A few academic offerings, crime novels, historical fiction, unique memoirs and thrillers, many by local writers, are among the new books featured in author talks around the region this month. (To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.)
Jan. 9
Rachel Howzell Hall: The award-winning mystery writer speaks about “The Last One,” a “Good Morning America” book club selection—described as “a thrilling and action-packed fantasy about a woman who wakes up in the woods and with no idea how she got there”—with best-selling thriller writer Samantha Downing. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 10
Karissa Chen: Appearing with San Francisco writer Vanessa Hua, the essayist shares her anticipated debut novel “Homeseeking,” a historical fiction epic about childhood sweethearts (who meet again later in life) taking place in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the U.S. between 1938 and 2008. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
Jan. 11
Rhys Bowen: The beloved author is promoting “We Three Queens!,” the 18th Royal Spyness Mystery in which new mother Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch tries to separate fact from fiction when a murder happens on her estate while a film is being made. [11 a.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 11
Gerald S. Henig: The professor emeritus of history at California State University, East Bay speaks about “America’s Presidents: What Your History Teacher Never Told You,” a colorful volume for adults with little-known accounts, outlandish stories and “all-too-human” fun facts about presidents. [2 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Hacienda Crossings, 4972 Dublin Blvd., Dublin]
Jan. 12
Gary Groner: The Bay Area short story writer speaks about his new novel “The Way,” a “postapocalyptic road trip and a quest for redemption set in 2048, when the world has been ravaged by a lethal virus.” [4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 14
Gayle Forman: The author of the best-selling “If I Stay” (which was adapted into a 2014 teen movie) promotes her new novel “After Life,” about a girl who returns to her family from the dead, in conversation with Nina LaCour, Jandy Nelson and Maggie Tokuda-Hall. [7 p.m., A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 LaSalle Ave., Oakland]
Jan. 14
Pico Iyer: The best-selling author speaks with Angie Coro about his newest book “Aflame: Learning from Silence,” in which he describes how dozens of retreats in a Benedictine hermitage in California were transformative experiences. [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Jan. 16
Brian Copeland: The performer and author of “Not a Genuine Black Man,” the longest-running solo play in San Francisco theatrical history, speaks about his Bay Area-set debut crime thriller “Outraged,” which blends action, mystery and social commentary. [7 p.m., Lafayette Library, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette]
Jan. 17
Schuyler Bailar: The first openly transgender NCAA Division I athlete, a swimmer on the men’s team at Harvard University, speaks about “He/She/They!,” his guide to gender identity, on its paperback release. [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Jan. 18
Carol Emery: The Marin County resident, a published poet and retired operating room nurse, speaks about “Son on the Run,” a story based on her son’s (and her own) history of bipolar disorder and alcohol and drug abuse intended to reach out to those affected by mental illness. [11 a.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 18
Carole Bumpus: The local food and travel writer shares “Adventures on Land and Sea: Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and Along the Cote d’Azur,” the fourth book in her award-winning, best-selling travel and culinary series. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 18
Schuyler Bailar: The educator, athlete, author and advocate celebrates the paperback release of “He/She/They!,” a guide to gender identity that details why being transgender is not a choice, why pronouns are important, and how gender-affirming health care can be lifesaving. [4 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 19
James L’Etoile: The mystery writer and former director of California’s state parole system with decades of experience working in the criminal justice system speaks about “River of Lies,” his second Detective Emily Hunter Mystery. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Jan. 19
Brandon Shimoda: The poet-essayist launches “The Afterlife Is Letting Go,” a collection of reflective essays exploring the long-term effects of the U.S. government’s forced removal and mass incarceration of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans during World War II. [3 p.m., City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Jan. 22
Tara Dorabji: The Northern California writer, the daughter of Parsi-Indian and German- Italian immigrants, speaks about “Call Her Freedom,” a Simon & Schuster Books Like Us grand prize-winner set in a Himalayan village about a woman’s struggle to protect her culture and family amid a military occupation. [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Jan. 23
Silvia Soto: The Sonoma State Professor of Chicano Studies discusses “Caracoleando Among Worlds: Reconstructing Maya Worldviews in Chiapas,” which examines the ways Maya writers, visual artists and revolutionaries in Chiapas, Mexico are constructing a collective memory to assure that their culture continues. [6 p.m., Community Room, Napa Library, 580 Coombs St., Napa]
Jan. 23
Maria Van Lieshout: The Amsterdam native, a Bay Area illustrator, reads from her first graphic novel, “Song of a Blackbird”; the fictionalized story stems from real events from different periods: a modern-day family drama and a World War II-era bank heist carried out by Dutch resistance fighters. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda]
Jan. 24
Manuel Magaña: The Rio Vista High School graduate speaks about his novel “When All the World ‘s Asleep,” a River Delta-set action romance that explores the spirit and soul of Rio Vista. [2 p.m., Rio Vista Library, 44 S. Second St., Rio Vista]
Jan. 24
John Sayles: The acclaimed independent film director, screenwriter, actor and author is promoting his new 19th century set-novel “To Save the Man,” describing challenges facing Indians enrolled in a military-style boarding school in Pennsylvania who were ordered to abandon their native way of life in favor of white men’s customs. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 775 Village Court, Santa Rosa]
Jan. 26
Tracy Grant: The historian and novel writer, a Bay Area resident, shares details about her more than 50 works of historical romance, including the latest installment in her Rannoch Fraser Mysteries, “The Southcott Jewels.” [2 p.m., Foster City Library, 1000 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City]
Jan. 26
Valerie Francisco-Menchavez: The San Francisco State University associate professor shares information from “Caring for Caregivers: Filipina Migrant Workers and Community Building during Crisis,” which examines the lives of Filipina care workers and their mutual aid practices. [2 p.m., Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Jan. 28
Julia Kornberg: Appearing in conversation with Mauro Javier Cárdenas, the Argentine writer speaks about her novel “Berlin Atomized,” a globetrotting story of following three siblings—Jewish and downwardly mobile—from 2001 to 2034 as they come of age against crises of the 21st century. [7 p.m., City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Jan. 28
Betty Shamieh: The Palestinian American playwright, a San Francisco resident, discusses her debut novel “Too Soon,” a family saga spanning war-torn Jaffa in 1948, Detroit and San Francisco in the 1960s-70s, the New York theater scene post-9/11 and Palestine in 2012, in conversation with best-selling writer Ayelet Waldman. [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Jan. 29
Evelyn Skye: The author of “The Hundred Loves of Juliet” will be on hand to sign copies of her new book “One Year Ago in Spain,” about a woman attempting to bring her lover out of a coma, during a ribbon-cutting opening a new bookstore in Contra Costa County. [10 a.m., Barnes & Noble, Streets of Brentwood, 2475 Sand Creek Road, Suite 100, Brentwood]
Jan. 29
Samantha Schoech: The San Francisco writer and founding director of Independent Bookstore Day launches her debut short story collection “My Mother’s Boyfriends” in conversation with best-selling novelist Michelle Richmond. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
Jan. 30
Dorothy Lazard: The former head librarian of Oakland Public Library’s history center shares “What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World,” her coming-of-age memoir about the thirst for knowledge and hometown pride in conversation with journalist Jenee Darden. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda]
Jan. 31
Matt Barrows and Jessica Barrows Beebe: The brother-sister writing duo, a journalist and former journalist, share their suspenseful debut novel “Muddy the Water,” an atmospheric thriller set in South Carolina’s Low Country in which a psychopathic killer assumes the identity of his victim. [1 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 1232 Burlingame Ave., Burlingame]
The post January 2025 author events: Karissa Chen, Rhys Bowen, Gary Groner, Gayle Forman, Pico Iyer, Schuyler Bailar, James L’Etoile, John Sayles, Betty Shamieh, Dorothy Lazard, Matt Barrows and Jessica Barrows Beebe appeared first on Local News Matters.