Deborah Weisgall The World Before Her 7pm tonight, Porter Square Books, free! Massachusetts resident and New Yorker writer Deborah Weisgall recently released a book, The World Before Her, which examines author Marian Evans' (you might know her better as George Eliot) unusual marriage following the death of her long-time lover. The book juxtaposes Eliot's story with the tale of a modern-day marriage's impending demise. Focused on themes of love and longing, The World Before Her......

Aleksandar Hemon The Lazarus Project Tonight, 7pm, Porter Square Books Aleksandar Hemon’s a genius. Or at least the MacArthur Foundation thinks so. Hemon won one of the organization’s famed “genius grants” in 2004 to fund research for his latest book, The Lazarus Project, an exploration of immigrant identity. Given that it was grant-powered itself, the book creates an odd sort of meta-reality in that it’s about a writer creating a book (about immigration and identity,......

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......

The cold weather is no excuse for you not to get out! Human Dogsledding No kidding. The 8th annual National Human Dog Sled Competition will start today in Lowell. You can learn more about other Lowell Winterfest events, which sound like fun. However, for Bostonist, it is all about the human dogsledding--and teams usually wear costumes. Challenger rounds will be tonight at 6:45 and 10:00 pm, and championship rounds will be tomorrow at 3:30 and......

James McBride, Song Yet Sung Friday, February 8, 2008 7:00 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church 1991 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140 Sponsored by Porter Square Books In an interview with Time magazine following her 1988 Pulitzer Prize win, Toni Morrison described thinking of Beloved as "the least read of all the books I'd written because it is about something that the characters don't want to remember, I don't want to remember, black people don't want......

Movies Catch a sneak preview of In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. The movie, which screened at Sundance, follows two hit men who are forced to vacation in the tourist hotspot. CNN dared to call the film "Tarantino-esque." Whether or not "Tarantino-esque" fits, the trailer is full of some sharp one-liners. Director Martin McDonagh will be there. Brattle Theatre, 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:00, and getting there early is recommended. Check out......

Thursday, November 8 Elaine Scarry, Jerald Walker, and Robert Atwan, The Best American Essays, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith Three contributors to this year's The Best American Essays will discuss what went into the book this year--and maybe we'll hear a little about what got left out. Monday, November 12 Jennifer Ackerman, Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream, 7:00 pm, Porter Square Books Science writer Ackerman takes a fantastic voyage through the body to see how it......

Meal and Chat With Rudolph Chelminski Sunday, November 4, 5:00 pm Chez Henri 1 Shepard St, Cambridge Make reservations at 617.354.8980 More info Goodies With the Phantom Gourmet Tuesday, November 6, 7:00 pm Z Square 14 JFK, Cambridge More info Who knew that a bookstore would know how to feed the people so well? But Porter Square Books will be serving up two culinary treats. First off, brace yourself for some Beaujolais. Author Rudolph Chelminski......

"Authorial Intent" wraps up book events for the week in the Boston area. Wednesday, October 24 Chris Matthews, 6:00 pm, Coolidge Corner (via Brookline Booksmith), $5 Recently, Jon Stewart sank his fangs into Matthews for pimping the concept that "Life's a Campaign," which is, admittedly, a little scary. Bostonist prefers the old saw that life is a bowl of cherries. Watch what Matthews has dubbed the "interview from hell," and you'll already be armed with......

We're a day late on Authorial Intent, our wrap-up of the week's readings. That's largely because we were talking to two of the authors who will be in town tomorrow night, which seems to be the night that the stars aligned and all writers thought it would be a good idea to visit Boston. So, without further adieu … Thursday, October 11--Today, Super Thursday! Robert Reich, 6:00 pm, Swedenborg Chapel (via Harvard Book Store), 50......

Douglas Brinkley will read at Porter Square Books tomorrow, July 2, at 7:00 pm. Just what did Ronald Reagan think about? Gorbachev's birthmark? Bonzo? Anything? He must have been deep in some way. The actor-turned-politician still has a grip on American politicians, who are trying to imitate his winning folksy formula. Historian Douglas Brinkley is the man who knows what was going on in Reagan's skull, as he's edited Reagan's diaries. And Reagan had a......

Sherman Alexie will read Thursday, June 7, at 6:00 PM at the Brattle Theatre. Tickets are $2 and available at Porter Square Books. Now - this event is sold out - but do what you gotta do. Novelist, poet, blogger, and serious NBA fan Sherman Alexie's latest book went straight to paperback. That's not a big deal, but it became a big deal to Alexie when Jenny Shank, a reviewer, wondered if the book went......

James Greer will read from Artificial Light at the Brookline Booksmith tonight at 7:00 pm. Susan Cheever will read from American Bloomsbury, etc. at 6:30 pm at the Harvard Book Store. Cheever will also be at Porter Square Books tomorrow night at 7:00 pm. Choices, choices! Brookline Booksmith or Harvard Book Store? Fiction or nonfiction? New-school or old-school? When it comes to readings, it's an embarrassment of riches tonight. First up is James Greer at......