Authors of fascinating memoirs, intense thrillers, hard-hitting investigations, timely non-fiction titles, debut novels and a few volumes about the Grateful Dead appear across the region. To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.
Aug. 2
Millie Abecassis: The French writer of adult speculative fiction, a San Jose resident, speaks about her second novella, 2025′ s “Bright City, Shattered,” described as a “retro-futurist vision of life Min an isolated metropolis” and “a mystery of lies, loyalty and the pursuit of truth.” [1 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Hillsdale Shopping Center, 11 West Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo]
Aug. 2
Roy Juarez Jr.: The author and inspirational speaker shares “Homeless by Choice: A Memoir of Love, Hate, and Forgiveness,” which details his journey from being homeless as a teen due to domestic violence to becoming a college graduate and successful communicator. [6 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 1192 Locust St., Unit D, 400-500, Walnut Creek]
Aug. 2
Joshua Paddison: The Texas State University history professor speaks about “Unholy Sensations: A Story of Sex, Scandal, and California’s First Cult Scare,” detailing unsavory events that erupted in the 1890s around a multiracial spiritualist colony called Fountaingrove in northern California; the scandal produced a new public menace, what newspapers called the “cult.” [1 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 700 Fourth St., Santa Rosa]
Aug. 3
Marisa Gray Atha: The Northern California writer, teacher and owner of a school for holistic vocal instruction speaks about her 2025 Bay Area-set debut novel “Written on the Wall,” which details the lives of four contemporary women, touching on topics including fertility, neurodiversity, addiction and mental health. [2 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Aug. 6
Daniel Kraus: The multi-award-winning bestselling writer of 2023’s “Whalefall” and co-author of “The Shape of Water” with Guillermo del Toro speaks about his new novel “Angel Down,” a cinematic World War I-set story about five soldiers’ encounter with a celestial being, in conversation with bestselling science writer Mary Roach. [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Aug. 6
Linda Lenhoff: The East Bay novelist launches her fourth book “Your Actual Life May Vary,” a darkly comic tale about a California graduate student who, with a young child she believes is being abused, moves with him to a new home in search of a new community and better life. [7 p.m., A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 La Salle Ave., Oakland]
Aug. 6
Shelley Sella: The OB-GYN discusses her book “Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care,” which offers perspectives on late-term abortion that challenge preconceived notions about people who seek abortions. [6:30 p.m., Berkeley Public Library, Claremont Branch, 2950 Benvenue Ave., Berkeley]
Aug. 7
Rebecca Bloom: Appearing in conversation with teacher and physician Dr. Kristina Austin, the former employee benefits and compensation corporate lawyer, now health advocate and activist, speaks about “When Women Get Sick,” her practical guidebook designed to help females with cancer and other serious illnesses make informed health care decisions and get the best treatment for them. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real #74, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto]
Aug. 8
Amelia Davis, David Gans and Dan Sullivan: The authors, longtime friends and associates of iconic late rock ‘n’ roll chronicler Jim Marshall, speak about “The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall: Photos and Stories from the Formative Years, 1966–1977.” [7 p.m., Copperfield’s, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma]
Aug. 9
Anne Breedlove: The longtime San Francisco resident, author of “Part-Time Nomads” and “Happy Campers,” shares details about how she and her husband Jim retired young, then traveled the world on their bikes, visiting 21 countries and pedaling more than 40,000 miles. [1 p.m., North Beach Branch, SF Public Library, 850 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Aug. 9
Rhys Bowen: The beloved part-time California author (of “The Rose Arbor” and “The Venice Sketchbook” among many novels) is promoting 2025’s “Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure” about a woman, who, after being blindsided by her husband’s betrayal in pre-World War II England, dares to chart a new course. [4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Aug. 10
Scott Alan Lucas: The award-winning journalist, formerly of San Francisco, speaks about “Last Night in San Francisco: Tech’s Lost Promise and the Killing of Bob Lee” — his exposé about the tech of CashApp and Square fame, what his life and 2023 murder say about San Francisco in the Internet Age– in conversation with veteran San Francisco reporter Kevin Fagan. [2 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Aug. 10
Mary Alice Stephens: The former producer-writer for “Bay Area Backroads” and home improvement and food TV shows speaks about her new book “Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over” in conversation with TV content creator and executive coach Mollie Allen. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Aug. 13
Lisa Gardner: The best-selling thriller writer is promoting “Kiss Her Goodbye,” the latest installment in her Frankie Elkin series, in which Frankie is called to Arizona to find a missing Afghan refugee whose friend suspects she is in grave danger, in a ticketed ($32 for two people and one book) event. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Aug. 13
Robert B. Reich: The former U.S. Secretary of Labor, a political economist, beloved professor, media presence and author of “Saving Capitalism and The Common Good” discusses his new memoir, “Coming Up Short: My Memoir of America” in a ticketed ($61-$115 includes book) event presented by KPFA and Book Passage. [7:30 p.m., Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco]
Aug. 14
Stacie Gray: The Alameda thriller author (who, as Daisy Bateman, wrote the Marketplace Mysteries series), launches “She Didn’t Stand a Chance,” about a woman, who, after being summoned to her remote former family house to witness the reading of her father’s will, fears she will not leave the premises alive. [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Aug. 15
Greg Anton: The Sonoma County drummer, co-founder of the rock band Zero and practicing attorney shares his rock ‘n’ roll novel “It’s About Time,” about a talented but troubled singer-songwriter facing myriad personal and career challenges, in conversation with actor-narrator-author Peter Coyote; registration required for seating. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 138 N. Main St., Sebastopol]
Aug. 15
Scott Alan Lucas: The award-winning journalist, formerly of San Francisco, speaks about “Last Night in San Francisco: Tech’s Lost Promise and the Killing of Bob Lee”; the exposé covers the life and 2023 murder of the tech leader (of CashApp and Square fame) and what they say about San Francisco in the Internet Age. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma]
Aug. 15
Aisha Muharrar: The Emmy Award–winning writer (“Hacks,” “Parks and Recreation”) celebrates her debut novel “Loved One,” a story about a woman who goes on an intercontinental quest following the sudden loss of her first-love-turned-close-friend. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 506 Clement St., San Francisco]
Aug. 16
Tamara Jo Hicks and Jessica MacLeod: The Marin authors (Hicks heads Tomales Farms) and MacLeod is a leadership coach and avid cook) lead a demonstration and answer questions about their new cookbook, “Feasts on the Farm: Over 60 Seasonal Recipes and Stories of Sustainable Farming from Tomales Farmstead Creamery.” [11 a.m., Copperfield’s, 2419 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur]
Aug. 16
Mac Muir: The former director of Oakland’s Community Police Review Agency, who was born and raised in Oakland, speaks about “Cop Cop: Breaking the Fixed System of American Policing,” a book he wrote with Greg Finch that closely examines police oversight and reveals what really happens when everyday people try to hold police accountable. [2 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 1192 Locust St., Unit D400-500, Walnut Creek]
Aug. 17
Len Dell’Amico, Jim Newton: The two authors of Grateful Dead-themed books share stories with David Gans, the band’s curator since the 1980s. Dell’Amico’s “Friend of the Devil” is the inside story of Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead from one of the few non-band members allowed in the inner circle, and Newton’s “Here Beside the Rising Tide” offers a kaleidoscopic history of Jerry Garcia and the band in connection with its era’s changing American counterculture. [4 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Aug. 19
Charlie Jane Anders: The multi-award winning Bay Area speculative fiction writer, critic and cohost of the podcast “Our Opinions Are Correct” launches “Lessons in Magic and Disaster,” a novel about a queer academic—a witch — who uncovers secrets in a 300-year-old magical book as she teaches her troubled mother to cast spells; RSVP requested. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
Aug. 22
Dani Burlison and Beatrice Camacho: Burlison, the editor of “Red Flag Warning: Mutual Aid and Survival in California’s Fire Country,” and Camacho, a contributor — both are fire survivors— discuss the guide, which sheds light on how wildfire impacts communities and information on living with fire from Indigenous Californians, community organizers, mental health care workers, environmentalists, fire analysts, sustainable loggers, parents and more. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s, 775 Village Court, Santa Rosa]
Aug. 23
Matt Brown: The veteran war correspondent and communications specialist, a Santa Rosa resident, describes his experiences working on several humanitarian missions to South Sudan and Sudan with one of the world’s most popular A-listers in “Star’s War: George Clooney on the Frontlines of a Deadly African Conflict.” [Noon, Copperfield’s, 775 Village Court, Santa Rosa]
Aug. 23
Sonia Daccarett: The Bay Area writer and communications professional shares her memoir ” The Roots of the Guava Tree,” in which she describes challenges coming of age in the 1980s as a daughter of a Jewish mother and Christian Palestinian father in Colombia during a time of increasing instability in the country. [4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Aug. 24
Shoshana Walter: The Oakland writer, a reporter who has covered the criminal justice system and began probing the health care system with the Center for Investigative Reporting, speaks about “Rehab: An American Scandal,” in which she exposes failures in responding to the opioid crisis in the U.S. and the corruption, negligence and profiteering characterizing the drug rehabilitation industry. [4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Cortes Madera]
Aug. 27
Pamela Gullard: The Menlo Park literature instructor and writer shares her short story collection “Lake Crescent and Other Spirits,” a compilation of 11 tales set in San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle with sensitive characters who want to find love and talk intimately about their fears and desires. [6 p.m., Kepler’s, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Aug. 27
Janine Mogannam, Priscilla Wathington and Deema Shehab: Local Palestinian-American writers and poets who contributed to “Ask the Night for a Dream: Palestinian Writing from the Diaspora” read from and share details about the anthology. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
Aug. 28
Rachel Richardson: The Berkeley poet, co-founder of Left Margin Lit (a space for creative writing in Berkeley) and author of the collections “Copperhead” and “Hundred-Year Wave,” reads from her new volume, “Smother.” [7 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda]
Aug. 30
Joanne Howard: The Santa Rosa poet and author meets guests to share her new historical fiction novel “Sleeping in the Sun”; it’s about how truths unravel, and lives are disrupted, when two visitors arrive to a boarding house in India where an American boy is coming of age during the British Raj. [11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Copperfield’s, 2419 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur]
The post August 2025 author events: Millie Abecassis, Charlie Jane Anders, Sonia Daccarett, Pamela Gullard, Daniel Kraus, Linda Lenhoff, Scott Alan Lucas, Mac Muir, Robert Reich, Shoshana Walter appeared first on Local News Matters.