Garth Stein, "A Sudden Light." 7 p.m. Sept. 14. Talk, signing. $10. Reservations required. Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, 990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com/program/mmh-lecture-garth-stein-sudden-light. In the new novel by Stein ("The Art of Racing in the Rain") a bankrupt owner plans to sell off his famous estate for development, while his son discovers secrets suggesting the sale may be at odds with the land's true destiny.
Michael Martone, "Racing in Place." 7 p.m. Sept. 15. Reading. Free. Museum Education Room, Georgia College, 231 W. Hancock St., Milledgeville. 1-800-342-0471, gcsu.edu/creativewriting/visiting_writers_calendar.htm. In his latest collection of essays, Martone ("The Flatness and Other Landscapes") details his obsession with blimps, basketball and the Indianapolis 500.
Len Gibson, "The Untold Story About a Place Called Black Hollywood." 7 p.m. Sept. 15. Talk, signing. Free. Hammonds House Museum, 503 Peeples St., Atlanta. 404-612-0500, afpls.blogspot.com. Gibson explores how African-Americans continue to advance in an industry that originally had no place for them.
Lauren Groff, "Fates and Furies." 7:15 p.m. Sept. 16. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-3070, Ext. 2285; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=816. Also appearing: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17. Avid Bookshop, 493 Prince Ave., Athens. 706-352-2060, avidbookshop.com. In her new novel, Groff ("The Monsters of Templeton") reveals a married couple's union to be far more complicated than it seems.
Jonah McDonald, "Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests." 7 p.m. Sept. 16. Talk, signing. Free. Tall Tales Book Shop, 2105 LaVista Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-636-2498, talltalesatlanta.com/events.html. McDonald outlines 60 walks in the metro area for hikers of all ages and experience.
Chelsea Clinton, "It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going." 6 p.m. Sept. 17. Signing. $20.32 per family ticket (good for up to four members), includes a copy of the book. Clinton will sign each purchased copy of her book, and, time permitting, pose for photographs. Little Shop of Stories, 133A E. Court Square, Decatur. 404-373-6300, littleshopofstories.com/events.php. Information for young readers on such issues as homelessness, gender equality and climate change.
Karen Abbott, "Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy." 7 p.m. Sept. 17. Talk, signing. $10. RSVP. Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, 990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com/programs/lectures. Abbott tells the stories of four women — a socialite, a farm girl, an abolitionist and a widow — who were Civil War spies.
Salman Rushdie, "Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights." 7 p.m. Sept. 17. Reading, signing. $30, includes signed first edition of the book. Tickets available at A Cappella Books (404-681-5128 or at brownpapertickets.com/event/1726788) or, if any remain, at the door. Cecil B. Day Chapel, Carter Presidential Library & Museum, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, jimmycarterlibrary.gov/events. Rushdie's first novel for adults in seven years blends history, mythology and a timeless love story.
Johnathan Scott Barrett, "Rise and Shine!" 7:15 p.m. Sept. 17. Talk, signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-3070, Ext. 2285; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=817. Barrett's memoir takes you on a journey of culinary exploration, starting in the 1960s in his hometown of Perry.
Wil Haygood, "Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America." 8 p.m. Sept. 18. Talk, signing. $10. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com/programs/lectures. Haygood looks at the life of the first African-American Supreme Court justice and those who shaped — or tried to stop — the civil rights movement.
