Debut novels, diverse memoirs, nonfiction titles on politics and sports, and celebrity authors are in the lineup this month. To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.
Nov. 3
Frish Brandt: The San Francisco resident, midwife and longtime former gallerist who teaches essential letter writing at Stanford University’s School of Medicine speaks about “Unfinished Business: Writing the 5 Essential Letters of Your Life” with attorney-anthropologist Roberta Katz. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto]
Nov. 4
Natalie Baszile: The Bay Area author of “Queen Sugar” discusses “Friends and Family,” her new novel about two friends (one Black, one white) whose relationship and beliefs about race are tested after their children have a traumatic encounter with police, with writer Julie Lythcott-Haims. [7 p.m., Rakestraw Books, 3 Railroad Ave., Danville]
Nov. 4
Mark Danner: The veteran political journalist, English professor at University of California, Berkeley, and former New Yorker staff writer speaks about “Crossing the Rubicon: The Betrayal of American Democracy, 2000–2026,” his essay collection examining the erosion of democratic institutions and rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., in conversation with Adam Hochschild, author of “American Midnight.” [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Nov. 5
Greg Gaar: The veteran Bay Area photographer speaks about “San Francisco Street Scenes: 1972-1991,” his debut hardcover coffee table book of images reflecting the city’s evolving spirit and activism, in conversation with fellow photographer Jay Blakesberg. [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Nov. 5
Chad Harbach: The Northern California author of the 2011 literary sensation “The Art of Fielding” speaks about “The Brightness,” his new novel with same fictional Wisconsin college setting, following the journey of the school’s former president’s daughter and her friend. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Nov. 5
Stacey Gordon: The Alameda writer, a former journalist and tech worker in marketing who grew up in Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio, reads from her debut novel “The Pearl Farmers,” a multigenerational story about three sisters who carry on the legacy of their family’s pearl farm in small-town Tennessee. [6:30 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda]
Nov. 6
Nigel Ng: The man aka Uncle Roger— whose funny food critiques defending authentic Asian cooking have gone viral—promotes his debut cookbook, “Don’t Mess Up Your Rice: 70 Recipes to Impress Uncle Roger,” in a ticketed ($38 includes entry for two and book) talk with beloved Bay Area chef Martin Yan presented by Book Passage. [7 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco]
Nov. 7
Stacey Gordon: The East Bay writer, a former journalist and tech worker, shares her debut novel “The Pearl Farmers,” which tells the story of three sisters carrying on the legacy of their family’s pearl farm in Tennessee. [11 a.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Nov. 7
Kirk Lombard: The Bay Area angler, fishmonger and author of the award-winning “Sea Forager’s Guide to the Northern California Coast” speaks about “The Shadow Stream,” his debut novel for all ages about a troubled boy who joins forces with talking animals as they attempt to save their river from developers. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Nov. 7
Caleb Dardick: The former longtime Berkeley resident shares his memoir “The Adventures of Superfreak: My Childhood on the Hippie Trail,” a “wild adventure” which recounts his family’s 1970 journey from Amsterdam to India in a VW bus when he was 5, traveling with two younger siblings and disabled parents, his father using a wheelchair and mother living with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. [6 p.m., Adobe Books, 3130 24th St., San Francisco]
Nov. 8
Mark Danner: The political journalist and English professor at UC Berkeley discusses “Crossing the Rubicon: The Betrayal of American Democracy, 2000–2026,” his essay collection exploring the erosion of democratic institutions and rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., in conversation with sociologist Arlie Hochschild, author of “Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right,” in a ticketed ($10-$32) event. [5 p.m., Clio’s Books, 353 Grand Ave., Oakland]
Nov. 10
Bryant Lin: The physician in Stanford’s Department of Medicine and co-founder and co-director the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education shares his memoir “Sunshine: An Exploration of Living When You Are Dying,” in which he details his experience with a terminal illness as both doctor and patient, in a ticketed ($11.50-$40) talk with medical journalist Laurel Braitman. [7 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Nov. 11
Andy Richter: The actor and comedian share details from “Elf Unwrapped,” his account of the making of the beloved modern Christmas classic starring Will Ferrell, in a ticketed ($40 includes book) event. [7 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Nov. 11
Marcus Thompson II: The Oakland sports journalist launches “Game Changers: The GOATs Who Revolutionized Basketball,” his stat-filled tribute to pioneering players from Charles Barkley and Larry Bird to Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Candace Parker and Victor Wembanyama, and more. [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building San Francisco]
Nov. 12
Mark Danner: The veteran political reporter, English professor at University of California, Berkeley, and former New Yorker staff writer discusses “Crossing the Rubicon: The Betrayal of American Democracy, 2000–2026,” a book of essays about the erosion of democratic institutions and rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., in conversation with KQED correspondent Guy Marzorati. [7 p.m., City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Nov. 12
Carol Efron: The Menlo Park psychiatrist and researcher on Huntington’s disease shares her novel “The Hidden Fate,” about a woman whose unplanned pregnancy prompts difficult choices as she learns that her unborn child has a 50 percent chance of inheriting a fatal genetic illness. [4 p.m., San Mateo County Library, 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane, Atherton]
Nov. 12
Bing Gordon and Chloe Gordon: The Bay Area video game expert, co-founder of Electronic Arts, and his writer-journalist-documentarian daughter speak about “Everybody Wins: What Games Teach Us about Making Products People Love,” their guide to building better products and pleasing customers using secrets of video game design, in a ticketed ($11.50-$49) talk with tech forecaster Paul Saffo. [7 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Nov. 12
Matt O’Hara: The University of California, Santa Cruz history professor discusses “The Flying Death: Poison, Plunder, and the Quest for a Miracle Medicine in the Amazon,” a 1930s-set true story detailing the quest of American explorer Richard Gill and his Russian rival to harvest a poisonous Amazon vine, and how it plundered local tribes while spurring the development of new medicines, with University of California, Berkeley history professor Rebecca Herman. [7 p.m., Mrs. Dalloway’s, 2904 College Ave., Berkeley]
Nov. 12
Spencer R. Scott: The Bay Area bioengineer-turned-climate strategist, writer and regenerative farmer shares “As If We Were Staying,” his queer love story and memoir about leaving biotech to build Solar Punk Farm in Guerneville, and also an exploration of the psychology, politics and imagination needed to create a livable future; Scott appears with Honey Mahogany, co-founder of San Francisco’s Transgender District. [7 p.m., Booksmith, 1727 Haight St., San Francisco]
Nov. 12
Mike Trigg: The Bay Area novelist, a former tech worker, appears with executive and life-work coach Kathy Oneto to discuss his “Outage,” his new thriller about how an internet blackout leads a suburban woman (with two teens and a husband who’s a lobbyist) into a web of conspiracies and investigation in pursuit of answers and the truth. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto]
Nov. 14
Tricia Hellman Gibbs, Sarah Davis, Avery Hellman: The producers of “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at 25: The Big Twang!,” a collection of photos and essays about the iconic San Francisco music festival appear in conversation with music writer Gina Arnold; the event also features a performance by Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band. [2 p.m., SF Public Library, Park Branch, 1833 Page St., San Francisco]
Nov. 14
Seth Fleisher: The Berkeley scholar launches his debut novel “The Farther Shore,” a work of historical fiction set in turn‑of‑the‑20th‑century Southern Africa and the late 20th century inspired by the life of naturalist-poet-journalist-lawyer Eugène Marais, known for his ahead-of-his-time insights on memory, addiction and the hive mind. [3 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Nov. 14
Jane Wiedlin: The rock star meets and greets and signs copies of “TMI: Memoirs of a Go-Go,” her behind-the-scenes glimpse into life as the rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the all-female, multi-platinum-selling band the Go-Gos. [4 p.m., Booksmith, 1727 Haight St., San Francisco]
Nov. 14
David Sedaris: The popular humorist shares his newest book of essays “The Land and Its People” in conversation with Susan Orlean, author of “The Library Book,” in a ticketed ($94-$199) event. [8 p.m., War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco]
Nov. 14
Teri Roche Drobnick: The Petaluma writer, a retired social worker, launches “Our Long Goodbye: A Daughter, a Father, a Best Friend, and the Journey Through Alzheimer’s,” her memoir about caring for her memory-challenged dad with help from his friend of 80 years, in conversation with the friend, Bob Kahl. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma]
Nov. 16
Schneider K. Rancy: The Haitian-American poet from South Florida and current San Francisco resident launches his debut novel “Beyond the Baths of Stars”; the reimagination of “The Odyssey tells the story of a poor, aimless son of Haitian immigrants who rescues a wealthy woman from drowning, then goes on a surreal joy ride with her through South Miami. [7 p.m., Booksmith, 1727 Haight St., San Francisco]
Nov. 17
Daniel Duane: The San Francisco psychotherapist, author of “Lighting Out: A Vision of California and the Mountains” and the memoir “Caught Inside: A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast,” shares his new title, “Yosemite Falls: Reckoning with California History and the Gospel of John Muir”; the book explores the complexities and contradictions surrounding the famed naturalist alongside the author’s own experience being raised by nature-loving parents, in a ticketed ($11.50-$43) talk with writer-natural resources entrepreneur James Workman. [7 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Nov. 17
Matt O’Hara: The UC Santa Cruz history professor, appearing with physician, writer and podcaster Alyssa Burgart, discusses “The Flying Death: Poison, Plunder, and the Quest for a Miracle Medicine in the Amazon,” his 1930s-set true story about the quest by explorer Richard Gill to find and harvest a poisonous Amazon vine, which devastated local tribes and prompted the invention of new medicines. [6 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto]
Nov. 17
Spencer R. Scott: The Bay Area bioengineer turned climate strategist, writer and regenerative farmer discusses “As If We Were Staying,” his queer love story and memoir about leaving biotech to build Solar Punk Farm in Guerneville, with epidemiologist/science communicator Jessica Malaty Rivera. [6 p.m., San Mateo Library, 1110 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont]
Nov. 19
Jen Murphy Parker: The Hillsborough essayist shares her memoir “Fault Line Boy: A Mother’s Reckoning with Epilepsy,” her account of bringing up a child with severe pediatric epilepsy, living with uncertainty and finding resilience, in a ticketed ($11.50-$33) talk with memoirist Irena Smith. [6 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Nov. 20
Marcus Thompson II: The Oakland resident and lead columnist at The Athletic shares “Game Changers: The GOAT’s Who Revolutionized Basketball,” his book about players who changed basketball forever, from Charles Barkley and Larry Bird to Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Candace Parker and Victor Wembanyama, and more. [6:30 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda}
Nov. 22
Annalee Newitz: The science journalist and science-fiction writer, a Nebula Award nominee, discusses “Automatic Noodle,” a “cozy” novella about robots opening their very own noodle shop, with Bay Area writer and food critic Soleil Ho. [2 p.m., Koret Auditorium, Main Library, Lower Level, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Nov. 24
Kimberly Bea: The South Bay writer, author of mythology and fable-inspired fiction including “The Changeling Queen,” shares her new book “Curse of Feathers”; the feminist fantasy retells the Brothers Grimm tale “The Wild Swans” about a young woman being tested to save her six brothers who are cursed to become swans. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 317 Castro St., Mountain View]
Nov. 30
Mona Chalabi: The Pulitzer Prize-winning British data journalist shares “Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are,” her examination of how Americans spend money; the title combines the culmination of research and interviews with individuals of different socioeconomic backgrounds and her own personal story. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]