Each week, we offer a roundup of the best literary events in the city. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Want to submit an upcoming event for consideration? Go here.
Ellen Sussman (The Paradise Guest House)
Thursday, March 28, 7 pm, at Books Inc. Burlingame (1375 Burlingame Ave.)
Tuesday, April 2, 7 pm, at Book Passage Corte Madera (51 Tamal Vista Blvd.)
Local author Sussman (French Lessons) journeys to Bali in her latest novel, the story of an American adventure guide caught in the tragic 2002 nightclub bombing that killed more than 200 people. Haunted by memories of the incident, she returns to Bali a year later to find the man who saved her life, and bunks at a guest house whose kindly owner conceals a painful secret.
Jen Larsen (Stranger Here: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head)
Thursday, March 28, 7:30 pm, at The Booksmith (1644 Haight St.)
Larsen had long struggled with her weight, eventually topping out at 316 pounds, and fantasized about how being thin would improve her chances in life. When she decided to turn to bariatric surgery, she lost 180 pounds in just a year's time, falling to a mere 135. But getting skinny wasn't the end of the road for Larsen, who realized that she needed to realign her mental state to match her exterior, a difficult task given the conflicting messages she was receiving from her friends and from society at large. Her new memoir attempts to sort out the thrilling and frustrating reality of reaching "happily ever after," and learning it's not what you might think.
Jenny Lawson (Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir)
Monday, April 1, 7 pm, at Books Inc. Marina (2251 Chestnut St.)
Lawson, otherwise known as The Bloggess, exploded onto the scene with her collection of humorous essays, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Now out in paperback with an additional bonus essay, the book details her childhood as the daughter of a professional taxidermist and her adulthood spent trying to fit in, with her long-suffering husband and daughter along for the ride.
Matt Kepnes (How to Travel the World on $50 a Day)
Thursday, March 28, 7 pm, at Green Apple Books (506 Clement St.)
Kepnes had never left the U.S. when he decided, at age 23, to quit his job and begin traveling the world. Along the way, he picked up a variety of useful tips, from avoiding bank fees to finding cheap airfare, which he's chronicled in his popular blog Nomadic Matt. With peak summer travel season looming and airfares through the roof, it's a great time to bring your most pressing travel-related questions to the young expert.
