Events

Thomas Centolella presents his new poetry collection, Almost Human, winner of the Dorset Prize, selected by Edward Hirsch. As in a profound love affair, Thomas Centolella’s new poems register attraction, delight, expectations fulfilled and foiled, and moments of great feeling cherished and/or lamented. Employing the vividness of narrative without yielding to its linear strictures and overly […]

Join us to hear Thomas Lynch read the next installment from James Joyce's Ulysses. A classic depiction of exile, estrangement, paralysis, and the disintegration of a society, Ulysses records the events of one average day, June 16, 1904, in the lives of three central figures. "Ulysses will immortalize its author with the same certainty that Gargantua immortalized Rabelais, and The […]

Launch party for her new book, Claymates, a Junior Library Guild Selection. "Silliness and deadpan humor combine into a hopping good story of being happy with who you are."--Booklist Meet the claymates: two balls of clay that can become anything--even best friends! What can you do with two blobs of clay? Create something amazing! But […]

Saturday, July 8, 2017 - 2:00pm Arnold has a plan. The evil genius Zorgo--disguised as Mr. Zachary--will never stop him. That's because Arnold is . . . SUPER SAURUS! No kindergarten in the universe can hold him. Or can it? Deborah Underwood (www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com) has written numerous picture books, including Interstellar Cinderella, Part-time Princess, and the […]

Tuesday, July 11, 2017 - 7:30pm Discussing Brownrigg's new novel, Pages for Her, the story of two women, Flannery and Anne, each at a personal turning point, and the circumstances that lead to their reunion. "Brownrigg . . . approaches her characters with clarity and sensitivity, capturing the nuances in the women's relationships to the people […]

The story of an unusual bond between a world-famous writer and his assistant--a richly plotted novel of friendship and love, artistic ambition, the perils of celebrity, and the power of an unexpected legacy. "Radiant . . . Warmhearted . . . Grippingly readable . . . conclusion finds room for compromise and mutual fulfillment among […]

Celebrating the double launch for their YA novels just releasing: When I Am Through with You ("A tense, masterful thriller that gripped me from the first page."--Kara Thomas, author of The Darkest Corners) and Little & Lion ("Beautifully insightful, honest, and compassionate."--Nicola Yoon), respectively. These two YA authors form a Mutual Admiration Society, so what could be […]

This sweet, rhyming counting book introduces young readers to numbers one through fifteen as Grandma's family and friends fill her tiny house on Brown Street. Neighbors, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandkids crowd into the house and pile it high with treats for a family feast. But when the walls begin to bulge and no-body has […]

Celebrating the publication of Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook, the long-awaited memoir from cultural icon and culinary standard bearer Alice Waters who recalls the circuitous road and tumultuous times leading to the opening of what is arguably America's most influential restaurant. When Alice Waters opened the doors of her "little French restaurant" […]

  "We are in an overheated world--physically and spiritually. It is extremely powerful to read of people who have managed to escape that world, not by traveling to outer space but by heading toward reality. This is subversive in the best possible way."--Bill McKibben Buy a book to reserve your seat. Call the store 510.704.8222 […]

The winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award (his second), longlisted for the Man Booker prize, and just released in paperback. "A true leftfield wonder: Days Without End is a violent, superbly lyrical western offering a sweeping vision of America in the making, the most fascinating line-by-line first person narration I've come across in years."--Kazuo Ishiguro […]

  Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. A stick is just a stick until an elephant turns it into a flyswatter, an alligator uses it to catch prey, or a child uses a stick as a toy. Anderson shows readers how a simple stick can become a tool or a […]

"Smart and lovely stories, perceptive, compassionate, and sometimes shocking. Who are these people, so helpless in the currents that surround them? Marburg reveals their cowardice, their flaws, and their deep capacities to engage the heart.”—Roxana Robinson Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222 In this debut of extraordinary stories, notions of love and self […]

"Young readers will revel in the whimsical touches, like the peg-legged pigeon sailor and the imaginative map gracing the book's endpapers. This gorgeous, eye-opening adventure is an engrossing reading experience that proudly touts curiosity and finding friendship in kindred spirits." --Booklist (starred review) Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. In Slater's newest picture book, […]

The author of Mother Bruce and Hotel Bruce presents a riotous sequel in Bruce's Big Move. "Higgins turns classic picture-book scenarios upside down, then wrings them for contemporary laughs."--New York Times on Mother Bruce Bring your little ones to meet Ryan Higgins and be the first on your block to own Bruce's Big Move! After the events of Hotel Bruce, our favorite curmudgeonly bear […]

New York Times bestseller - Winner of the Sophie Brody Medal - An NBCC Finalist for 2016 Award for Fiction - ALA Carnegie Medal Finalist for Excellence in Fiction - Wall Street Journal's Best Novel of the Year - A New York Times Notable Book of the Year - A Washington Post Best Book of the Year - An NPR Best Book of the Year - A SlateBest Book of the Year - A Christian Science Monitor Top […]

A launch celebration and conversation about Doyle's exquisite short story collection, World Gone Missing. Mimosas, raffle prizes, and more! “Laurie Ann Doyle understands how to structure a story so that it sneaks up on you and gives you a thump that leaves you breathless—breathless with wonder.”--Catherine Brady Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store […]

Truman Capote's classic story is read by Thomas Lynch the first week of December in a Mrs. Dalloway's tradition. Join us in celebrating the holiday season. Originally published in 1956, this short story based on Capote's childhood tells of a young boy who lovingly makes fruitcakes from scratch at Christmastime with his elderly cousin. This American holiday […]

Join the conversation about snipping and shaping your trees and shrubs! Buy a book (either one) to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Every pruning decision comes down to what stays and what goes. Two local tree enthusiasts present practical and artistic advice to inform and simplify the pruning conundrum. Questions welcomed. Joseph Gaglione […]

Robin Sloan reads from his novel, Sourdough, the much-anticipated new work from the author of the bestselling Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her […]

Jessica Powers Launching her YA novel, Broken Circle, "a fast-paced, page-turning story!"--Skila Brown, author of Caminar. Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Adam wants nothing more than to be a "normal" teen, but his reality is quickly leaking normal. Afraid to sleep because of the monster that stalks his dreams, Adam's breakdown […]

  Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Here in Berlin is a portrait of a city through snapshots, an excavation of the stories and ghosts of contemporary Berlin--its complex, troubled past still pulsing in the air as it was during World War II. Critically acclaimed novelist Cristina Garcia brings the people […]

Jennifer Egan reading from Manhattan Beach, the long-awaited, daring, and magnificent novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad. Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Manhattan Beach opens in Brooklyn during the Great Depression. Anna Kerrigan, nearly twelve years old, accompanies her father to the house of Dexter Styles, […]

  Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Over the years that Victoria Sweet has been a physician, "healthcare" has replaced medicine, "providers" look at their laptops more than at their patients, and costs keep soaring, all in the ruthless pursuit of efficiency. Yet the remedy that economists and policy makers […]

Fred Sasaki & Don Share, Editors, with Poets Ari Banias and Javier Zamora Present Who Reads Poetry: 50 Views from "Poetry" Magazine. Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. Thursday, October 26, 2017 - 7:00pm Who reads poetry? We know that poets do, but what about the rest of us? When and […]

  Buy a book to reserve your seat! Call the store 510.704.8222. In Private Gardens of the Bay Area (October 2017, The Monacelli Press), seasoned garden writers Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner and landscape photographer Marion Brenner celebrate the different approaches to gardening in the Bay Area and illuminate the unrivalled beauty of Northern California. In this […]

Philip Stead presents the never-before-published, previously unfinished Mark Twain children's story, The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine. "Completing a story penned by arguably America's greatest author is no easy feat, but the Caldecott-winning author-illustrator (and husband-wife) team proves more than equal to the task. . . . A pensive and whimsical work that Twain would applaud."-- Kirkus, starred review In […]

Alison Roman presents Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes, with tastes from the book. "This is not a cookbook. It's a treasure map. Alison Roman joyously leads you to the promised land of extraordinary home cooking. Into every one of her stunningly beautiful recipes she's tucked the clues that will invariably lead you to deliciousness: keep it simple, […]

Truman Capote's classic story is read by Thomas Lynch the first week of December in a Mrs. Dalloway's tradition. Join us in celebrating the holiday season. Originally published in 1956, this short story based on Capote's childhood tells of a young boy who lovingly makes fruitcakes from scratch at Christmastime with his elderly cousin. This American holiday […]

Launching Shames's new Samuel Craddock mystery, A Reckoning in the Back Country. Thursday, January 11, 2018 - 7:30pm When Lewis Wilkins, a physician with a vacation home in Jarrett Creek, is attacked by vicious dogs, and several pet dogs in the area around Jarrett Creek disappear, Police Chief Samuel Craddock suspects that a dog fighting ring […]

"A powerful and moving story of travel, mountain culture and human relationships. His writing is sensitive, insightful, and unsparing and reveals the complex and tenuous lives of migrant people and their deep connection to a forest environment. In the best tradition of writers like Bruce Chatwin and Gretel Ehrlich, Himalaya Bound recounts a multi-layered journey into uncertain […]

  The symmetrical, exuberant heart is everywhere: it gives shape to candy, pendants, the frothy milk on top of a cappuccino, and much else. How can we explain the ubiquity of what might be the most recognizable symbol in the world? In The Amorous Heart, Yalom tracks the heart metaphor and heart iconography across two thousand […]

Oliver James' Launch party for Birds of Berkeley, James's charming, full-color field guide to 25 birds easily found in Berkeley.  Sunday February 11th at 2pm at Mrs. Dalloway's "More than an identification guide. It takes us beyond the who’s who to why we care. Learn how to think about birds in a way that will […]

To reserve your seat, please purchase a copy of The Less Is More Garden by talking to one of our booksellers (510) 704-8222 or placing an order via our online store. Small space, big solutions. When it comes to gardens, bigger isn’t always better. A larger space requires more plants, more furniture, more maintenance, and more time. […]

"Raeff writes with vivid assurance about Berlin, America, and Morocco, about men and women, about love and work. As the boundaries between characters shift, as past and present converge, Winter Kept Us Warm casts a dazzling spell. A wonderful novel."--Margot Livesey, author of Mercury and Criminals