilacs: A True Story of Love, Defiance and Hope ” shares details about his book, an account of his parents’ flight from the Nazis and Soviet POW camps and their eventual emigration to the U.S. [2 p.m., Sonoma Valley Regional Library, 755 West Napa St., Sonoma]
Dec. 7
Robert Holmes: The veteran travel photographer speaks about “Passages: Fifty Years of Stories, Journeys & Images,” a memoir and monograph with some 270 photos and anecdotes detailing the breadth of an extraordinary career contributing to every major travel magazine and contributing images to dozens of books. [4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 8
Joanna Ho: The Bay Area children’s author reads from “A City Full of Santas,” her new fun and festive holiday tale about a little girl’s enthusiastic hunt for the real Santa. [1 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Hacienda Crossings, 4972 Dublin Blvd., Dublin]
Dec. 8
Candice Jalili: The writer, a Marin County native, shares her debut young adult book “Finding Famous: A Mashad Family Novel,” described as “’The Princess Diaries’ meets reality television.” [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 8
James Beasley Jr.: The former cocaine dealer from San Francisco who was born into a life of crime speaks about his memoir “Deep Rooted: Gangsterdom Vol. 1” with restorative justice expert Siddiq Moody-Jihad. [2 p.m., San Francisco Main Library, African American Center, third floor, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Dec. 10
A Christmas Memory: Thomas Lynch reads Truman Capote’s classic 1956 short story in an annual holiday event presented by the East Bay bookstore. [5:30 p.m., Mrs. Dalloway’s Books, 2904 College Ave., Berkeley]
Dec. 12
Rachel Kushner: The acclaimed author speaks about her fourth novel “Creation Lake,” about a young woman sent to infiltrate a French anarchist collective, in a ticketed ($44-$54) event presented by City Arts & Lectures. [7:30 p.m., Sydney Goldstein Theater, 333 Hayes St., San Francisco]
Dec. 14
James Burks: The cartoonist, author and illustrator, creator of the graphic novel series Agent 9 and Bird & Squirrel, and collaborator animated films and TV shows for Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network, shares details about his career. [1 to 3 p.m., Charles Schulz Museum, 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa]
Dec. 15
Shulamit Sofia: The psychologist, social worker and spiritual seeker launches “From Oy to Joy: A Soul Journey to Making the Best of Your Life for the Rest of Your Life,” a guidebook designed to help people navigate the challenges of the aging process. [4:30 p.m., Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., San Francisco]
Dec. 15
Obi Kaufmann: The poet, painter, naturalist and author of best-selling field atlases speaks about his new book “The State of Fire: Why California Burns,” which delves into the history, science, and future of fire ecology, with Heyday publisher Steve Wasserman. [2 p.m., Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Dec. 16
David Silver: The author of “The Farm at Black Mountain College” offers details about his account of the little-known renegade students, faculty and farmers who established a campus farm at the rural North Carolina liberal school that attracted luminaries including Ruth Asawa, John Cage, Merce Cunningham and Willem de Kooning. [7 p.m., City Lights, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Dec. 18
Oliver Chin: The publisher and co-author shares details about his title “The Discovery of Chess,” the first English children’s picture book about the history of chess. [2 p.m., Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton]