It's Bike Week here in the Bay State, so strap on your helmet, jump on your bike, and pedal to one of these book events this week. Make sure to bring a bag so you can cart your signed book home. Bostonist recommends starred events. *Sunday, May 11, 5:30pm, Porter Square Books Henry Winkler, The Life of Me: Enter, Your Own Risk Monday, May 12th, 7pm, Brookline Booksmith Elizabeth George, Careless in Red *Monday, May......

National Poetry Month may be over, but that doesn't mean it's time for you to put away the books. It's dreary out right now, but warmer weather should be just around the corner, enabling you to crack a book in the great outdoors. Our lovely local bookstores are bringing us bunches of great readings in May. Big names like Fareed Zakaria, Mike Gravel, and Howard Zinn will discuss politics, while Brookline native BabaWawa returns to......

National Poetry Month is almost over, but fortunately we've got one of America's best poets visiting us tonight. Jorie Graham will read from her new work Sea Change at Brookline Booksmith this evening. If you can't make that, check on Brookline High School's poetry night at the Booksmith on Wednesday, or attend Cantab Lounge's weekly poetry slam in honor of NaPoMo. Jorie Graham, Sea Change Monday, April 28th, 7:00 p.m., Brookline Booksmith Elizabeth Strout, Olive......

Yesterday was Earth Day, a great time to get outside and appreciate nature. Today is World Book and Copyright Day, and thanks to the gorgeous weather, you can still get out and enjoy nature--with book in hand. Apparently World Book Day was also on March 6, but there's no reason you can't read a book more than once a year (but at least do it once a year, please). UNESCO's focus on copyright today comes......

Get your think on this week with readings about sex, war, and politics. A couple of big names come to town to discuss these big concepts. Cokie Roberts will talk about ladies of liberty on Wednesday and Howard Zinn presents a graphic adaptation of People's History at the Brattle on Thursday. The Zinn event is sold out, sadly, but maybe you can flash your red star tattoos to gain admittance? Mary Roach, Bonk: The Curious......

Henry David Thoreau Photographs by Scot Miller Illustrating Thoreau's Cape Cod: A Photographer's Story Video Presentation & Lecture 6:00 pm Harvard Museum of Natural History Free and open to the public Details Henry David Thoreau is often considered Concord's curmudgeon, but he also conceded, "Cape Cod's cool..." Readers love his meditations on life and nature while living as an ascetic near Walden Pond, but Thoreau also traveled around New England and loosened up a......

We know you just can't get enough of books and book events. Here's a summary of what's going on this week, reading-wise. This week's heavy on the poetry, so it's a good opportunity to get your National Poetry Month groove on! We hope you don't "dislike it" too much. As always, asterisked events are Bostonist recommendations. Poetry Night Mary Jo Firth Gillett and Betsey Houghton Monday, April 14th, 7:00 p.m., Harvard Book Store More Details......

Mark Vonnegut Armageddon in Retrospect Presentation & Discussion Brattle Theatre 6 p.m. $5 Full Details If we have to explain who Kurt Vonnegut is, you’re probably not interested in attending this event, or maybe you’ve just beamed down from Tralfamadore or something like that. Whatever your situation may be, the late legend Kurt Vonnegut is obviously best known for a little war book called Slaughterhouse-Five, but the rest of his works deserve even more attention......

Jorie Graham Sea Change Wednesday, April 2nd, 7:00 p.m., Harvard Book Store More Details Poet and Harvard prof Jorie Graham has just come out with a new book of poems, Sea Change, which she'll read from tonight at Harvard Book Store to help launch National Poetry Month. If you miss Graham's smart, refined verse this time around, be sure to catch the Pulitzer winner at Brookline Booksmith on April 28th instead.......

Amy Marcus Jerusalem 1913: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 7:00 p.m., Brookline Booksmith Israel and Palestine have been in conflict for as long as most of us can remember, but Amy Marcus takes us back to a time before Israel's founding to reveal the roots of this bitter and enduring conflict. Former Wall Street Journal correspondent Marcus shows how Muslims and Jews moved from working together to battling one another, highlighting the roles of......