Enjoy a bit of magic, humor, intrigue and enlightenment this month.
JULY 9
The Lies I Tell
New York Times best-selling author Julie Clark commemorates her just-released novel, The Lies I Tell, a thriller about two 30-something women out for revenge — each engaging in her own deceptions.
Opera Plaza location, 3 p.m. | booksinc.com
JULY 10
What Jonah Knew
Marin writer Barbara Graham sits down with Sylvia Boorstein to talk about the former’s debut novel. What Jonah Knew centers on a 7-year-old boy who is somehow able to recall the memories of a missing 22-year-old musician.
Corte Madera location, 4 p.m. | bookpassage.com
JULY 13
The Longcut & Saint Sebastian’s Abyss
Twice as nice: Emily Hall and Mark Haber discuss their new novels (her first, his second) — The Longcut (a hilarious story about an artist who questions her own work) and Saint Sebastian’s Abyss (a darkly funny tale of art, criticism, obsession and friendship), respectively — with author Mauro Javier Cárdenas.
Virtual event, 7 p.m.; sliding scale. | ptreyesbooks.com
JULY 18
The Man Who Could Move Clouds
Ingrid Rojas Contreras marks her much-anticipated memoir, The Man Who Could Move Clouds — described by Kirkus Reviews as “a moving depiction of family and the power of healing” — with a free event in Kerouac Alley, between City Lights and Vesuvio Cafe.
6 p.m. | citylights.com
JULY 24
The Great Witch of Brittany
Louisa Morgan celebrates The Great Witch of Brittany. Set in the late 1700s, the novel is about the bond between mothers and daughters, as well as magic, fate, triumph and heartbreak.
Ferry Building location, 2 p.m. | bookpassage.com
JULY 26
Inflection Point
Catch Michael Pollan in conversation with Inflection Point creator and host Lauren Schiller. Over the course of more than three decades, the author and UC Berkeley professor has written a number of books and articles about nature, culture and food.
Sydney Goldstein Theater, 7:30 p.m.; $28 (includes a paperback copy of This Is Your Mind on Plants). | cityarts.net
JULY 29
Playwrights Foundation’s 45th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival
Playwrights Foundation’s 45th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival will be a hybrid affair (in person at San Francisco’s Potrero Stage and livestreamed). According to organizers, “five powerful plays by five exciting new voices will receive public readings and workshops.”
Through August 7. Tickets: sliding scale. | playwrightsfoundation.org
