A talk by the author of a new book about the horrific Petit family murders and a discussion of a controversial novel will be among the free events presented by R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison. The programs are at 7 p.m., except as noted. All require reservations: 203-245-3959 or rjjulia.com.
Bookstore owner Roxanne Coady and general manager Lori Fazio will lead a discussion of the newly published novel “Go Set a Watchman,” by Harper Lee (Harper, $27.99), on Monday, Sept. 21. The book reveals, to the consternation of many readers, that Atticus Finch, the beloved attorney who defends a falsely accused black man in the iconic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was himself the holder of racist ideas. “Watchman” was written before “Mockingbird” but was never published until now.
Ryan D’Agostino, author of “The Rising: Murder, Heartbreak, and the Power of Human Resilience in an American Town” (Crown, $26), will speak on Tuesday, Sept. 22. His nonfiction book recounts the gruesome home invasion in Cheshire and the violent attack on Dr. William Petit and murders of his wife and daughters, and explores how Petit has managed to start over. D’Agostino is the editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics magazine, a former editor at Esquire and a contributor to The New Yorker, Ski and other publications.
Illustrator Marc Brown and author R.L. Stine will join to discuss their new children’s book, “The Little Shop of Monsters” (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $17), on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 5 p.m. Stine created the bestselling Goosebumps series, which inspired the TV show, the Fear Street series and other spooky tales for children, as well as joke books for kids. Brown, a prolific illustrator, created the bestselling Arthur Adventure book series and is creative producer of the #1 children’s PBS TV series, “Arthur.”
Writing coach Alan Gelb will give a talk about “Having the Last Say: Capturing Your Legacy in One Small Story” (Tarcher, $15.95), on Thursday, Sept. 24. His book explains how to write “last says” — short personal narratives that reflect on the people, actions and events that have shaped your life and your values.
Stefany Shaheen, who with Mark Dagostino wrote “Elle & Coach: Diabetes, the Fight for My Daughter’s Life, and the Dog Who Changed Everything” (Hachette Books, $27), will speak on Friday, Sept. 25. Shaheen, daughter of U.S. Senator and former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen, is on the Portsmouth, N.H. City Council. Her book is about how she coped with her daughter’s Type 1 diabetes with the unexpected help of a service dog. She is on the board of trustees at Joslin Diabetes Center and was National Chair for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Children’s Congress.
Maraniss At UConn Co-op
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist David Maraniss will talk about and sign copies of his new book, “Once In a Great City: A Detroit Story” (Simon & Schuster, $32.50), on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. at the UConn Co-op, One Royce Circle, Storrs Center, Storrs. Maraniss, a Detroit native, has published many biographies, including “First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton” and “When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi.”
Inforrmation: 860-486-8525 or generalbooks.bookstore.uconn.edu.
Poetry Discussion
The Connecticut Poetry Society and Hartford Public Library will continue their series of free, moderated discussions of collections by well-known poets on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. with a program on “Come Thief” (Knopf, $16) by Jane Hirshfield. It will be led by poet and publisher Ginny Connors, and take place at the Hartford History Center at the library, 500 Main St., Hartford. Information: ctpoetry.net or 860-695-6300.
The library also has launched The Author’s Table, a program that offers local writers a chance to speak to readers and displays their books in a special section. Hartford-based authors will get first consideration. Information: 860-695-6322.
Arnstein At Prosser Library
Author Nan Arnstein, whose novel “Rocky Shores” (CreateSpace, $16) is about a 9-year-old boy hoping to find a loving adoptive family and learning the joys of music, will give a free talk Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Prosser Public Library, 1 Tunxis Ave., Bloomfield. Arnstein is CEO and founder of Creative Arts for Developing Minds, Inc., a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the lives of foster care and adoptive children through combined music, art and movement activities. Registration: 860-243-9721.
‘Let The Great World Spin’
The free “One Book, One Village” community reading project for Manchester this fall is the National Book Award-winning novel “Let The Great World Spin,” by Colum McCann. David Garnes, a Manchester author, will lead a free discussion on Monday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at Mary Cheney Library, 586 Main St., Manchester.
Information: 860-645-0821 or library.townofmanchester.org.
Poetry On The Porch
Local poets Kate Rushin and Brendan Walsh will read from their works on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. when the free Poetry on the Porch series continues in Hartford’s West End. Guests are asked to bring food or drink to share and their own seating for this outdoor event.
Information: 860-965-8800 or katie.irish79@gmail.com.
Golden Age of Editorial Cartooning
Bob Englehart, The Courant’s editorial cartoonist, will give a free talk about C.D. Batchelor and “the Golden Age of Editorial Cartooning” at the Carriage House of the Deep River Historical Society, 245 Main St., Deep River, on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. Batchelor’s work appeared in the New York Daily News and was syndicated to 1,000 American newspapers.
Englehart has won numerous awards for his work, which has appeared in The Courant, USA Today, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and the London Times.
Information: 860-526-5979 or 860-526-1449.
Moore At Hickory Stick
Susanna Moore will read her new book, “Paradise of the Pacific” (Farrar Straus Giroux, $26), at The Hickory Stick Bookshop, 2 Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m. The book is a history of Hawaii from Captain Cook’s arrival in 1777 to its annexation in 1898 by the U.S. and the wrenching cultural changes that capitalism, Western education and Christian religion precipitated. Moore lived in Hawaii as a child and is an award-winning novelist and travel writer.
Information: 860-868 0525 or hickorystickbookshop.com.
‘Crocodile Mothers’
Alan Cohen, a former federal attorney and foster parent who writes under the pen name Avi Morris, will sign copies of his novel, “Crocodile Mothers Eat Their Young: A Child’s Story of Abuse and Survival” (All Things That Matter Press, $15), on Sunday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Windsor Farmer’s Market at the East Windsor Trolley Museum, 58 North Road, East Windsor.
Information: 860-627-6540 or avimorrisnovels.com.
Writing At Twain House
The Mark Twain House & Museum will offer a writing class called “A View Askew: Point of View in Young Adult Writing” led by Dayna Lorentz on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $40. The course will examine why many young-adult books are written in present-tense, first-person style and look at other ways of presenting the material.
Lorentz, a former attorney, is the author of the “No Safety in Numbers” trilogy (Dial/Kathy Dawson Books), an ALA Quick Pick and Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s Pick for Teens, and the “Dogs of the Drowned City” series (Scholastic). Registration: 860-280-3130 or marktwainhouse.org.
International Peace Day Poetry Reading
Monday, Sept. 21, is United Nations International Peace Day, and a poetry reading devoted to the cause of world peace will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Windsor Public Library, 323 Broad St., Windsor. The keynote speaker will be state Poet Laureate Rennie McQuilkin. Four young poets also will take part, as well as poets Ginny Lowe Connors, David K. Leff, Julia Morris Paul, Elizabeth Thomas and Vaeyann Lettman. Information: 860-285-1984.
