In Margaret Kennedy’s insanely great The Feast (1949), guests assemble at a seaside resort in Cornwall only to have things go TERRIBLY WRONG. The plot—one of the best  Kimberly has read in ages—might feel gimmicky except it’s TOTALLY  INGENIOUS. One of the most compelling, most satisfying books Kimberly has read in ages, The Feast promises to charm and absorb every reader.

Jeanette Winterson’s Frankisstein (2019) was a revelation for Kimberly. The novel (like Frankenstein’s monster itself) plays with the idea of hybrids, alternating between the speculative fiction front story—concerning the incredibly appealing trans Dr. Stein—and a backstory of historical fiction that vividly recounts Mary Shelley’s writing of Frankenstein.

A notorious figure in Hollywood in the 60s and 70s, Babitz writes prose that is incredibly evocative, fresh, lovely and strangely real. Slow Days (1977) consists of ten sketches that hang together beautifully, somewhere between memoir and fiction. A visual artist who designed record album covers, an acclaimed writer who is often compared to Didion, goddaughter of Igor Stravinsky, and one-time lover of Jim Morrison, Ed Ruscha, Steve Martin, and Harrison Ford, Babitz would be interesting to read even if her prose WASN’T unique and so crazy good.

Nancy Mitford is another writer whom Kimberly cannot understand how she lived without! Mitford—think eccentric English aristocracy in the early 1900s—is one of the most clever, funniest, smartest writers Kimberly has read.

This book is amazing: clear but ingeniously deep, harrowing but hilarious, ultra-smart and down to earth. At the risk of raising overselling, Kimberly keeps wondering if it might just be the perfect novel. Join her for a deep dive to see if you love it as much as she does!

From New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young, comes her gorgeously atmospheric adult debut. Ancestral magic, an unsolved mystery, and a second chance at love. Young writes a bewitching and thrilling story that you will not forget.

Join us for a virtual event with New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco for her anticipated novel KINGDOM OF THE FEARED!

Join us for this incredible virtual panel with June Hur, Kristin Dwyer, and Axie Oh to celebrate Susan Lee’s stunning debut Seoulmates.

More than science determines which Americans survive an epidemic. Like so much in the US, it comes down to social hierarchy. Acclaimed LGBTQ scholar and journalist Steven W. Thrasher traces the paths of HIV, COVID, and other viral scourges with devastating tolls. His work details how social and economic standing literally determine who gets to live.

Two-time winner of the Booker Prize and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wolf Hall Trilogy Hilary Mantel presents a dazzling collection of loosely autobiographical stories. Absorbing and evocative, each drawn-from-life story illuminates the poignant experiences of childhood that leave each of us forever changed.

Beloved, award-winning author and Zen Buddhist priest Ruth Ozeki offers a stunning reminder of the importance of turning inward to make sense of an ever loudening world. Join Kepler’s for a discussion of this timely balm of a novel.

In this 90-minute course on memoir writing, bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims will help you identify and craft your life story's strongest material. Your admission includes one copy each of Real American and Lit Starts: Writing Memoir,

Author-illustrator of the #1 San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller The California Field Atlas Obi Kaufmann presents an epic new work, The Coasts of California. Fusing science with art and pure poetic reverie, Coasts is a full immersion into the astonishing and varied natural worlds of California's shoreline.

Join us this Pride Month for a virtual story time with Rob Kearney and Eric Rosswood to celebrate their new picture book Strong, a positive, affirming picture book that shows there are lots of ways to be strong, full of messages about self-love, confidence, and persistence.

Join Kepler’s for a personal, passionate discussion with renowned environmental activist Bill McKibben. His new memoir is The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened. In this age of political pessimism, he asks, where do we find hope now?

Bridge-building journalist Mónica Guzmán and award-winning author and community organizer Peggy Holman will facilitate a virtual conversation on having fearlessly curious conversations in divided times. Participants will gain actionable insights based on Mónica’s new book and experience holding constructive conversations with each other on difficult topics of their choosing.

Bay Area author, teacher, and tribal leader Greg Sarris offers a powerful reflection on what it means to connect deeply with one’s homeland. The first book he has written about his own life in more than twenty-five years, Becoming Story illuminates, in vivid detail and with lyrical, embodied storytelling, the underlying relationships between self and story, people, and place.

Eco-anxiety expert Britt Wray merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight as she investigates the mental health consequences of climate disruption. With a PhD in science communication from the University of Copenhagen, Britt has hosted radio and TV programs with the BBC and CBC. Join Kepler’s for a heartfelt, generational perspective on eco-anxiety and staying sane in the climate crisis.

For the first time ever, an evening with Jenny Lawson in conversation with her comedic foil/husband Victor to celebrate Broken.

Tackling everything from Sacramento to John Wayne to Howard Hughes to Haight-Ashbury, these incisive, gorgeous essays focus on California in the 1960s but are timeless and ever-relevant.

Join Kristin Dwyer, Adrienne Young, and Rachel Griffin to celebrate Some Mistakes Were Made, Kristin Dwyer’s powerful and deeply human story of first love, found family, and the heartbreak of losing them both. Fandom dreams are made of this.

Join us to celebrate Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s first young adult novel, No Stopping Us Now, a powerful, moving story about finding one’s own voice through the joys of sports, love, and the strength of sisterhood in conversation with Tara VanDerveer

Award-winning journalist Danyel Smith discusses her intimate history of Black women's music as the foundational story of American pop. Smith is widely respected for the love that exudes from her well-researched work. Join us to celebrate this innovative, impassioned, and long-overdue tribute to the role of Black women in the making of American music and popular culture.

Recipes provided! A one-of-a-kind evening for photographers, artists, and food lovers: recipes already in your hands, enjoy a lesson and interview celebrating the release of The Forest Feast Road Trip: Simple Vegetarian Recipes Inspired by My Travels through California. Live from the gorgeous deck of Erin’s Woodside cabin!

If a Western doesn’t sound like your thing—you must join us! Set in the South Dakota of the 1870s, the book takes us into new territory (literally) where colorful, warm prose brings to life Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, and a whole slew of complex, memorable people.

Gather your family and join us to hear “America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) Mary Roach ask the questions young people ask about space travel in a fun and informative conversation about her young readers adaptation of Packing for Mars.

In this conversation, scheduled to coincide with the publication of The Recovery Agent, the first title in a new series by Evanovich, the two literary legends will discuss how they keep their readers coming back for more of their beloved characters.

Politics meets pregnancy in this alarming, real-life narrative. Genevieve Grabman tried scientific and medical avenues to save at least one of her endangered twins. She found instead that antichoice politics carry the most weight. Challenging Pregnancy outlines today's landscape of women's healthcare, wherein every mother-to-be is essentially on her own.

This valuable voice from a woman at the turn of last century will be SO cool to dissect in the Seminars. If you’re tempted by a classic that’s actually really juicy, you’ll love Ethan Frome.