BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Playhouse Village Association - ECPv6.17.4.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://playhousevillage.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Playhouse Village Association REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20260308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20261101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20270314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20271107T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260910T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260910T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T230437Z CREATED:20260817T230437Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T230437Z UID:10015817-1789066800-1789066800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Michelle Berenfeld discusses & signs Lessons from a Lost Republic: What Ancient Rome Can Teach Us about This American Moment DESCRIPTION:A lively pocket history of the Roman Republic’s collapse–and its unsettling echoes in our own political moment. \nAmericans are obsessed with Rome. Billionaires and manosphere pundits wax on about its military might\, its gladiators\, its emperors\, its greatness. \nBut we’re telling ourselves the wrong story. \nIn this sharp\, eye-opening account\, classics professor Michelle Berenfeld redirects our gaze. The Roman Empire isn’t the lesson–the Roman Republic is. Nearly five centuries of representative government\, undone by forces that should sound familiar: wealth and power concentrated in the hands of elites\, rampant political violence\, endless expansionist wars\, and a Senate that normalized emergency measures until it had nothing left to protect. One by one\, aspiring strongmen seized what the Senate had surrendered\, stretching the limits of their legal power\, using the military against their own people\, undermining elections\, and killing their enemies–until one of them\, Augustus\, gained total control and became an emperor. \nBerenfeld’s argument is both clarifying and urgent: Rome’s slide into autocracy was not inevitable–and neither is ours. Smart\, spirited\, and packed with revelatory detail\, Lessons from a Lost Republic is a wake-up call two thousand years in the making\, a reminder that the republic is ours to protect. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-michelle-berenfeld-discusses-signs-lessons-from-a-lost-republic-what-ancient-rome-can-teach-us-about-this-american-moment/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/michelle-berenfeld.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260909T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260909T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T230055Z CREATED:20260817T230055Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T230055Z UID:10015816-1788980400-1788980400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Kate Stayman-London\, in conversation with Maurene Goo\, discusses & signs See You Next Tuesday DESCRIPTION:From the bestselling author of One to Watch comes a heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance perfect for fans of The West Wing and When Harry Met Sally\, featuring two campaign staffers who agree on their politics\, but disagree on everything else. \n“A West Wing love story with Heated Rivalry storytelling . . . all of the heat of an enemies-to-lovers romance with the adrenaline-pumping excitement of a political drama . . . charming\, propulsive\, topical.”–Iman Hariri-Kia\, bestselling author of Female Fantasy \nIn every election\, they’re the issue. \nAnya Katz is Type A and highly driven with unfaltering morals; she’s never met a group project she wouldn’t rather do all by herself. Gabe Hunt is a staggeringly handsome and charming golden boy who’ll do whatever it takes to win. At work on Democratic campaigns\, Anya and Gabe fight about everything–but how long can they fight their undeniable attraction? \nSee You Next Tuesday follows Anya and Gabe through a decade of elections\, from all-night phone banks and piles of greasy takeout to glitzy celebrity fundraisers and presidential debates. They say politics is the art of making change\, but working in politics changes you–and Anya and Gabe navigate dizzying highs and devastating lows in their professional and personal lives as they evolve from enemies to grudgingly respectful colleagues to best friends to lovers . . . to bitter rivals. \nWith breakneck banter\, sizzling chemistry\, and clear-eyed optimism\, See You Next Tuesday is an uplifting and addictive portrait of two lovers passionately working to make history–if only they can overcome their own. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-kate-stayman-london-in-conversation-with-maurene-goo-discusses-signs-see-you-next-tuesday/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kate-stayman-london.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260908T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260908T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T225709Z CREATED:20260817T225709Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T225709Z UID:10015815-1788894000-1788894000@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Dan Werb discusses & signs Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World DESCRIPTION:A dazzling journey into the hidden lives of synanthropes\, the wild animals who’ve found ingenious ways to survive and thrive in human communities—from award-winning writer and scientist Dan Werb \nSynanthropes have always been an immutable part of the tapestry of our lives. They are the reason we hear birdsong in the morning and skittering throughout the day\, and why we take such pains to fix lids to our garbage cans. But they are so much more than that\, too: epidemic vectors\, churners of soil\, ecosystem evolvers\, spiritual lodestars\, and\, sometimes\, sharp-toothed marauders making their way through our most intimate spaces with cruel intent. But beyond their quotidian impact on our lives\, synanthropes have a critical part to play in how our communities are shaped and how sustainably they function. These creatures are ambassadors from nature\, arbiters of our planet’s future\, and a key influence on our species’ ongoing evolution; and recently\, something essential has shifted with them. \nWe are in a fraught era of environmental disruption\, habitat destruction\, and human population expansion that is ravaging formerly wild and untouched habitats. That’s caused us to become ever more inundated with synanthropes\, which are bringing delight\, chaos and danger to our doorstep. These species\, so long dismissed\, are forcing us to reckon with them—from the hundreds of thousands of raccoons in urban spaces that spread our refuse no matter how many “raccoon-proof” bags and bins we invent\, to the invasive kudzu plants that grow a foot a day\, enveloping houses\, telephone poles\, trees\, and any other structures into their green abyss. Now\, as urban spaces increasingly become wild spaces\, we have a choice: continue to resist them by any means necessary\, or take the opportunity to promote a more harmonious coexistence. \nThrough vivid storytelling\, Our Wild Familiars brings to spectacular life the world’s most successful synanthropes\, from bats\, raccoons\, and crows\, to some of its weirdest\, including the Giant Pacific Octopus. Acting as a guide to the curious\, Werb reveals how the cracks in our millennia-long efforts to shield ourselves against the outside world might just lead us to a new and necessary balance with nature—or to an ever more savage future. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-dan-werb-discusses-signs-our-wild-familiars-how-animals-are-adapting-to-cities-and-reshaping-the-natural-world/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/dan-werb.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260904T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260904T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T225445Z CREATED:20260817T225445Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T225445Z UID:10015814-1788548400-1788548400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Sara Kehaulani Goo discusses & signs Kuleana: A Story of Family\, Land\, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i DESCRIPTION:Set in one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes\, Kuleana is the story of an award-winning journalist’s effort to hold on to her family’s ancestral Hawaiian lands—and find herself along the way. \n“A powerful story of land\, belonging\, loss\, and survival that challenges us all to think about what we are responsible for.” —Rebecca Nagle\, bestselling author of By the Fire We Carry \nFrom an early age\, Sara Kehaulani Goo was enchanted by her family’s land in Hawai‘i. The vast area on the rugged shores of Maui’s east side—given by King Kamehameha III in 1848—extends from mountain to sea\, encompassing ninety acres of lush\, undeveloped rainforest jungle along the rocky coastline and a massive sixteenth-century temple with a mysterious past. \nWhen a property tax bill arrives with a 500 percent increase\, Sara and her family members are forced to make a decision about the property: fight to keep the land or sell to the next offshore millionaire. When Sara returns to Maui from the mainland\, she reconnects with her great-uncle Take and uncovers the story of how much land her family has already lost over generations\, centuries-old artifacts from the temple\, and the insidious displacement of Native Hawaiians by systemic forces. \nPart journalistic offering and part memoir\, Kuleana interrogates deeper questions of identity\, legacy\, and what we owe to those who come before and after us. Sara’s breathtaking story of unexpected homecomings\, familial hardship\, and fierce devotion to ancestry creates a refreshingly new narrative about Hawai‘i\, its native people\, and their struggle to hold on to their land and culture today. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-sara-kehaulani-goo-discusses-signs-kuleana-a-story-of-family-land-and-legacy-in-old-hawaii/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sara-kehaulani-goo.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260903T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260903T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T224932Z CREATED:20260817T224932Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T224932Z UID:10015813-1788462000-1788462000@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Sonali Kolhatkar discusses & signs Breaking Ice: Community Defense Against State Terror and Maga Fascism DESCRIPTION:A gripping\, on-the-ground account of the growing movement against state violence\, featuring interviews with those on the frontlines of the fight for immigrant justice and what it means to belong. \nFeatures a foreword by Salvadoran American journalist and author Roberto Lovato. \nA war is being waged on the streets of the United States of America: MAGA’s violent anti-immigration regime is being challenged by a growing national movement dedicated to protecting communities and reversing racist and authoritarian policies. In Breaking ICE\, award-winning journalist Sonali Kolhatkar presents her conversations with over a dozen movement organizers\, lawyers\, artists\, labor leaders\, and scholars on the frontlines of the fight. Through their courageous stories\, Kolhatkar documents the impact of ICE violence\, workplace raids\, mass surveillance\, and intimidation tactics\, and how communities from Maine to California are organizing for a better world. Our present actions will not only determine the nature of American demographics from here on out\, but also whether the future of the United States will look like an open multiracial democracy or a fascist police state. \nFeatures conversations with: Pablo Alvarado\, Nikki Marín Baena\, Eduardo Delgado\, Adela de la Torre\, Shannon Gibney\, Ron Gochez\, David Huerta\, Ibram X. Kendi\, Robin D. G. Kelley\, Josefina Lopez\, Leonardo Martinez\, Christine Neumann-Ortiz\, Viet Thanh Nguyen\, Favianna Rodriguez\, Luis Rodriguez\, Ruben Torres\, Richard Wallace\, Yohuru Williams\, and Kent Wong. Foreword by Roberto Lovato. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-sonali-kolhatkar-discusses-signs-breaking-ice-community-defense-against-state-terror-and-maga-fascism/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sonali-kolhatkar.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260902T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260902T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T224626Z CREATED:20260817T224626Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T224626Z UID:10015812-1788375600-1788375600@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Andre Hardy\, in conversation with Mark Sarvas\, discusses & signs Tear the City Down DESCRIPTION:This debut novel from a former NFL player is a hard-hitting\, heart-wrenching crime novel that brilliantly blends elements of jazz\, football\, and a gritty portrait of a city divided–perfect for fans of S.A. Cosby and Walter Mosley. \nColtrane Davis is at once a knight and a hustler. He has risen to wealth and success\, graduating from San Diego’s back alleys to the halls of power through his partnership with Saul Sollman\, a crooked kingmaker among the city’s elite. Running multimillion-dollar scams with Saul\, he has been Saul’s fixer\, but now he wants out of the hustle so that he can focus on his teenage daughter’s burgeoning tennis career and finally be the dad he has always wanted to be. \nBut when the Los Angeles Chargers’ star running back vanishes one evening before a big game\, Coltrane is drawn into an investigation of what happened by Saul and his protégé\, the player’s agent; the stakes escalate with a gut-punch when the trail leads into San Diego’s underworld of drugs and prostitution and reveals clues to the disappearance of his daughter’s best friend\, whose loss has haunted him. \nTorn by the unreconcilable demands of the life he can’t seem to quit and the fierce desire he has to protect his own\, Coltrane brings himself and his loved ones to the brink of destruction in his quest to free himself once and for all of Saul’s control–and focus on what really matters: family. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-andre-hardy-in-conversation-with-mark-sarvas-discusses-signs-tear-the-city-down/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/andre-hardy.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260901T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260901T190000 DTSTAMP:20260817T224348Z CREATED:20260817T224118Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T224348Z UID:10015811-1788289200-1788289200@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Joseph Fink\, in conversation with Mara Wilson\, discusses & signs The Nudge: A Psychological Thriller DESCRIPTION:A purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible.\nA new horror novella from the creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead featuring original illustrations from Night Vale series artist Jessica Hayworth. \nOn the open road\, evil doesn’t chase you. It waits . . . \nLate one night\, a wounded man checks into a remote roadside hotel. He’s running from something he can’t explain or escape. And over the course of a night\, he’ll tell the hotel’s proprietor how his life fell apart. \nIt started with his wife. Subtle changes. Smiles that didn’t belong to her. Then violence–sudden\, intimate\, almost casual. Therapy offered hope. Recovery seemed possible. Until it wasn’t. He believes a hidden influence has attached itself to him\, one that never forces\, never commands. It whispers. It suggests. Nudges people toward their worst impulses. \nNow the man wanders the country as a fugitive\, hoping to break free from the evil that’s wormed its way into him. But as our narrator’s story unfolds\, he begins to question whether he’s fled far enough . . . \nTense\, atmospheric\, and chilling\, The Nudge is a slow-burn tale of suspense that will linger like a whisper in the dark\, long after the story is over. \nCan’t make it to the event but still want a signed copy? Pre-order your signed copy here. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-2/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/joseph-fink-2_0.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260831T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260831T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T193636Z CREATED:20260806T193636Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T193636Z UID:10015775-1788202800-1788202800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Sam Quinones discusses & signs Our Lady of the Angels: The Virgin of Guadalupe on the Walls of Los Angeles DESCRIPTION:On storefronts\, alleyways\, and street corners across the city\, murals of the Virgin of Guadalupe grace the walls of Los Angeles in a tapestry of faith\, identity\, and culture. Our Lady of the Angels: The Virgin of Guadalupe on the Walls of Los Angeles captures the sacred and everyday presence of Guadalupe murals across the city\, offering a poignant lens into the cultural heartbeat of LA neighborhoods. Each image is a testament to community\, artistry\, and devotion—a visual pilgrimage through urban altars where spirituality meets street art. Whether you’re drawn to religious iconography\, Latino culture\, or the layered stories of LA itself\, this collection invites you to see the city anew—through the lens of its most beloved saint. \nEn escaparates\, callejones y esquinas de toda la ciudad\, murales de la Virgen de Guadalupe adornan los muros de Los Ángeles como un tapiz de fe\, identidad y cultura. Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles: La Virgen de Guadalupe en los muros de Los Ángeles captura la presencia sagrada y cotidiana de los murales guadalupanos en la ciudad\, ofreciendo una mirada conmovedora al pulso cultural de los vecindarios angelinos. Cada imagen es un testimonio de comunidad\, arte y devoción: una peregrinación visual a través de altares urbanos donde la espiritualidad se encuentra con el arte callejero. Ya sea que te atraiga la iconografía religiosa\, la cultura latina o las historias entrelazadas de Los Ángeles\, esta colección te invita a ver la ciudad de una nueva manera: a través del lente de su santa más querida. \n  URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-sam-quinones-discusses-signs-our-lady-of-the-angels-the-virgin-of-guadalupe-on-the-walls-of-los-angeles/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sam-quinones.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T110000 DTSTAMP:20260806T193442Z CREATED:20260806T193442Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T193442Z UID:10015774-1788001200-1788001200@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Linda Liu reads from & signs I Guess I’ll Go Eat Worms DESCRIPTION:Yup! You read that right . . . WORMS! \nOnly thing for an outcast to eat . . . \nBut what if wet\, gooey\, chewy worms could be a way to meet someone new? What if there’s somebody out there who wallows in worms just as much as you do? Well\, for an ugly duckling and a black sheep\, there may just be a cure for their loneliness . . . \nAnd you know the cure can only be one thing: worms–I mean\, friendship. \nIn this hilarious remix of the classic nursery rhyme\, Linda Liu breathes new life into the importance of connection–with a book that demands to be sung URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-linda-liu-reads-from-signs-i-guess-ill-go-eat-worms/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/linda-liu.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260828T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260828T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T193245Z CREATED:20260806T193245Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T193245Z UID:10015773-1787943600-1787943600@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Yance Wyatt discusses & signs The Watersmith DESCRIPTION:When hard-drinking handyman Jack Calloway discovers an old moonshine still behind the Smoky Mountain cabin he plans to flip\, his teenage son dares him to get it running. Jack accepts– until his wife\, Jolene\, tries to sabotage the first batch and is horribly burned in the process. Wracked with guilt\, Jack sends their son away and moves Jolene into the cabin to recover while he tries to sober up. Doctors diagnose Jolene with a rare post-traumatic dementia that responds only to scent– smell being the strongest trigger of memory. Desperate to help\, Jack begins distilling essential oils from her favorite flowers\, searching for the one that might bring her back. When a fleeting moment of clarity during a visit from their son slips away again\, Jack grows frantic– willing to distill anything in his grasp to reach her. A haunting\, tender tale of love\, regret\, and the volatile bonds between parents and children\, The Watersmith is a story of oil and water\, memory and mercy– and how far one man will go to bring his family home. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-yance-wyatt-discusses-signs-the-watersmith/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/yance-wyatt.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260825T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260825T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T193000Z CREATED:20260806T192949Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T193000Z UID:10015772-1787684400-1787684400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Diana Giovinnazzo discusses & signs Daughters of Naples DESCRIPTION:Diana Giovinazzo returns to the historical genre in a lush and thrilling novel\, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Elena Ferrante. \nSet in Naples\, Italy\, during World War II\, three sisters must survive in the face of danger. \nNaples\, 1940. The three Cozzolino sisters\, Leta\, Marcella\, and Bianca\, live together in their small home during Mussolini’s domination. Leta runs the De Rosa dress shop\, where she takes care of her mother-in-law while her husband is at war. Marcella is an apprentice to a midwife\, bringing up the next generation of Italian soldiers\, much to the pride of her boyfriend\, who is inspired by Mussolini’s rule. But when their youngest sister\, Bianca\, decides to join the partigiani–the Italian resistance–after her childhood sweetheart is sent to war\, familial tensions are brought to light. \nThe sisters are soon at odds\, questioning where they stand in the war effort. When Leta’s old flame\, Pasquale\, asks if he can use the dress shop to send messages for the partigiani\, she refuses. But when Naples is bombed\, the sisters are forced to reevaluate their stances and how far they are willing to go for each other and their country. With the threat of Nazism looming over the city after Mussolini is ousted\, the Cozzolino sisters will have to confront what they are willing to sacrifice and their loyalties to each other and to their country. \nThis inspiring novel examines the true nature of sisterly bonds and what one will do to survive. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-diana-giovinnazzo-discusses-signs-daughters-of-naples/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/diana-giovonazzo-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260823T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260823T160000 DTSTAMP:20260806T192727Z CREATED:20260806T192727Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T192727Z UID:10015771-1787500800-1787500800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Local Author Day Introducing Joe Belk\, Dan Joyce & Jason Mahoney DESCRIPTION:Joe Belk presents A Fan’s Calendar\nA Fan’s Calendar is a fun ride through popular culture throughout the 20th century and up to the present day. The book reflects the enthusiasms of author Joe Belk\, who has enjoyed and often written about music\, film\, and other forms of art and entertainment throughout his life. No matter what your tastes are\, you will find areas of overlap with this personally specific yet culturally vast appreciation of a wide variety of cinematic and musical genres and styles. \nDan Joyce presents Have You Taken Your Meds? Part 1\nHave You Taken Your Meds? Part 1 is an illustrated autobiographical graphic novel by Dan Joyce exploring mental illness\, addiction\, homelessness\, family conflict\, and survival with humor\, raw honesty\, and surreal imagination Through art\, storytelling\, and dark comedy\, Joyce invites readers into a chaotic yet journey understanding\, recovery\, and hope. \nJason Mahoney presents Song of a Dromedary\nSomething is terribly wrong with Vernon Rivers\, a young boy whose parents have taken him to every specialist they can think of. At the end of their rope\, they finally take him to see a priest\, who determines the only remedy is an exorcism. Before the big night\, his father\, Kirk\, has his first of many encounters with the paranormal: an encoded message telling him he must intervene in the exorcism\, and to his wife’s dismay\, Kirk obeys. Throughout his childhood\, Vernon\, a musical phenomenon\, shows signs of demonic possession in benign ways. But as the danger grows more apparent\, Kirk engages with his own outrageous and time-distorting obstacles to save him–and discover the unfortunate truth about his prodigious son. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-local-author-day-introducing-joe-belk-dan-joyce-jason-mahoney/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/local-author-3-august.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260822T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260822T160000 DTSTAMP:20260806T192523Z CREATED:20260806T192523Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T192523Z UID:10015770-1787414400-1787414400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Jaime Parker Stickle discusses & signs Take Hart: A Thriller (Corey in Los Angeles #2) DESCRIPTION:Between her LAPD consulting gig\, fledgling indie news blog\, and postpartum panic disorder\, former TV journalist Corey Tracey-Lieberman is barely keeping it together. Then a mother named Sonja Hart vanishes in her Highland Park neighborhood\, and the case is all but ignored. Sparked by maternal fury\, Corey’s investigative instincts come roaring back to life. \nTo see the truth clearly\, Corey must stop taking the meds that keep her anxiety at bay. Forced to confront her own failing marriage\, she struggles with her growing feelings for her crime-fighting partner. Strapping her fifteen-month-old son to her chest\, she follows a trail that leads from a suspicious house fire to the furtive activities of new neighbors. \nThe more she digs\, the more she uncovers about the secret toll of gentrification–and the closer she comes to the verge of a breakdown. And the horror dawns that the killer she’s been chasing has been watching her all along… URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-jaime-parker-stickle-discusses-signs-take-hart-a-thriller-corey-in-los-angeles-2/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/jaime-parker-stickle.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260822T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260822T110000 DTSTAMP:20260806T192051Z CREATED:20260806T192051Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T192051Z UID:10015769-1787396400-1787396400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Lisa Johnston Hancock reads from & signs Santiago and Great Bear: A Friendship Written in the Stars DESCRIPTION:Santiago and Great Bear tells the story of a boy who moves from the busy city to the quiet countryside. Surrounded by stars\, Santiago feels lonely and misses his friends. When he wishes on Great Bear\, the constellation becomes his companion. But Great Bear cannot stay forever. With creativity and courage\, Santiago helps his friend return to the sky. Though sad\, he discovers resilience\, hope\, and the joy of new friendships in this lyrical\, socially relevant tale. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-lisa-johnston-hancock-reads-from-signs-santiago-and-great-bear-a-friendship-written-in-the-stars/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/lisa-johnston-hancock.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260821T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260821T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T191736Z CREATED:20260806T191736Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T191736Z UID:10015768-1787338800-1787338800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Brian Clune discusses & signs Legends & Lore Along Route 66: Tales from the Mother Road DESCRIPTION:100 years of cruising from Chicago to Santa Monica. \nOpened in 1926\, Route 66 was one of America’s original highways. In modern times\, the Mother Road is an icon of nostalgia and kitsch\, but behind each pit stop is a uniquely human story. From Alberta Ellis\, who created safe havens for African American travelers in the first half of the twentieth century to Bob Waldmire and Angel Delgadillo\, who worked to preserve the history of the route after the interstates came through\, the people behind these places are what truly make them special. \nJust off the well-traveled path are places like the Santa Fe Internment Camp\, where many Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during World War II\, and the Apache Death Cave near Two Guns\, Arizona\, said to be the site where many Native Americans lost their lives. Visit the Amboy Crater\, a dormant volcano in the Mojave Desert of California that hints at the distant geological past\, and the town of Baxter Springs\, which was once a major part of America’s Main Street. \nAuthor Brain Clune brings to life the tales that left a legacy along Route 66. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-brian-clune-discusses-signs-legends-lore-along-route-66-tales-from-the-mother-road/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/brian-clune.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260818T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260818T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T191508Z CREATED:20260806T191508Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T191508Z UID:10015767-1787079600-1787079600@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: James Queally discusses & signs Surviving the Lie: A Russell Avery Novel DESCRIPTION:From the critically acclaimed author of Line of Sight and All These Ashes comes the exciting final installment of the Russell Avery series\, a trilogy of “turnpike noir” that brings the neighborhoods of New Jersey to life (CrimeReads) \nAfter the death of his two oldest sources\, Russell Avery trades in his life as a former journalist turned private investigator for peace and quiet at home. Aside from the occasional online reporting under the safety of an alias\, Russell is enjoying being a normal guy with a normal girlfriend and suburban bliss just within reach. Until his onetime mentor disappears. Russell soon learns that other journalists in the area have gone missing\, too\, all under mysterious circumstances. Unable to resist the pull of a good story\, he quickly finds himself at odds with a violent band of conspiracy theorists and ex-cops convinced that reporters are the “enemy of the people.” Russell sacrificed two careers to the belief in the power of truth. But now\, face-to-face with an America where facts are more fluid than Newark’s Passaic River\, he must decide if the truth is still worth fighting for. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-james-queally-discusses-signs-surviving-the-lie-a-russell-avery-novel/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/james-queally.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260817T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260817T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T191239Z CREATED:20260806T191239Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T191239Z UID:10015766-1786993200-1786993200@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: April Dávila discusses & signs Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulness Practices to Help You Write More and Suffer Less DESCRIPTION:A transformative path to overcome creative blocks and cultivate a joyful\, sustainable writing practice through mindfulness. \nIn Sit Write Here\, award-winning novelist and certified mindfulness instructor April Dávila presents a groundbreaking approach to writing that integrates the practice of Insight Meditation. Drawing from her personal journey and professional experience\, Dávila reveals how mindfulness can help writers improve their craft and navigate common challenges such as writer’s block\, self-doubt\, and ubiquitous distractions. Through practical exercises and relatable anecdotes\, she demonstrates how cultivating present-moment awareness can enhance creativity and bring greater ease to the writing process. \nStructured around six key practices\, the book guides writers to: \n-Get Writing by developing deep concentration to foster a state of creative flow. \n-Embrace Discomfort to better portray conflict on the page. \n-Keep Going by identifying and overcoming internal obstacles that masquerade as “writer’s block.” \n-Explore Emotions to deepen authenticity. \n-Engage Reality to refine the editing process with mindful awareness. \n-Find Equanimity to maintain resilience in the face of feedback and rejection. \nWhether you’re a seasoned author or just beginning your writing journey\, Sit Write Here offers a compassionate and practical framework to transform your writing practice. By embracing mindfulness\, writers can not only enhance their craft but also find greater fulfillment and joy in the creative process. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-april-davila-discusses-signs-sit-write-here-6-mindfulness-practices-to-help-you-write-more-and-suffer-less/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/april-davila-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260814T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260814T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T190925Z CREATED:20260806T190903Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T190925Z UID:10015765-1786734000-1786734000@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Bridget Morrissey discusses & signs In What World DESCRIPTION:Two high school rivals begrudgingly reunite as adults to investigate the disappearance of their beloved former teacher\, only to wind up traveling through a series of alternate realities together. \nTotal opposites\, Marlowe Jenkins and Priscilla Covington-French hated each other in high school. Now in their thirties\, Marlowe is barely scraping by while Priscilla is wildly successful. Their rivalry should be long dead\, yet both women remain connected through their mutual mentor\, drama teacher Dallas Winthrop. Their unending tension has nothing to do with the fact that they’ve kissed. More than once. \nWhen Dallas goes missing\, each woman believes she can figure out where he is. Except this is no ordinary disappearance. Dallas has found a way to explore alternate versions of reality. While trying to follow him\, Marlowe and Priscilla find other versions of themselves instead\, surprised to learn not all Marlowes and Priscillas are fueled by hate. In fact\, some Marlowes and Priscillas have very different strong feelings for one another. . . \nThe more Marlowe and Priscilla are forced to rely on each other\, the harder it becomes to ignore their simmering attraction. But with every alternate reality they search\, they only get further from their real life and responsibilities. Do they play it safe and hide behind their rivalry\, or take a chance on each other that could permanently change the world as they know it? URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/bridget-morrissey.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260813T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260813T190000 DTSTAMP:20260806T185317Z CREATED:20260806T185140Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T185317Z UID:10015764-1786647600-1786647600@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Kate Eberle discusses & signs If Books Could Kill DESCRIPTION:A NOVEL LOVE STORY meets LOVE IN THE TIME OF SERIAL KILLERS in this rom-com following Roxie Mitchell\, an adventure-loving romance reader who finds herself trapped in a meet-cute turned murderous \nWhen Roxie makes a tongue-in-cheek wish to live out the plot of her favorite author’s next novel\, she has romance in mind–namely\, the sweet\, safe\, swoon-worthy storylines Anna Matthews is known for. It should be a dream come true when her wish is granted and she finds herself swept into a first date with a handsome stranger who seems designed to take her breath away. \nExcept for one little hiccup: That handsome stranger tries to take her breath away. Literally. With a knife. The thing is\, Roxie may be the new Anna Matthews protagonist–but this time\, Anna is writing a crime thriller. \nThrown into a perilous genre she’s never read\, Roxie is desperate for help. So when her escape takes her straight into the path of Grant Hoffman\, an anxious English professor with a convenient love of crime novels\, she decides that kidnapping a grown man is a small price to pay for her own survival. Together\, Roxie and Grant navigate a madcap story in which the lines between fiction and reality blur. They’ll find out if they have what it takes to make it to The End–or maybe even Happily Ever After. \nKate Eberle studied journalism at Boston University before rediscovering her love of fiction. She lives and writes in Connecticut\, where she spends the rest of her time being the ultimate menace to society: a grown-up Theater Kid. If Books Could Kill is her first novel. \nElissa Sussman is the bestselling author of Totally and Completely Fine\, Once More with Feeling\, Funny You Should Ask\, and three young adult novels. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their many pets. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-kate-eberle-discusses-signs-if-books-could-kill/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Blog-Post-Header-.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260808T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260808T130000 DTSTAMP:20260709T234525Z CREATED:20260709T234525Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T234525Z UID:10015733-1786194000-1786194000@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Teen Mindfulness Workshop with Jamie D. Roberts DESCRIPTION:Join us in the Vroman’s Event Space for an afternoon of mindfulness\, creativity\, and self-expression designed just for teens! \nIn this free interactive event\, teens ages 13–18 will explore emotion regulation\, identity\, and the art of showing up authentically through a hands-on expressive art activity that is equal parts creative and meaningful. We all wear different masks depending on who we are around\, and this event allows us to explore these roles we play. What does it feel like to be fully yourself? Who do you let in? This is a space to reflect\, create\, and just breathe. No experience necessary\, just bring yourself. \nLeading the event is Jamie Roberts\, LMFT\, therapist\, author\, and the person behind @neurodivergenttherapist. Jamie has spent over fourteen years working with teens and is the author of Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety and Neurodiversity for Teen Girls\, two books written to help teens understand themselves better and feel a little less alone in the process. Both books will be available for purchase at the event. \nJamie is also the founder of Equilibrium Counseling Services\, a teen and young adult mental health center in Southern California where all identities and brains are celebrated. She also founded NeuroPebble\, a neuroaffirming clinical training platform. She is the Neurodivergent Therapist throughout social media and is an active speaker on neurodivergent\, teen and LGBTQIA+ topics. Jamie is inspired by Ayesha Saddiqi’s quote\, “Become the person you needed when you were younger.” \nFor more information about Jamie and her work: URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-teen-mindfulness-workshop-with-jamie-d-roberts/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore,Workshop ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/jamie-roberts-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260808T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260808T110000 DTSTAMP:20260709T234018Z CREATED:20260709T234018Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T234018Z UID:10015731-1786186800-1786186800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Summer Reading Program: End of Summer Celebration DESCRIPTION:Join Vroman’s Bookstore in the event space on August 6th at 11am for our last summer reading event of the season\, featuring special guest Heidi Moreno! Heidi will be reading from her new release\, But I’m a Pumpkin!: A Summerween Story\, and leading us in some fun arts and crafts! \nHeidi Moreno is a scary-cute enthusiast and a children’s book illustrator. She illustrated the recently published But I’m a Pumpkin!: A Summerween Story written by Kat Choppy\, So Many Questions: Abuela Becomes a US Citizen by Belen Medina as well as the part graphic novel The Chismosas Only Book Club by Laekan Zea Kemp. \nBe sure to stop by the Kid’s Info Desk from 11am-2pm to collect your prizes\, including free books and other rewards! If you are not able to make it in on this day\, we will continue to hand out prizes in the department while supplies last. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-summer-reading-program-end-of-summer-celebration/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,In-Person,Kids,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/website-event-image-18_0.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260807T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260807T190000 DTSTAMP:20260709T234303Z CREATED:20260709T234303Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T234303Z UID:10015732-1786129200-1786129200@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Ariel Delgado Dixon\, in conversation with Sam Cohen\, discusses & signs Sourland DESCRIPTION:A gripping\, propulsive novel about succession\, sex\, and revenge on a California marijuana farm \n“Deliciously written and compulsively readable . . . As the ex-lovers of a missing weed farmer grapple for control of her land and harvest\, they contend with the force of her presence and the complexities of their own pasts.”–Carmen Maria Machado\, author of In the Dream House and Her Body and Other Parties \nSapphire and her farm\, Sourland\, are fixtures of Northern California’s rugged wilderness\, offering refuge to rejects\, rebels\, and outcasts–anyone willing to work and learn. But the haven Sapphire has built is fractured when she suddenly goes missing\, her scorched truck abandoned on a mountain road. \nFrankie\, a disgraced ballerina and Sapphire’s former girlfriend and right-hand woman\, returns to Sourland\, claiming ownership of the farm. When she arrives\, Frankie finds that Fizz–Sapphire’s most recent lover\, an ex-baseball player with a preternatural green thumb–has already begun prepping Sourland for its biggest harvest yet. \nAs the two grapple for power\, the farm’s fate hangs in the balance\, and with it\, the future Fizz and Frankie each covet for themselves. Past demons and scorned admirers remain hauntingly close\, while the specter of Sapphire looms over the farm: in cryptic notes\, in bud-tender gossip\, in every blade of grass and whorl of smoke. \nA brilliantly constructed novel of desire and betrayal\, Sourland sparkles with the beauty and grime of the California woods. Dixon’s novel warns that our true nature catches up to us all–no matter how far we run. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-ariel-delgado-dixon-in-conversation-with-sam-cohen-discusses-signs-sourland/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ariel-delgado-dixon.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260805T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260805T190000 DTSTAMP:20260709T233721Z CREATED:20260709T233721Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T233721Z UID:10015730-1785956400-1785956400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: D.K. Furutani\, in conversation with Naomi Hirahara\, discusses & signs When Mikan Road Was Ours DESCRIPTION:Winner of Simon & Schuster’s Books Like Us contest\, a gripping\, sincere debut novel set across four generations of a Japanese American family living in California’s vibrant agricultural heartlands\, exploring the sharp edges of inheritance and what it means to truly belong. \nAmid a sweltering Los Angeles heat wave\, Murano\, a reclusive high school English teacher\, is muddling through life. Reeling from his father’s sudden death as well as his own recent cancer diagnosis\, he passes time hazily grading papers and appeasing disgruntled parents while counting down each day until summer vacation. \nThe monotony breaks when he inherits his great-uncle Benjiro’s unpublished memoir. What Murano expects to be a grim reminder of his position as the half-white son of the family’s outcast instead whisks him away to 1930s California\, to a time when the Murano family was inseparable\, relishing life together on their bucolic farm. As the memoir introduces him to relatives he never knew existed and unearths hidden complexities of the past\, Murano is pulled close to the Japanese identity he’s dismissed all of his life. Faced with the reality of his family’s dissolution\, Murano becomes determined to understand its breaking point following their incarceration in American concentration camps during World War II\, no matter what hidden truths he might uncover about his ancestors or himself. \nLovingly crafted with poignant and profound attention to historical detail\, When Mikan Road Was Ours is a rich meditation on belonging that seamlessly blends the intricacies of heritage\, the resilience of family bonds\, and the struggle to reconcile a past filled with both heartache and hope. \n  \nBorn and raised in Southern California\, D.K. Furutani is the author of When Mikan Road Was Ours\, winner of Simon & Schuster’s third-annual Books Like Us contest. His work has received support from the Periplus Collective and the Tin House workshops. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three cats. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-d-k-furutani-in-conversation-with-naomi-hirahara-discusses-signs-when-mikan-road-was-ours/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dk-furutani-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260802T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260802T210000 DTSTAMP:20260709T225708Z CREATED:20260709T225708Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T225708Z UID:10015728-1785657600-1785704400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Summer Sale July 25 - August 2 DESCRIPTION:Vroman’s Summer Sale starts on Saturday\, July 25th! Sale is located upstairs in the Vroman’s Event Space. All sales are final. May not be combined with other discounts. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-summer-sale-july-25-august-2-2/2026-08-02/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/summer-sale-2025-2_0.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260723T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260723T190000 DTSTAMP:20260615T221758Z CREATED:20260615T221758Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T221758Z UID:10015303-1784833200-1784833200@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Brooke Nevils discusses & signs Unspeakable Things: Silence\, Shame\, and the Stories We Choose to Believe DESCRIPTION:A powerful and personal examination of our most persistent and dangerous misunderstandings\, myths and stereotypes about sexual harassment and assault \nIn 2017\, Brooke Nevils made a confidential HR complaint about one of the most powerful and familiar faces in media. Twenty-four hours later\, the highest paid morning news anchor in history was fired\, stunning millions of Americans in one of the MeToo era’s defining stories. Demanding answers–and the intimate details of the most personal and painful humiliation of her life–the press soon discovered her identity. \nBut hers was not the kind of black-and-white story the media knew how to tell. There’d been no explicit threats. She hadn’t screamed\, fought\, or gone to the police. Instead\, she returned to her abuser again and again in a frantic attempt to “fix” an impossible situation that threatened her livelihood and the people closest to her. Yet as MeToo unfolded\, Brooke learned that messy stories like hers were far from the exception\, and that nearly everything she’d believed about sexual harassment and assault–and how victims react to it–was wrong. She began a yearslong effort to confront and understand her own experience\, not simply as a woman reckoning with her past\, but as a journalist confronting the critical questions that MeToo asked but ultimately left unanswered. \nThrough groundbreaking interviews with leading clinicians\, forensic professionals\, attorneys\, and frontline researchers\, Unspeakable Things challenges our understanding of consent\, power\, and the lingering\, often misunderstood effects of trauma and shame. Despite its rarefied setting at the height of fame\, power\, and American media\, Brooke’s story serves as a textbook example of an all-too-common scenario that continues to devastate lives and enable abusers. This book is a powerful re-examination of everything we think we know\, the start to a new conversation\, and–for anyone who has ever felt ashamed\, hopeless\, alone\, and afraid–a light in the dark. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-brooke-nevils-discusses-signs-unspeakable-things-silence-shame-and-the-stories-we-choose-to-believe/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/brooke-nevils.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260721T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260721T190000 DTSTAMP:20260615T221455Z CREATED:20260615T221455Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T221455Z UID:10015302-1784660400-1784660400@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Dr. Niki Elliott discusses & signs Heart-Centered Connections: Seven Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive DESCRIPTION:A transformative guide for anyone working with the child who is left out\, left behind\, or labeled “difficult.” \nHeart-Centered Connections teaches the best practices to support kids who are misunderstood and marginalized–those who are neurodivergent\, have a learning disability\, or are trauma survivors. They have extraordinary potential waiting to be unleashed. \nHeart-Centered Connections is based on decades of groundbreaking research with over 1\,000 child-serving professionals–principals\, teachers\, foster care program directors\, social workers\, and parents. Dr. Elliott offers seven pillars that will help you create environments where kids can achieve their full potential. Children mirror adults’ emotions\, which is why the first pillar is Self-Awareness. What is your state when you engage with the child? Other pillars include Interpersonal Awareness\, Neuroinclusive Spaces\, Activated Genius\, Engaged Learning\, Mindful Communication\, and Heart-Centered Repair. You will learn how to: \n– Increase your ability to handle stress so you remain composed when a child acts out \n– Establish stronger bonds\, even with kids who initially seem defiant \n– Teach in a way that creates joy and confidence \n– Design neuroinclusive environments in which youth of all abilities can flourish \n– View the child from a new perspective\, offering them choice and dignity \n– Help the child settle their nervous system state so they can focus and learn \nIn this practical book\, Dr. Elliott brings clear guidance and a hopeful message: when safety\, compassion\, and trust come first\, real learning can begin. Heart-Centered Connections shows you how to create that foundation. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-dr-niki-elliott-discusses-signs-heart-centered-connections-seven-essential-skills-for-helping-neurodiverse-and-marginalized-children-thrive/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/dr-niki-elliott.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260720T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260720T190000 DTSTAMP:20260615T215458Z CREATED:20260615T215458Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T215458Z UID:10015301-1784574000-1784574000@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Alicia Upano\, discusses & signs Everything to the Sea DESCRIPTION:Part riveting love story\, part coming-of-age tale\, Everything to the Sea is a breathtaking debut novel spanning years and shores after a sudden tsunami devastates the island of Hawai’i and cuts short a young couple’s budding romance—a deeply moving testament to the catastrophes love can endure. \nThis is how the story goes: Jane will fall in love. And then all of this will vanish. \nHome for one final summer\, Jane is working and saving cash for her senior year of college before she leaves her island town behind forever. At first\, she doesn’t remember Kenji\, but he quickly becomes someone she can’t forget: square jaw\, a dimple in his cheek. A Hilo boy. To Kenji\, she’s Janie\, nose perpetually buried in her old high school sketchbooks. Jane tells herself it’s only a fling—one perfect\, carefree summer\, on her way to achieving her dream of becoming an architect and moving to the continent. \nThen a tsunami sweeps their families out to sea\, and their all-consuming affair breaks with the weight of grief\, pulling them in opposite directions. Kenji remains in Hawai’i\, bound by duty to rebuild their hometown. Jane\, shattered by the loss\, follows her best friend to California. For seven years\, an ocean lies between them\, until Jane and Kenji meet on another coast . . . \nIn prose that sparkles like sun on the water\, Upano’s debut novel tells the unforgettable story of two young people as they come of age\, fall in love\, forge new families\, and try to find their way back together\, again and again. Everything to the Sea is a moving portrait of our ability to overcome even the most devastating tragedies\, when everything else is washed away. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/alicia-upano-discusses-signs-everything-to-the-sea/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/alicia-upano-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260719T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260719T160000 DTSTAMP:20260615T215117Z CREATED:20260615T215117Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T215117Z UID:10015300-1784476800-1784476800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Local Author Day Introducing Esma Ali\, Paul J. Ramirez & Kimberly Lee DESCRIPTION:Esma Ali presents Was Jesus A Narcissist?: A Muslim’s Defense of Jesus!\nAs a Christian\, I found this book thought provoking. Well-researched. It has helped me understand the Muslim mindset. I appreciate Esma’s use of Psychology in her illustrations. \n-Anne Nolty\, PhD\, Psychologist\, Pasadena\, CA. \nAs a Catholic\, I have immensely enjoyed the reading!!! Esma Ali brings out perspectives that have never crossed my mind. The book has enhanced an understanding of my own faith as well as Islam. Although I disagree with some of her statements\, I recommend this book. A good educational source for everyone! \n-Adolfo Sanchez\, Accountant \nAs a Bible Study Pastor\, I have grasped the Muslim viewpoint on scripture. This book has enhanced my knowledge. Esma Ali has demonstrated a thorough understanding of the Bible. \n-Jolene Cadenbach\, Pastor\, Arcadia Congregational Church \nAs a Muslim\, I value this book. Esma Ali has illuminated me about the Bible. Her work has enabled me to converse intelligently with Jews and Christians. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-local-author-day-introducing-esma-ali-paul-j-ramirez-kimberly-lee/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/local-authors-600-x-600-3_0.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260717T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260717T190000 DTSTAMP:20260615T214900Z CREATED:20260615T214900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T214900Z UID:10015299-1784314800-1784314800@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Michael Elias discusses & signs Bender’s L.A. DESCRIPTION:In the coke-dusted canyons and deal-making rooms of 1970s Los Angeles\, Bender’s L.A. follows writer David Bender as he sets out to remake his life – romantically\, professionally\, and spiritually – after his wife walks out in Puerto Vallarta with a single sentence and a suitcase. \nWhile the Vietnam War casts its shadow\, Bender runs afoul of Nixon’s FBI\, plays tennis with fugitive Abbie Hoffman\, arms himself against a homicidal producer\, and goes back in time to fall in love with a young Marilyn Monroe. Bender weaves through a world of players\, radicals\, writers and artists including a woman suspiciously like Eve Babitz. \nHaunted by his New York past and guided by his Sun Tzu-quoting agent Neil Navitz\, Bender begins to wonder whether success has cost him the things that mattered – or whether he ever truly possessed them. \nWith a comic edge\, Elias offers a bitter-sweet meditation on love\, memory\, and the moral compromise of the Hollywood illusion machine and the misfits it often mangles along the way. In this tragicomedy of nostalgia and recovery\, Bender prevails. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-michael-elias-discusses-signs-benders-l-a/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Community Event,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://playhousevillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/michael-elias-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260715T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260715T190000 DTSTAMP:20260615T213928Z CREATED:20260615T213928Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T213928Z UID:10015296-1784142000-1784142000@playhousevillage.org SUMMARY:Vroman's Bookstore: Fatimah Asghar discusses & signs Daughter of the Mountains: Poems of Heartbreak & Homecoming DESCRIPTION:A tender\, searching collection that breaks open notions of faith to ask how a daughter\, alienated from kin\, can find love and a home in the world\, from the award-winning author of If They Come for Us and When We Were Sisters \n“There is\, in Daughter of the Mountains\, an almost supernatural sense of connectedness\, compassion. It’s a blueprint and a manifesto. I sit in stunned gratitude at its guidance.”–Kaveh Akbar\, New York Times bestselling author of Martyr! \nat the edge of an edge \nis an edge. at that edge \nis a cliff. beyond that cliff \nis me. \nExiled from ancestral homelands\, how can one find a place for themself in the world? In this stunning sophomore collection\, the acclaimed poet Fatimah Asghar unweaves residual grief to reckon with their relationship to Allah\, long-estranged but deeply loved kin\, the landscape of their ancestors\, and love itself. \nIn meditative poems\, Daughter of the Mountains grapples with multiple facets of fulfillment\, betrayal\, love\, loss\, and longing\, illustrating how place\, lineage\, and environment inform the practice of spirituality and vice versa. With wisps of humor\, imagery that is as beautiful as it is startling\, and powerfully disruptive formal invention\, this is an intimately lyrical and explosive collection. URL:https://playhousevillage.org/event/vromans-bookstore-fatimah-asghar-discusses-signs-daughter-of-the-mountains-poems-of-heartbreak-homecoming/ LOCATION:Vroman’s Bookstore\, 695 E. Colorado Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91101\, United States CATEGORIES:Books,Free,In-Person,Vroman's Bookstore END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR