Linda Tirado, "Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America." 7 p.m. Oct 6. Lecture, signing. $10; reservations recommended. Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, 990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, bit.ly/1rgj7Vn. With intelligence, no-holds-barred wit and candor, Tirado delves into what it means to be one of the millions of working poor in 21st century America.
Tracey E.W. Laird, "Austin City Limits: A History." 7:15 p.m. Oct. 6. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; bit.ly/1pkGZBA. Agnes Scott music professor Laird ("Louisiana Hayride") traces the history of the long-running PBS show and music festival.
Michael Ross, "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case: Race, Law, and Justice in the Reconstruction Era." 7 p.m. Oct. 8. Reading, signing. Free. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, 1.usa.gov/1ATtNtU. Ross' nonfiction legal thriller unfolds in 19th century New Orleans with all the right elements: child abduction, voodoo, a national headline-grabbing trial, and an intrepid Creole detective.
Lynn Alexander and Sally Mohney. 8 p.m. Oct. 8. Poetry reading. $5. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338, Ext. 228; bit.ly/1sb4oqS.
In conversation: Jesmyn Ward and Natasha Trethewey. 7 p.m. Oct. 9. First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur. 404-373-1653, on.fb.me/1DrkAx1. Trethewey joins 2011 National Book Award winner Ward for a discussion of her memoir of growing up in Mississippi, "Men We Reaped."
Gary Shteyngart, "Little Failure." 7 p.m. Oct. 9. Reading. $17, includes a signed copy of the book. Highland Inn Ballroom, 644 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-681-5128, bit.ly/1BQQrFr. Turning to memoir, novelist Shteyngart ("Super Sad True Love Story") recounts his American immigrant experience with self-deprecating humor, moving insights and literary bravado.
Pamela Druckerman, "Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting." 7 p.m. Oct. 10. Talk, signing. $10; reservations recommended. Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, 990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, bit.ly/1qOyZiG. When Druckerman ("Lust in Translation") has a baby in Paris, she's inspired to learn why the happy and creative French children she meets are also so well-behaved.
Stuart Woods, "Paris Match." 3 p.m. Oct. 11. Signing. Free. Barnes & Noble, Mansell Crossings SC, 7660 Northpoint Parkway, Alpharetta. 770-993-8340, bit.ly/1wIZS9S. In book No. 31 of a series, Stone Barrington returns to Paris and finds himself embroiled in high-stakes trans-Atlantic trouble.
Jeff High, "Each Shining Hour." 2 p.m. Oct. 11. Talk, signing. Free. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock. 770-516-9989, bit.ly/1aMsOF0. When a young doctor heads to rural Tennessee to fulfill a promise, his relationships with the locals prove much more complicated than anticipated.
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, "How to Understand the Mind." 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11. Talk, signing. Free. Atlanta-Fulton Library, 1315 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-885-7830, bit.ly/1p91CBG. The author of highly acclaimed books on Buddhism, Gyatso shows how an understanding of the mind's nature and functions can be used to improve our lives.
