Owen Laukkanen, "Criminal Enterprise." 7 p.m. March 25. Reading. Free. Eagle Eye Book Shop, 2076 N. Decatur Road, Decatur. 404-486-0307, http://eagleeyebooks.com. A man who has lost his job robs a bank in desperation, then does it again. His growing taste for violence draws the attention of an FBI special agent and a state investigator in Laukkanen's second novel, which alternates between antebellum Virginia and modern-day New York.
Dinner at the Optimist: Lee Brothers, "Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen." 7 p.m. March 26. Dinner and signing. $65; does not include cost of book ($35). The Optimist Fish Camp & Oyster Bar, 914 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-477-6260, http://theoptimistrestaurant.com, www.acappellabooks.com/event/lee-brothers-book-signing. A Cappella Books teams up with food and travel journalists Matt and Ted Lee and executive chef Adam Evans for a dinner at Esquire magazine's 2012 best new restaurant of the year, highlighting the brothers' favorite recipes from their new book. After cocktail hour, dinner will be served family style at 8 p.m.
James B. Hunt, "Restless Fires." 7 p.m. March 26. Talk and signing. Free. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov. Hunt's latest book claims that naturalist John Muir was profoundly affected by his travels through the South in ways that significantly shaped the future direction of his life.
Carapace: Hard bargains. 7:30 p.m. March 26. Live storytelling. Free. Manuel's Tavern, 602 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-525-3447, http://manuelstavern.com. Remember that offer you couldn't refuse? What about the one you had to turn down? Whether it went down in the love zone or the workplace, bring your five-minute narrative about the deal that fizzled to share with the encouraging crowd that packs Manuel's for this popular series.
The Feminist Founders Reading: Jericho Brown. 6:30 p.m. March 26. Reading and signing. Free. Emory University, Jones Room, Level 3, Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta. 404-727-6861, www.arts.emory.edu/events, creativewriting@emory.edu. Recommended parking: Fishburne or Oxford Road decks. "I mean to write poems that are felt before they are understood," Brown says. His first collection of poetry, "Please," won the 2009 American Book Award. He joined the Emory English/creative writing faculty last fall.
Stuart Eizenstat, "The Future of the Jews." 7 p.m. March 27. Signing. Free. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta. 404-865-7100, www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov. Eizenstat surveys the major geopolitical, economic and security challenges facing the world in general, and the Jewish world and the U.S. in particular.
Jessica Hagy, "How to Be Interesting (in 10 Simple Steps)." 7:15 p.m. March 27. Talk and signing. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; www.georgiacenterforthebook.org. Hagy got her start on Forbes.com, where a post called "How to Be Interesting" went viral. To explore her ideas further, she's written an instruction manual that advises steps such as: Go exploring, do something (anything), and embrace your weirdness. Sounds like a plan.
What's New in Poetry: Jamie Iredell, Rebecca Hazelton, Aaron McCollough. 8 p.m. March 28. Reading. Free. Barnes & Noble @ Emory, 1390 Oxford Road, Atlanta. 404-727-6222, http://emory.bncollege.com. The Emory Poetry Council Readings series presents three award-winning writers: local author Iredell ("The Book of Freaks"), Hazelton ("Fair Copy") from Virginia, and Tennessee-born McCollough ("Underlight").
Wendy Wax, "While We Were Watching Downton Abbey." 5 p.m. March 30. Pre-release launch party. Free. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock. 770-516-9989, www.foxtalebookshoppe.com. In Wax's new novel, three women who convene at a historic Atlanta apartment building to join the concierge for weekly screenings of TV's "Downton Abbey" make unexpected new connections.
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