Bob Woodward In Cromwell To Talk About New Watergate Book

Bob Woodward, one of America’s most famous and influential journalists, will talk about his new book, “The Last of the President’s Men” (Simon & Schuster, $28), Monday, Oct. 19, at the Crowne Plaza, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell. His talk, during a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is sponsored by R.J. Julia Booksellers and the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.

The book is about Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide whose revelation of the secret White House taping system led to President Nixon’s resignation, and it offers new information about the disgraced president’s secrets and lies. Woodward, who wrote “All the President’s Men” with fellow Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein and has published 12 No. 1 nonfiction bestsellers, is an associate editor at the Post. Tickets: $35. Information: 860-347-6924.

Authors At R.J. Julia

R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison, will present free talks by authors and a memoirist. All require reservations: 203-245-3959 or rjjulia.com.

Three authors — Sande Boritz Berger, Rebecca Coffey and Judy L. Mandel — will speak on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m.

Berger, author of “The Sweetness” (She Writes Press,$16.95), will discuss her novel, set during World War II, about two cousins whose very different lives meet. One has escaped the Nazis for New York; the other is orphaned in the Vilna ghetto. Berger was a scriptwriter and video/film producer before becoming a writer.

Coffey is the author of “Hysterical: Anna Freud’s Story” (She Writes Press, $16.95). The novel is based on the true story of the lesbian daughter of the famous psychiatrist who believed being gay could lead to mental illness. Anna nevertheless was her father’s closest companion and maintained a 54-year relationship with Dorothy Burlingham, heir to the Tiffany fortune. Coffey is a science journalist, radio commentator and novelist.

Judy L. Mandel is the author of the best-selling memoir “Replacement Child” (Seal Press, $16). After one daughter was killed and another severely burned when a plane crashed into their New Jersey home, her parents conceived Judy, in hopes of filling the emotional emptiness. It was years later that she learned the full story of her family’s pain.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m., bestselling thriller writer David Baldacci will discuss his fantasy novel for young readers, “The Keeper: Vega Jane, Book 2” (Scholastic Press, $17.99). It is about a girl who escapes her prison-like town through a wilderness full of evil creatures to reach the real world. Baldacci has published 27 national and international bestsellers for adult readers.

‘Yoga For Life’

Yoga experts Colleen Saidman Yee and Rodney Yee will teach an all-levels master class on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Mercy by the Sea, The Mercy Center at Madison, 167 Neck Road, Madison. Saidman is the author of “Yoga For Life: A Journey to Inner Peace and Freedom” (Atria, $22.99). Admission is $75, which includes a copy of the book.

The program is presented by R.J. Julia Booksellers and Ava Tyler Yoga. Tickets: 203-245-3959 or rjjulia.com.

Mark Twain House Events

The Mark Twain House & Museum Center, 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford, with the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, will present a Book/Mark talk with Kathryn Aalto, the author of “The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood” (Timber Press, $24.95), on Monday, Oct, 19, at 7 p.m. The book tells how the fictional Hundred-Acre Wood was based on the real Ashdown Forest in southeast England. It contains the E.H. Shepard illustrations and hundreds of color photographs.

Also on Monday, Oct. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m., private time for writing is available in Mark Twain’s library, for a fee of $50. Proceeds go toward preserving and restoring the house.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., a Book/Mark talk presented with Hartford Seminary and moderated by Lauren Yarger of The WritePros will feature author Daniel Darling, whose book is “The Original Jesus: Trading the Myths We Create for the Savior Who Is” (Baker Books, #13.99). It says pop-culture versions of Jesus fail to transform followers the way the traditional Biblical Jesus does.

Reservations for all events: 860-280-3130 or marktwainhouse.org.

The Life of Lou Reed

Author Aidan Levy, a West Hartford native, will discuss his debut book, “Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed” (Chicago Review Press, $28.95), with Bob Parzych of Trinity College’s WRTC-FM at West Hartford Public Library, 20 S. Main St., West Hartford, on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2:15 p.m.

The book is the first biography of the punk rock legend since his death in 2013. It chronicles Reed’s career with the Velvet Underground and with Metallica, and his abrasive personality. Levy has written for The New York Times, Village Voice and JazzTimes, among others.

Parking in the Isham Garage can be validated at the event.

Information: 860-561-6990.

Brown Bag Book Discussion

Lucy Robbins Welles Library, 95 Cedar St., Newington, will hold a free book discussion Thursday, Oct. 22, at noon. Bring a bag lunch; beverages and dessert will be provided.

Wethersfield author F. Mark Granato will discuss his nonfiction book, “Out of Reach: The Day Hartford Hospital Burned” (CreateSpace, $17.99), the true story of a fire on the ninth floor of Hartford Hospital in 1961 that caused the death of 16 people. Granato is the author of six novels that explore “What if?” questions of history.

Information: 860-665-8700.

Medical Ethics Series

Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road, Avon, will continue its series of free talks called “Medical Ethics: A Dialog” on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. with a program on “Death on Your Own Terms: Making Sense of End-of-Life Planning,” with Dr. Thomas Robey, an emergency physician and ethics committee chairman at Waterbury Hospital.

Suggested readings: theconversationproject.org; “A Better Way of Dying: How to Make the Best Choices at the End of Life” by Jeanne Fitzpatrick; “Being Mortal” by Atwul Gawande; “How We Die by Sherwin Nuland; “Unplugged: Reclaiming the Right to Die” by William Colby and “Dying Well” by Ira Byock. Information on advance directives is available at the reference desk.

Information: 860-673-9712 or avonctlibrary.info.

One Book One Bloomfield

The fourth annual One Book One Bloomfield community reading project, sponsored by the Bloomfield Public Libraries, focuses on the novel “The Invention of Wings” (Penguin, $17) by Sue Monk Kidd. Based on a true story, it traces 35 years in the South during the rise of the abolition and women’s rights movements.

A free discussion led by author and therapist Gladys M. Anderson will take place Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Prosser Public Library, 1 Tunxis Ave., Bloomfield. A community conversation at the library about the book will complete the project on Oct. 29.

Registration: prosserlibrary.info or 860-243-9721

‘Far Country’

Timothy Kenny, former associate professor of journalism at UConn and USA Today foreign editor, will read from his book, “Far Country, Stories From Abroad and Other Places” (Bottom Dog Press, $18), nonfiction stories set in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Detroit and Connecticut, on Sunday, Oct.18, at 3 p.m. at Byrd’s Books, 126 Greenwood Ave., Bethel, (203-730-2973) and Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m., at the UConn Co-op, One Royce Circle, Storrs Center, Storrs (860-486-8525).

Information: 860-486-8525.

‘Choosing Hope’

Kaitlin Roig-Debellis, who with Robin Gaby Fisher wrote “Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life’s Darkest Hours” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $26.95), will speak Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at the UConn Co-op, One Royce Circle, Storrs Center, Storrs.

Roig-Debellis saved the lives of 15 children in her first-grade class during the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Her inspirational book suggests ways to respond to and overcome emotional trauma from personal tragedies.

Information: 860-486-8525.

A Dog And A Girl

Martha Ritter, author of “The Nearly Calamitous Taming of PZ” (Bradley Street Press, $13.99) will give a free talk on her children’s book on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m. at the Danbury Square Barnes and Noble, 15 Backus Ave., Danbury. The novel, inspired by the real life of a laboratory dog, is about a foxhound who is rescued and then adopted by a solitary girl. Both must face their fear of connection and find the courage to trust and love. Ritter, who lives in Connecticut and New York, is a journalist, novelist, speechwriter, poet and actor.

Information: 203-730-2733 or TamingPZ.com.

Book Club Book Talk

Book Club Bookstore, 100 Main St., in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, will host a free talk on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. by J.T. Victor, author of “If Your Telephone Isn’t Working, Please Call the Office” (Archway Publishing, $28.99). It is based on outrageous, but often funny, behavior by school administrators Victor witnessed as an inner-city schoolteacher.

Information: 860-623-5100.

Hot Book Buzz

“Buzz About Books & Book Clubs,” a Jewish Book Festival presentation about new books with Roxanne Coady, president of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison; Ann Klingman and Michael Kindness, hosts of the literary podcast Books on the Nightstand; and local author Matthew Dicks, will take place Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at Mandell Jewish Community Center, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. The event will include a book swap, a dessert reception, a pop-up book shop and giveaways.

Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door.

Information: 860-231-2316, tickets@mandelljcc.org or mandelljcc.org.

Matthew Dicks At Burgundy Books

Matthew Dicks, who lives in Newington and is an elementary school teacher in West Hartford, and also is the MothStorySLAM champion and co-founder of the Speak Up storytelling organization, will give a free talk about his fourth novel, “The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs” (St. Martin’s, $24.99) on Saturday, Oct. 24, at noon at Burgundy Books, 1285 Boston Post Road, Westbrook.

Information: 860-391-9525.

Smith At Author’s Table

A free Author’s Table talk at Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, will feature James Herbert Smith, an award-winning Connecticut journalist, who will discuss his historical novel, “Wah-say-lan, Seneca Warrior” (Plaidswede, $19.95). The book, a young-adult version of his 2009 novel, “Wah-say-lan: A Tale of the Iroquois in the American Revolution,” is about a young Seneca woman and a Connecticut slave and soldier fighting for his freedom in New York State, where the Seneca tribe originated.

Smith is the retired executive editor of The Bristol Press and The New Britain Herald.

Information: 203-915-9428 or 860-695-6322.

Poet Laureate Reading

A free inaugural reading celebrating the installation of Christine Beck as the new poet laureate of West Hartford will be held Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m., at West Hartford Public Library, 20 S. Main St., West Hartford. Poets laureate from other towns will read, along with Beck. Information: 860-561-6950.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Beck will host “Smart is Cool Day,” a reading by area students, at the library. Information: christinebeck90@gmail.com or 860-655-3263.

Poetry In The Parlor

The free Poetry on the Porch readings will move indoors and become Poetry in the Parlor on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m. at 150 Oxford St., Hartford. Local poets Laura and Victor Altshul will read. Guests are asked to bring food or beverages to share. Information: 860-965-8800 or katie.irish79@gmail.com.

‘The Gratitude Diaries’

Janice Kaplan will discuss her new book, “The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life” (Dutton Books, $26.95), at The Hickory Stick Bookshop, 2 Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m.

The book describes how the journalist, author of 11 books, TV producer and former Parade editor-in-chief made a resolution to be grateful that improved her marriage, family, health and work.

Information: hickorystickbookshop.com or 860-868-0525.