Kate Sweeney. 3 p.m. May 18. Reading and talk. Free. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 1911 Cliff Valley Way, Atlanta. 404-634-5134, uuca.org. Sweeney, a reporter and producer for WABE/FM 90, will talk about her book, "American Afterlife: Encounters in the Customs of Mourning."
Cassandra King, "The Same Sweet Girls' Guide to Life." 12:30 p.m. May 19. Talk and signing. Free. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock. 770-516-9989, foxtalebookshoppe.com/events. Also appearing: 7:15 p.m. May 19. Talk and signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=688. King offers solid advice, Southern-style, to new graduates and others on dealing with life's inevitable ups and downs.
Randall Balmer, "Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter." 7 p.m. May 19. Talk and signing. Free. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, jimmycarterlibrary.gov/events. Evangelical Christianity and conservative politics are today seen as inseparable, but when Carter, a Democrat and a born-again Christian, won the presidency in 1976, he owed his victory in part to American evangelicals.
Andrea di Robilant, "Chasing the Rose: An Adventure in the Venetian Countryside." 7:15 p.m. May 20. Talk and signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=689. From the author of "A Venetian Affair" comes the chronicle of his search for the identity of a mysterious rose that once grew at the country home of his great-great-great-great-grandmother. Di Robilant's tale takes us back to the time of Josephine Bonaparte, as well as into some of the most delightful rose gardens in Italy today.
Jeff Guinn, "Glorious." 7:15 p.m. May 21. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=690. In this first installment in a trilogy, Guinn turns his eye for evocative detail and history to a sweeping novel set in the Arizona Territory in 1872.
Ellen Gilchrist, "Acts of God." 7 p.m. May 21. Lecture and signing. $10, reservations recommended. Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, 990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com/program/ellen-gilchrist-acts-god. Gilchrist ("Victory Over Japan") returns with a new collection of stories about people dealing with forces beyond their control who somehow manage to survive, persevere and even triumph.
Mike O'Connor, "A Commercial Republic: America's Enduring Debate Over Democratic Capitalism." 7 p.m. May 22. Reading and signing. Free. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, jimmycarterlibrary.gov/events. As recently as 2008, with the bailout of banks and auto companies, the perennial objection resurfaced: Government has no business in business. To the contrary, O'Connor argues, those who cite history to decry government economic intervention are invoking a tradition that does not exist.
Megan Volpert, "Only Ride," and Brock Guthrie, "Contemplative Man." 8 p.m. May 22. With Claire Donato and Jeff T. Johnson. Barnes & Noble @ Emory, 1390 Oxford Road, Atlanta. 404-727-6222, poetrycouncil.campuslifetech.org/the-whats-new-in-poetry-reading-series/summer-2014. Also appearing: 6:30 p.m. May 23. SCAD Atlanta, 1600 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-253-3206, meganvolpert.com/events.html. 7:30 p.m. May 25. Highland Inn Ballroom, 644 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-681-5128, poetryatlanta.blogspot.com/2014/05/may-readings-events.html. Two Southern poets share their most recent work in a series of free readings.
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