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Some readers are hasty, grabbing an armful of books off of the library shelf with very little research beforehand. Others pore over bestseller lists or rely on book clubs to carefully decide which book to crack next. For those who fall into the latter category and prefer a little guidance to get their nightstand stack just right, we’ve compiled a (very subjective) list of some of the most exciting-looking book talks coming up in the next few months. These listings do not include the many offerings at Portland Book Festival on Nov. 8 (see page 16 for highlights), but whether you want to bro out at next week’s football author talk at Powell’s or settle into a poetry reading in November—or both—this fall offers plenty for any type of reader.
Epic and Lovely by Mo Daviau
Local author and bookseller Mo Daviau (Every Anxious Wave) has a new novel written as a deathbed letter by Nina Simone Blaine, the daughter of a long-dead 1950s crooner and a failed actress 40 years his junior. In her cover blurb, Lidia Yuknavitch calls Epic and Lovely “a love bomb, a love bloom, a love letter from a soul on the edge of death…I swooned.” Daviau will be joined in conversation by fellow local novelist Cari Luna (The Revolution of Every Day). Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway St., broadwaybooks.net. 6 pm Tuesday Oct. 28. Free.
American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by Seth Wickersham
ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham dissects the American obsession with the football quarterback—a position long glamorized, mythologized and worshipped—through fresh reporting on greats such as Johnny Unitas, John Elway, Peyton Manning and others. Wickersham will be in conversation with author Chuck Klosterman, who is also about to publish a new book on football. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 7 pm Tuesday, Oct. 28. Free.
Eventually a Sequoia: Stories of Art, Adventure & the Wisdom of Giants by Jeremy Collins
This graphic memoir is based on climber Jeremy Collins’ art-filled travel journals through the Amazon River in South America, the mountains of Nepal, the redwood forests of California, and more. Collins’ book event will feature a mobile art installation. Eastside Jewish Commons, 2420 NE Sandy Blvd., ejcpdx.org. 7 pm Thursday, Oct. 30. $5–$8.
Don’t Let Them Eat the Baby: Why Roller Derby Is the Greatest Sport Never Sold by Erica Vanstone
This “memoirella,” which WW reviewed as “sincere yet unabashed,” is Philadelphia writer and roller derby player Erica Vanstone’s story of picking up the sport as a new mother. It’s a personal narrative that makes the case that women’s sports are a community lifeline. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 3 pm Sunday, Nov. 2. Free.
The House of Cavanaugh by Polly Dugan
Local author Polly Dugan (The Sweetheart Deal) is back with her second full-length novel The House of Cavanaugh, which starts with an extramarital affair in New York City in 1964. A young wife, Joan Cavanaugh, takes the secret of her affair to her grave, but it comes to light in Portland 50 years later when her family starts to put the pieces together. Annie Bloom’s Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway, annieblooms.com. 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 4. Free.
Shade is a place by MaKshya Tolbert
National Poetry Series winner MaKshya Tolbert’s debut collection takes place along Charlottesville, Va.’s downtown mall. These “lyric walking poems” find Tolbert seeking a Black sense of place among the evocative neighborhood’s shade and street trees. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 7 pm Sunday, Nov. 9. Free.
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
Spokane author Travis Baldree is that rare triple threat: the video game developer behind Torchlight, a voice actor who has narrated hundreds of audiobooks, and the author of cozy fantasy novel Legends & Lattes and now Brigands & Breadknives. Baldree’s book release party is ticketed and includes a scavenger hunt, trivia, prizes and snacks. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 6 pm doors, 7:30 pm author Q&A Monday, Nov. 10. $39, includes a hardcover copy of Brigands & Breadknives.
James by Percival Everett
Current holder of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Percival Everett comes to town as part of Literary Arts’ Portland Arts & Lectures series. Everett’s 2024 novel James retells the story of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the fugitive slave Jim. This event is open only to the lecture series’ season ticketholders. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, portland5.com. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 12. Sold out.
Without Consent by Sarah Weinman
Without Consent tells the true story of the first major spousal rape trial in America—and it happened right in Salem, Ore. Weinman (Scoundrel; The Real Lolita) explores the lasting cultural implications of the 1978 case Oregon v. Rideout, groundbreaking at the time for asserting that it was even possible for a husband to rape his wife. Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand Ave., literary-arts.org. 6:30 pm Tuesday, Nov. 18. Free.
