Authorial Intent: Sweet Stuff and Ear Candy

"Authorial Intent" is Bostonist's roundup of reading events in the area. All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, November 1
Alice Medrich, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith
Not in the mood for candy corn but still craving something sweet? Alice Medrich, aka the "Queen of Chocolate," will inspire your palate in a discussion of her book Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes.

Friday, November 2

Paula Kamen, 3:00 pm, Harvard Book Store. More info.
Kamen discusses her biography of Iris Chang, the author of The Rape of Nanking who committed suicide in 2004. Kamen was friends with Chang, a rising journalist, and she wrote a beautiful eulogy that she later expanded into a book.

Monday, November 5

Anita Diamant, 6:00 pm, Coolidge Corner Theatre (via Brookline Booksmith)
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Red Tent, Diamant will join Stephen McCauley (Alternatives to Sex, The Object of My Affection) to talk about her famed book.

Oliver Sacks, 7:30 pm, First Parish Church Meeting House (via Harvard Book Store), $5. More info.
Neurologist Oliver Sacks, portrayed by Robin Williams in Awakenings, will talk about his latest work, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Sachs explains how music really does have the power to soothe the savage beast.

Image from Amazon.