Californian and visiting authors are sharing biographies, histories, mysteries, memoirs, novels, comprehensive photographic coffee table books, and more! To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.
Dec. 1
Megha Majumdar: Appearing in conversation with Book Passage buying director Luisa Smith, the Indian novelist shares “A Guardian and a Thief”; set in near-future Kolkata, India, which is ravaged by climate change and food scarcity, the Oprah Book Club pick tells the story of two families that must go to battle in attempts protect their children. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 1
Daniel Zoughbie: The historian speaks about “Kicking the Hornet’s Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump,” his exploration of how 12 U.S. presidents have shaped the Middle East often unleashing instability and conflict, in conversation with Rev. Marci Glass. RVSP required. [6 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco]
Dec. 2
Cara Black: Appearing in conversation with fellow historical mystery writer Rhys Bowen, the bestselling author launches “Huguette: A Novel of Liberation,” her post-World War II tale set in France in which she introduces Claude Leduc, whose private investigator granddaughter Aimée is the subject of numerous Black mysteries. [7 p.m., Bookshop West Portal, 80 West Portal Ave., San Francisco]
Dec. 2
George Packer: The staff writer at The Atlantic and National Book Award-winning author of “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America” turns to fiction with “The Emergency,” a visionary novel set amid the chaotic downfall of an empire, about a surgeon who becomes increasingly estranged from his family; Packer appears in conversation with Dave Eggers in a ticketed ($17 admission only; $45 includes book) event. [7 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Dec. 3
Leila Mottley: In a presentation of St. Mary’s College’s Creative Writing Visiting Writers Series, the Oakland novelist and poet discusses “Nightcrawling,” which was an Oprah’s Book pick, and her 2025 title “The Girls Who Grew Big.” [2:30 p.m., Hagerty Lounge, De La Salle Hall, 1928 St. Mary’s Road, Moraga]
Dec. 3
Sherry Richert Belul: The San Francisco life coach and founder of Simply Celebrate, which helps people find creative ways to express love for family and friends, discusses her books “The Love List of a Lifetime: Your Essential End-of-Life Planner with Practical Notes and Instructions for the Loved Ones You Leave Behind” and “Say It Now: 33 Creative Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life” in conversation with author Allen Klein, aka “Mr. Jollytologist.” [6 p.m., Books Inc., 2251 Chestnut St., San Francisco]
Dec. 3
Ilana DeBare: The Oakland Public Library hosts the author of “Shaken Loose” discussing its sequel “Shaken Free,” which describers the adventures of Annie Maple, who comes back to Earth after dying and spending time in Hell; DeBare appears in conversation with journalist and author Sue Fishkoff. [6:30 p.m., Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave., Oakland]
Dec. 3
Dion Leonard: The Scottish author and canine share “Finding Gobi,” their bestselling true tale of how the stray dog joined the runner on a 155-mile ultramarathon across the desert, then disappeared,” in an event presented by the Friends of the Lafayette Library & Learning Center and the Lafayette Library & Learning Center Foundation; registration required here. [6:30 p.m., Lafayette Library, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette]
Dec. 4
Ruby Dee Philippa: In a talk moderated by Ethan Port, bass player for Savage Republic, the author discusses “Old Tricks, New Treats,” her third book in the Bags of Tricks series of stories about San Francisco punks in the early 1980s. [4 p.m., San Francisco Main Library, first floor, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Dec. 4
Dick Evans, Hannah Hindley: Evans, the San Francisco photographer and author of “San Francisco and the Bay Area: The Haight-Ashbury Edition,” “The Mission” and “San Francisco’s Chinatown,” and Hindley, an award-winning journalist and wilderness guide, unveil “In the Shadow of the Bridge: Birds of the Bay Area,” a book with 200 color photographs celebrating the abundant avian biodiversity of the region, in conversation with Point Blue Conservation Science CEO Melissa Pitkin. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma]
Dec. 5
Meg Donohue: The best-selling local author of “How to Eat a Cupcake” launches her new title “The Memory Gardener,” about one woman’s unique power of knowing which flowers’ scents will return people to long-lost memories that have the potential to change their futures. {7 p.m., Books Inc., 2251 Chestnut St., San Francisco]
Dec. 5
Amy Tan: The Bay Area author of “The Joy Luck Club” discusses her volume of essays and drawings, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” in conversation with Wild Wonder Foundation President John Muir Law sat a ticketed talk ($36 includes book). [7 p.m., Angelico Hall, Dominican University of California, 20 Olive Ave., San Rafael]
Dec. 5
Sofia Coppola: The filmmaker appears with Hidden Kitchen podcaster Davia Nelson and writer Vendela Vida to highlight the work of her mother Eleanor Coppola and to celebrate Eleanor’s just-published final memoir “Two of Me: Notes on Loving and Leaving” in a ticketed ($49-$59) event presented by City Arts & Lectures. [7:30 p.m., Sydney Goldstein Theatre, 275 Hayes St., San Francisco)
Dec. 6
Cara Black: The bestselling mystery writer shares “Huguette: A Novel of Liberation,” an original depiction of post-World War II France in which she introduces Claude Leduc, who, decades later inspired his granddaughter, Aimée, to become a private investigator. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Dec. 6
Celebrating California Authors: The Santa Clara County Library District sponsors the panel, which features Steven Rowley, a writer of LGBTQ+ fiction that explores modern relationships and life, whose recent book is “The Dogs of Venice”: poet-performer Devorah Major, who explores family, community and the Black Experience, whose latest work is “Word Time,” and tech executive, attorney and activist Bärí A. Williams, whose book “Seen Yet Unseen: A Black Woman Crashes the Tech Fraternity” tells a story about a Black woman from Oakland working in Silicon Valley. [10 a.m., Cupertino Community Hall, 10350 Torre Ave., Cupertino]
Dec. 6
Scot Danforth: The Chapman University scholar discusses his new book “An Independent Man: Ed Roberts and the Fight for Disability Rights,” the first biography of the pioneering activist, who, after contracting polio and becoming paralyzed, helped establish the Center for Independent Living and became director of California’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. [2 p.m., Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St., Berkeley]
Dec. 6
S. Lucia Kanter St. Amour: The San Francisco novelist shares “The Covert Buccaneer,” her San Francisco-set, dual timeline historical fiction work, family saga and legal drama that intertwines the lives of a pioneering miner, suffragist and architect who infiltrates men-only spaces in disguise; and her modern-day great-great-granddaughter, a struggling special needs mother and climate migrant attorney. [3 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Dec. 7
Scot Danforth: The Chapman University scholar speaks about “An Independent Man: Ed Roberts and the Fight for Disability Rights,” the first biography of the person described as the “father of the independent living movement.” Roberts, who contracted polio and was paralyzed, was an activist for disabled students’ rights at University of California, Berkeley who went on to help establish the Center for Independent Living and direct California’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. [2 p.m., Burlingame Public Library, 480 Primrose Lane, Burlingame]
Dec. 7
David D. Schmidt: The lifelong Bay Area resident, naturalist with Greenbelt Alliance and environmental historian speaks about “San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History,” in which he traces how natural forces and human choices have shaped the local landscape over centuries. [2 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Dec. 8
Suzanne Jill Levine: Speaking with poet-scholar Erik Noonan, the award-winning translator of dozens of volumes of Latin American fiction shares “Unfaithful: A Translator’s Memoir,” her account of a life lived in and through translation, and the art, politics, intimacy and occasional opportunism associated with her endeavors. [7 p.m., City Lights, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Dec. 9
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. 9
Meg Donohue: The local novelist discusses her new title “The Memory Gardener,” an uplifting tale of a gardener at an assisted-living home who grows evocatively scented flowers that awaken the community, stirring new pleasures and unearthing long-buried secrets. [7 p.m., Rakestraw Books, 3 Railroad Ave., Danville]
Dec. 10
Vallejo Library Poets Review: The Solano County library launches a new monthly event, an intimate exploration group offering a guided review of past and present legacy poets, “famous and not-so-famous, from around the world who have left a mark on literature, the art of poetry and society.” [6 p.m., Vallejo John F. Kennedy Library, Study Room 1, 505 Santa Clara St., Vallejo]
Dec. 10
Gabi Moskowitz: The Marin County cookbook author shares “Dead in the Kitchen: The Official Grateful Dead Cookbook,” an authorized collection of vegetarian and vegan recipes inspired by the iconic band’s music and community in an appearance with Mike McClure, screenwriter and host of the Grateful Dead podcast. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 138 North Main St., Sebastopol]
Dec. 14
The Big Twang!-A Book Event Honoring 25 Years of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: Tricia Hellman Gibbs, daughter of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass founder Warren Hellman; Frances Dinkelspiel, journalist and author of Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California” and Sarah Davis, creative director of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, discuss festival’s origins to celebrate the recently published coffee-table book with hundreds of images from Jay Blakesburg and other notable photographers; registration requested here. [3 p.m., Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., San Francisco]
Dec. 15
Angela Davis & Hilton Als: In “A Sisterhood: Toni Morrison, June Jordan, Angela Davis,” a ticketed ($49-$59) event, City Arts & Lectures presents activist-philosopher Davis and cultural critic Als discussing the three radical thinkers’ profound, international impacts in literature and social justice. [7:30 p.m., Sydney Goldstein Theatre, 275 Hayes St., San Francisco]
Dec. 16
V. Vale: The editor, writer, interviewer, archivist, musician and publisher hosts an evening of discussion and reminiscences to launch “Search & Destroy: The Complete Archive,” the story of Search & Destroy, the zine that chronicled the birth of San Francisco’s punk scene from 1977-79. [7 p.m., City Lights, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Dec. 17
Fei-Fei Li: Appearing with veteran journalist Adam Lashinsky, the visionary computer scientist speaks about her memoir “The Worlds I See: Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI”— the San Francisco Public Library’s 2025 One City One Book selection—in which she details her remarkable journey from a childhood in China to becoming one of the most influential voices in artificial intelligence. [6 p.m., Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Dec. 18
Ishmael Reed, Justin Desmangles: The editors launch “Blind Persistence: The History of the Before Columbus Foundation,” a compilation of contributions by American poets, novelists and public intellectuals illuminating the work of the 1976-founded Before Columbus Foundation, which promotes and disseminates contemporary American multicultural literature. [6 p.m., City Lights, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]