Vroman's Bookstore: Jennifer Chen, in conversation with Edward Underhill, discusses Hangry Hearts
2025-03-19 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Love, family, and food collide in this sparkling Romeo and Juliet-inspired romance.
Julie Wu and Randall Hur used to be best friends. Now they only see each other on Saturdays at the Pasadena Farmers Market where their once close families are long-standing rivals.
When Julie and Randall are paired with ultra-rich London Kim for a community-service school project, they are forced to work together for the first time in years. It quickly becomes obvious that London has a major crush on Julie. But Julie can’t stop thinking about Randall. And Randall can’t stop thinking about how London is thinking about Julie. Soon, prompted by a little jealousy and years of missing each other, school project meetings turn into pseudo dates at their favorite Taiwanese breakfast shop and then secret kisses at the beach—far from the watchful eyes of their families.
Just as they’re finally feeling brave enough to tell their grandmas, the two matriarchs rehash their old fight and Julie and Randall get caught in the middle and Julie’s brother finds out they are dating. Their families are heartbroken.
But it’s the Year of the Dragon, an auspicious time to resolve disagreements and start anew, and Randall isn’t going down without fighting for what—and who—they love. Could the Lunar New Year provide not only a second chance for Randall and Julie, but for their families as well?
Jennifer Chen’s Hangry Hearts is a funny, big-hearted romance about friendship, family, and first love—and being brave enough to have it all.

Vroman's Bookstore: Scaachi Koul, in conversation with Franchesca Ramsey, discusses & signs Sucker Punch: Essays
2025-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The long-awaited follow-up from one of the most original and hilarious voices writing today.
Scaachi Koul’s first book was a collection of raw, perceptive, and hilarious essays reckoning with the issues of race, body image, love, friendship, and growing up the daughter of immigrants. When the time came to start writing her next book, Scaachi assumed she’d be updating her story with essays about her elaborate four-day wedding, settling down to domestic bliss, and continuing her never-ending arguments with her parents. Instead, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Scaachi’s marriage fell apart, she lost her job, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Sucker Punch is about what happens when the life you thought you’d be living radically changes course, everything you thought you knew about the world and yourself has tilted on its axis, and you have to start forging a new path forward. Scaachi employs her biting wit to interrogate her previous belief that fighting is the most effective tool for progress. She examines the fights she’s had–with her parents, her ex-husband, her friends, online strangers, and herself–all in an attempt to understand when a fight is worth having, and when it’s better to walk away.

Boston Court: Giggle, Giggle, Quack with the Helix Collective
2025-03-22 11:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
Helix Collective’s delightful live musical story time event for ages 3-7 features Giggle, Giggle, Quack (the second book in the Click Clack Moo series by Doreen Cronin with illustrations by Betsy Lewin). The book is set to original music by Helix Collective resident composer, Phil Popham, and narrated by Broadway and T.V. actress Rena Strober. Come meet musicians, explore instruments, and hear Giggle, Giggle, Quack come to life!

Vroman's Bookstore: Matthew Burgess and Doug Salati present Words with Wings and Magic Things and Marla Frazee presents How Elegant the Elephant: Poems about Animals and Insects
2025-03-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Matthew Burgess and Doug Salati present Words with Wings and Magic Things
From award-winning author Matthew Burgess and Caldecott Medalist Doug Salati comes a spellbinding collection of poems for young readers that celebrates the power of words to awaken the imagination and alchemize the everyday. A gorgeous gift book for fans of Shel Silverstein with seven die-cut spreads throughout.
Beyond the doorway of the first page of this collection awaits a dragon piñata, an alligator on the A train, a hungry yeti, an ice cream dream, jetpack sneakers, midnight firelight, a gray day, a plump tomato, a serious question and so much more. Whether you’re feeling blue, lemon yellow or Day-Glo green, this inviting and magical book of poems takes young readers on an uplifting journey through everyday moments, moods and experiences, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. With enchanting illustrations throughout and seven die-cut portals that open into the realms of Welcome, Wonder, Wild, Weee!, Whoops & Wallops, Windows and Whispers & Well Wishes, Words With Wings and Magic Things explores how words can awaken us to a world of wonder and possibility. Step inside . . . and take flight!

Marla Frazee presents How Elegant the Elephant: Poems about Animals and Insects
A rollicking collection of poems about the enchanting world of animals and insects, from former children’s poet laureate and New York Times bestselling author Mary Ann Hoberman and Caldecott Honoree illustrator Marla Frazee.
So many kinds of animals
So many shapes and sizes
So many funny spots and dots
So many strange disguises
With her signature wordplay and wit, former children’s poet laureate Mary Ann Hoberman celebrates the magnificence, ingenuity, and quirky qualities of creatures big and small. This thoughtfully crafted collection features sixty of Mary Ann’s personal favorite poems curated from her sixty-five-year body of work, as well as eight new poems.
From a fine fat pig and backward running porcupines to a beastly card game and a yoga class for agile animals, this memorable menagerie is cunningly brought to life by three-time Caldecott Honoree Marla Frazee, in an imaginary world where the characters meet and tell an entertaining tale all their own.
A tour de force collection of poems and pictures by two legendary talents, this book creates a world that readers will never want to leave.

Vroman's Fiction Reading Group
2025-03-25 08:00 - 17:00 | CA
Description
INCLUDES A NEW INTRODUCTION BY PATRICK ROTHFUSS
Experience one of the most enduring classics of the twentieth century and the book that The Atlantic has called “one of the best fantasy novels ever.”
The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone…
…so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction….
In The Last Unicorn, renowned and beloved novelist Peter S. Beagle spins a poignant tale of love, loss, and wonder that has resonated with millions of readers around the world.
“Peter S. Beagle illuminates with his own particular magic.”—Ursula K. Le Guin
About the Author
Peter S. Beagle was born in 1939 and raised in the Bronx, just a few blocks from Woodlawn Cemetery, the inspiration for his first novel, A Fine and Private Place. Today, thanks to classic works such as The Last Unicorn, Tamsin and The Innkeeper’s Song, along with his forthcoming novel I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons, he is acknowledged as America’s greatest living fantasy author; and his dazzling abilities with language, characters, and magical storytelling have earned him many millions of fans around the world.
In addition to stories and novels Beagle has written numerous teleplays and screenplays, including the animated versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn, plus the fan-favorite “Sarek” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His nonfiction book I See By My Outfit, which recounts a 1963 journey across America on motor scooter, is considered a classic of American travel writing; and he is also a gifted poet, lyricist, and singer/songwriter.

Vroman's Bookstore: Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour discuss Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival
2025-03-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
In Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival, New York Times bestselling authors Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour tell the no-holds-barred history of the iconic music festival. Through hundreds of new interviews with artists, tour founders, festival organizers, promoters, publicists, sideshow freaks, stage crews, record label execs, reporters, roadies and more, Lollapalooza chronicles the tour’s pioneering 1991-1997 run, and, in the process, alternative rock’s rise – as well as the reverberations that led to a massive shift in the music industry and the culture at large.
Lollapalooza features original interviews with some of the biggest names in music, including Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Ice-T, Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, Patti Smith, Alice in Chains, Metallica and many more.
Conceived by Farrell as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction, Lollapalooza’s inaugural outing across the U.S. in the summer of 1991 helped to coalesce an ideology and aesthetic that not only washed over popular music but seeped into fashion, film, television, literature, food, politics and more. Throughout the decade, Lollapalooza offered a vast and diverse ensemble of bands, breaking barriers of genre and uniting alternative rock, heavy metal, punk, hip-hop, industrial, goth, avant-garde, spoken word, electronic dance music, and other styles under one big tent, and setting the template for the modern American music festival and the scores of other contemporary destination fests that are now an integral part of how audiences experience live music.
Unorthodox not just in music, Lollapalooza also spotlighted visual arts, nonprofit organizations, political outfits, and even the occasional freak show, offering a tantalizing cocktail of culture, art, and activism that, taken together, defined the alternative mindset that dominated the 1990s. Echoes of its impact reverberate strongly today – cemented by annual sell-outs at destination events worldwide, an estimated 400,000 attendees at the flagship Chicago fest each summer, and a spot among the world’s largest and longest-running music festivals.
A nostalgic look back at 1990s music and culture, Lollapalooza traces the festival’s groundbreaking origins, following the tour as it progresses through the decade and documenting the action onstage, backstage, and behind-the-scenes in detailed, uncensored, and sometimes shocking first-person accounts. This is the story of Lollapalooza and the 1990s alternative rock revolution.

SCCM: Story & Craft
2025-03-26 10:30 - 23:00 | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
At Southern California Children’s Museum, Story & Craft brings stories to life through arts, crafts, and interactive play! Designed for toddlers to kindergarteners, this weekly program introduces children to diverse authors, illustrators, cultures, and characters through storytelling, music, and hands-on creativity. Cultural lessons are woven in, celebrating heritage months and awareness days in a fun and engaging way.

Vroman's Bookstore: Silvia Park, in conversation with Jonny Sun, discusses Luminous
2025-03-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Prescient yet timeless, perfect for fans of Klara and the Sun and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, this highly anticipated, sweeping debut set in a unified Korea tells the story of three estranged siblings—two human, one robot—as they collide against the backdrop of a murder investigation to settle old scores and make sense of their shattered childhood.
“I once had a family. At least, the earliest version of me had a family.”
In a reunified Korea of the near future, the sun beats down on a junkyard filled with abandoned robots, broken down for parts. Eleven-year-old Ruijie sifts through the scraps, searching for a piece that might support her failing body. There among the piles of trash, something catches her eye: a robot boy—so lifelike and strange, unlike anything she’s ever seen before.
Siblings Jun and Morgan haven’t spoken for years. When they were children, their brother Yoyo disappeared suddenly, leaving behind only distant memories of his laughter and near-human warmth. Yoyo—an early prototype of a humanoid robot designed by their father—was always bound for something darker and more complex. Now Morgan makes robots for a living and is on the verge of losing control of her most important creation. Jun is a detective with the Robot Crimes Unit whose investigation is digging up truths that want to stay buried. And whether they like it or not, Ruijie’s discovery will thrust their family back together in ways they could have never imagined.
At once a thrilling work of speculative fiction and a poignant exploration of what it really means to be human, Luminous is an unforgettably brilliant debut.

Vroman's Bookstore: Brian Castleberry and Laura Warrell discuss The Californians
2025-03-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
It’s 2024, and Tobey Harlan—college dropout, temporary waiter, recently dumped—steals from the wall of his father’s house three paintings by the venerated and controversial artist Di Stiegl. Tobey’s just lost everything he owns to a Northern California wildfire, and if he can sell the paintings (albeit in a shady way to a notorious tech bro) he can start life anew in a place no one will ever find him, perhaps even Oregon.
A hundred years before, Klaus Aaronsohn—German-Jewish immigrant, resident of the Lower East Side—inveigled his way into a film studio in Astoria, Queens. In love with silent cinema, Klaus will restyle himself Klaus von Stiegl, a mysterious aristocratic German film director. In true Hollywood fashion, he will court fame, fortune, romance, and betrayal, and end his career directing Brackett: a radical, notorious 60s-era detective show.
Weaving between Tobey and Klaus is the story of Diane “Di” Stiegl: Klaus’s granddaughter, raised in Palm Springs, who claws out a career as an artist in gritty 1980s NYC. As America yields the presidency to a Hollywood cowboy, as Diane’s grifter father and free-spirited mother circle in and out of her life, Diane will reflect America’s most urgent and hypocritical years back to itself, uneasily finding critical adoration as well as great fame and wealth.
A dazzling novel for readers of Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter and The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, The Californians is an ambitious and sweeping journey across a century. Nuanced and textured, gloriously funny, a critical portrait of the collective American consciousness that has brought us to today, it showcases Brian Castleberry as an inventive, stylish storyteller and a sharp observer of the human condition.

Vroman's Bookstore: Gabriela Orozco Belt, in conversation with Mirelle Ortega, discusses I Am, Yo Soy
2025-03-29 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From the author of Only for a Little While comes a lyrical bilingual picture book about the beauty of being part of two cultures.
I’m from here y soy de allá.
With lyrical text in English and Spanish, this vibrant picture book is a celebration of Hispanic American identity—showcasing the beauty of being part of two cultures. Author Gabriela Orozco Belt and Pura Belpré Award Honor Book illustrator Mirelle Ortega honor all the big and small ways that embracing both heritages are the key to being exactly who you’re meant to be.
Gabriela Orozco Belt is a Costa Rican American writer who knows about family, change, and love. She has a large, loving family, and while she moved often as a child, she now calls the Mojave Desert home. Gabriela is a school librarian and Only for a Little While is her debut picture book. You can visit Gabriela at gabrielabelt.com.
Mirelle Ortega is an award-winning Mexican artist and writer for kidlit and animation based in Los Angeles, California. She is the author-illustrator of River of Mariposas and Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, for which she received a 2023 Pura Belpré Award Illustration Honor and an International Latino Book Award bronze medal.

Vroman's Bookstore: Ron Currie discusses The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne
2025-03-31 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A mythic, propulsive novel about the tangled fates of a matriarchal crime family in Maine.
Your ancestors breathe through you. Sometimes, they call for vengeance.
Babs Dionne, proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a Marine vet struggling with addiction.
When a drug kingpin discovers that his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs’s youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn’t seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath.
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne is a crime saga like no other, with a ferocious matriarch at its bruised, beating heart. With sharp wit and profound empathy, award-winning author Ron Currie, delivers an unforgettable novel exploring love, retribution, and the ancestral roots that both nurture and trap us.

Vroman's Bookstore: Nia Imara discusses & signs Painting the Cosmos: How Art and Science Intersect to Reveal the Secrets of the Universe
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A stunning portrait of our vast, dynamic, and mysterious universe . . . as seen through the lenses of astronomy and art
What is our place in the universe? Where do art and science overlap? How can we use these disciplines to better understand the universe, and how do they help us shape our reality? In Painting the Cosmos, astrophysicist and visual artist Nia Imara combines these perspectives to comprehensively illustrate the history of the universe and our position in it.
In this eye-opening and accessible book, Imara asks pivotal questions and explores humanity’s ever-evolving view of nature. Richly illustrated with spectacular full-color images of our universe and beautiful work from creators around the world–particularly the often-neglected work of women and Black artists–this one-of-a-kind book unites the realms of art, science, and culture to create a dynamic portrait of the cosmos.
From the Big Bang to life on other planets– while also explaining the most exciting recent developments in astronomy– with Imara’s guiding expertise, readers will explore:
The limits of objectivity in understanding reality The role of harmony and rhythm in the universe and art How light functions as a storyteller How scientists and artists help us “see” the invisible–from black holes to marginalized experiences The possibility of life beyond our solar system, and how we define intelligence
Painting the Cosmos will captivate and inspire you to see the world around you in a brand new, fascinating light where space and art are beautifully intertwined.

Vroman's Bookstore: Ice House Comedy: Wednesday's at the DL w/ DL Hughley & friends
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Famed comedian DL Hughley is bringing a one-of-a-kind residency to the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena, CA this summer. Billed as “Wednesdays at the DL with DL Hughley and Friends”, the show will be a weekly show every Wednesday night at 8:00pm. Hosted by DL himself, the night will feature a variety of hilarious comedians, both established and upcoming. LIVE IN THE LEGENDARY ROOM! Ice House doors open at 7:00pm. Show Starts at 8pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat in the showroom.

Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - Patti Callahan Henry, in conversation with Julia Whelan, discusses and signs The Story She Left Behind
2025-04-03 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.
In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more insatiable: her beautiful mother.
By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.
Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.
About the author
Patti Callahan Henry is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several novels, including Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year Award, and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She is the cohost and cocreator of the popular weekly online live web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. She lives in Alabama and South Carolina with her family. Find out more at PattiCallahanHenry.com.

This is a ticketed in-store event. Tickets include one seat/entry and one copy of The Story She Left Behind which will be handed out at check-in.

Vroman's Bookstore: Alwyn Hamilton, in conversation with Victoria Aveyard, discusses The Notorious Virtues
2025-04-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Please note: an RSVP does not guarantee seating if we reach capacity. Please plan on arriving early. A purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible.

Image

Bestselling Rebel of the Sands author Alwyn Hamilton is back with a glittering fantasy thriller about a glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.
This gorgeous hardcover first edition features emerald-hued edges, creating a lush look for this stunning fantasy.
At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.
But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent where she’d abandoned her, Lotte goes from being an orphan to being surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.
And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. The only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.
While the dangers of the Veritaz competition threaten each of the Holtzfall girls, and the stark class differences turn political outrage to terrifying violence–the new cousins must fight to stay alive, no matter what.
Incredible tests, impossible choices, and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

Ice House Comedy: Adrienne I. Al M. Jodi M. Bassem Y.
2025-04-04 19:30 - 21:00 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy Club presents Adrienne I. Al M. Jodi M. Bassem Y. Live in the Legendary Room. Ice House doors open at 6:30pm. The show Starts at 7:30pm. 21+ with a 2-item minimum per seat.

Ice House Comedy: DoKnow & Concrete
2025-04-04 20:00 - 21:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents DoKnow & Concrete. LIVE IN THE CALIFORNIA ROOM! **21+ only with a 2-item minimum per seat in the showroom**
DoKnow is a young comedian who made his rise throughInstagram/TikTok videos and took over the internet. Most known for his funny, crazy thoughts on real life situations, relationships, and more. He’s also part of the Brown Bag Podcast, Figgmunity Worl,d and more.

Ice House Comedy: DoKnow & Concrete
2025-04-04 22:00 - 23:30 | Ice House Comedy Club, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91106
Ice House Comedy presents DoKnow & Concrete! Live in the Califrornia Room! 2-drink minimum required!

Vroman's Bookstore: Pasadena Conservatory of Music presents Musical Storytime: The Bunny Rabbit Show by Sandra Boynton
2025-04-05 11:30 - 12:30 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The Pasadena Conservatory of Music will be putting on a special musical storytime with the featured book: The Bunny Rabbit Show by Sandra Boynton. Caregivers and children aged 3-9 will enjoy the story, craft activities, creative movement, and a mini-concert!

Vroman's Bookstore: Stephen Witt discusses & signs The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip
2025-04-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible.
“Stephen Witt’s deep reporting shines through every page of The Thinking Machine. The result is a page-turning biography of perhaps the most consequential CEO and company in the world.” –David Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of Range
Nvidia is as valuable as Apple and Microsoft. It has shaped the world as we know it. But its story is little known. This is the definitive story of the greatest technology company of our times.
In June of 2024, thirty-one years after its founding in a Denny’s restaurant, Nvidia became the most valuable corporation on Earth. The Thinking Machine is the astonishing story of how a designer of video game equipment conquered the market for AI hardware, and in the process re-invented the computer.
Essential to Nvidia’s meteoric success is its visionary CEO Jensen Huang, who more than a decade ago, on the basis of a few promising scientific results, bet his entire company on AI. Through unprecedented access to Huang, his friends, his investors, and his employees, Witt documents for the first time the company’s epic rise and its single-minded and ferocious leader, now one of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures.
The Thinking Machine is the story of how Nvidia evolved to supplying hundred-million-dollar supercomputers. It is the story of a determined entrepreneur who defied Wall Street to push his radical vision for computing, becoming one of the wealthiest men alive. It is the story of a revolution in computer architecture, and the small group of renegade engineers who made it happen. And it’s the story of our awesome and terrifying AI future, which Huang has billed as the ‘next industrial revolution, ‘ as a new kind of microchip unlocks hyper-realistic avatars, autonomous robots, self-driving cars, and new movies, art, and books, generated on command.
This is the story of the company that is inventing the future.

Vroman's Bookstore: Jennifer E. Smith discusses Fun For the Whole Family
2025-04-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A breathtaking, joy-filled novel about the people we love, the secrets we keep, and the enduring power of family, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.
“A glorious novel of love in all its forms–familial, romantic, lost, and found. Jennifer E. Smith is a ray of literary sunshine.”–Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street
The four Endicott siblings–Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude–were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.
Decades later, the unthinkable has happened: the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years . . . until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma, who put her own ambitions aside to raise the others, now isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother herself; Connor, a celebrated novelist, is floundering after his recent divorce and suffering from an epic case of writer’s block; and Roddy, at the tail end of a professional soccer career, is dangerously close to losing his future husband for the chance at one last season.
Jude is the only Endicott who seems to have it all together–but appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds, and the siblings wrestle with their shared past and uncertain futures, they’ll discover that Jude has been keeping three secrets . . . each of which could change everything.
A captivating journey and an ode to forgiveness that takes readers across all fifty states, Fun for the Whole Family brims with heart and resonates long after the final page.

Vroman's Bookstore: Blood Drive
2025-04-10 09:00 - 15:30 | Vroman’s Bookstore
The Huntington Health mobile blood donation team is pop-up at Vroman’s Bookstore get out and donate blood!

Thursday, April 10 – 9am – 3:30pm
Vroman’s Book Store
695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91101
Please scan the QR code to sign up.

Pasadena Heritage: The Dr. Robert Winter Memorial Lecture and Reception
2025-04-10 18:30 - 20:30 | Blinn House, 160 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Join Pasadena Heritage for an evening celebrating the legacy of Dr. Robert Winter, a renowned architectural historian and advocate for historic preservation. This year’s lecture will highlight the enduring significance of historic tile, including the iconic work of Ernest Batchelder and recent efforts to rescue and preserve these artistic treasures.
Our featured speakers include:

Anuja Navare, Director of Collections, Pasadena Museum of History – Anuja will discuss the Batchelder Tile Registry, offering insights into Batchelder’s impact on Pasadena’s architectural landscape and the broader Arts & Crafts movement.
Stanley Zucker and Amy Green of Save The Tiles – Zucker will discuss the collective efforts to salvage and preserve historic tile, including Batchelder pieces, following the Eaton Fire in Altadena.

Following the discussion, guests are invited to a reception where they can connect with speakers and fellow preservation enthusiasts.
This program honors the life and work of Dr. Robert Winter, whose scholarship and passion for preservation continue to inspire efforts to protect Pasadena’s architectural heritage.
🎨 Special Announcement: Art Unveiling at 8:00 PM!
We are thrilled to announce that this year’s event will include a special unveiling of the official artwork for the 2025 Pasadena Heritage Bridge Party, happening Saturday, July 19, 2025. Join us at 8:00 PM as we reveal this one-of-a-kind piece created by renowned Pasadena native Kristopher Doe—an artist whose work captures the spirit of Pasadena and the enduring charm of the Colorado Street Bridge.
A graduate of Art Center College of Design and a lifelong artist and educator, Kris Doe is known for his richly detailed work inspired by California Impressionism, pop culture, and disappearing Americana. His family has been part of Pasadena’s preservation story, maintaining historic bungalow court units in the Villa Park neighborhood for generations.
✨ Watch for the official ‘Save the Date’ announcement for the 2025 Bridge Party—coming soon!
RSVP Required | Space is Limited
We will host a cocktail reception following the presentation to toast to the late Dr. Robert Winter. Martinis (Dr. Winter’s cocktail of choice) and light hors d’oeuvres will be served.
You are invited to join us in person or virutally for this special program! The lecture will be live-streamed via YouTube.
DR. ROBERT WINTER
Dr. Robert Winter was a gift to us and the cause of historic preservation nationwide – his teaching, writing, critical eye, and witty commentary still influence what we do and how we look at historic places. He led the way in creating Pasadena’s preservation ordinance and commission and supported us, educated us, and urged us to be a strong voice for the architectural legacy that surrounds us. The first Dr. Robert Winter Memorial Lecture was held during Craftsman Weekend in 2019 after his passing and is a lasting tribute to his impact on historic preservation communities both near and far. He would be thrilled to know that Pasadena Heritage now resides in the historic Blinn House, designed by Chicago architect George Washington Maher.

USC PAM: Pushing the Boundaries of Traditional Art Forms: Young Joon Kwak, Rafa Esparza, and Jennifer Ling Datchuk
2025-04-11 18:30 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
ADMISSION:
Admission is free. Reservations required.
RSVP
DESCRIPTION:
In a wide-ranging conversation moderated by L.A.–based art historian Danielle Shang, artists Young Joon Kwak, Rafa Esparza, and Jennifer Ling Datchuk will share insights into their creative processes and discuss how they push the boundaries of traditional art forms through the innovative use of unique and unusual materials, as well as the challenges they face in working with unconventional mediums.
This event is inspired by the USC Pacific Asia Museum’s newest exhibition, Cai Guo-Qiang: A Material Odyssey, which explores the transformative potential of diverse materials in contemporary art.
Bios:
Rafa Esparza was born and raised in Los Angeles and received a BA from UCLA in 2011. Solo and two-person exhibitions have been held at Commonwealth and Council, Mexico City (2024); Artists Space, New York (2023); Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles (2021); MASS MoCA, North Adams (2019); ArtPace, San Antonio (2018); and Ballroom Marfa (2017). Esparza’s work is in the collections of Aïshti Foundation, Beirut; Dallas Museum of Art; Kadist Art Foundation; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; San Jose Museum of Art; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Vincent Price Art Museum, Monterey Park; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Born in Queens, NY, and based in Los Angeles, Young Joon Kwak received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007, an MA from the University of Chicago in 2010, and an MFA from USC in 2014. They are the founder of Mutant Salon, a queer-transfem-BIPOC collective beauty salon and collaborative art and performance platform. They are also the lead performer of the drag-electronic-dance-noise band Xina Xurner. Their work has been widely exhibited at galleries and museums internationally, including at the Hammer Museum’s biennial exhibition Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living. Their next solo exhibition, Resistance Pleasure, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in August 2024, with another major exhibition following at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York in 2025.
Artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk was born in Warren, OH, and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her work is an exploration of her layered identity—as a woman, a Chinese woman, as an “American,” as a third culture kid. Trained in ceramics, Datchuk works with porcelain and other materials often associated with traditional women’s work, such as textiles and hair, to discuss fragility, beauty, femininity, intersectionality, identity, and personal history. Her work is in the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, San Antonio Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. She is an assistant professor of ceramics at Arizona State University and lives and maintains a studio practice in Phoenix, AZ.
Danielle Shang (moderator) is a Los Angeles–based art historian, exhibition organizer, and artistic director at Cc Art Foundation, where she has shaped the collection and programs to focus on the Global South and Asian diasporas. Her research delves into the impact of globalization, urban renewal, social change, and class restructuring on artmaking and the narrative of art history. Shang has been a guest lecturer and speaker at institutions including the Hammer Museum, USC, UCLA, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, as well as institutions in Asia. Her upcoming publications include a monograph on Huma Bhabha and a catalog for Minerva Cuevas, and future exhibitions include solo shows by Mexican artist Minerva Cuevas, Indonesian artist Julian Abraham Togar, and Chinese artist Liu Wei.
Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Pacific Asia Museum.

OH LA LA — Restaurant & Bakery: Bubbles: Fancy, But Make it fun
2025-04-12 16:00 - 18:00 | OH LA LA — Restaurant & Bakery, 921 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, California, 91101, United States
Oh La La Restaurant and Bakery invites guests to an afternoon of exceptional sparkling wines, laughter, and great company on Saturday, April 12, from 4–6 PM. Hosted by beloved sommelier Matteo—known for his fun anecdotes, cool wine facts, and signature French-Italian charm—this lively tasting offers a sparkling experience like no other.
Guests will enjoy pours of the finest Champagne, Prosecco, and Crémant, perfectly paired with shared appetizers crafted by Oh La La’s kitchen. Pop, sip, and discover why not all bubbles are created equal.

USC PAM: Free 2nd Sunday@PAM: Teen Takeover
2025-04-13 11:00 - 17:00 | USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Join USC Pacific Asia Museum for a fun afternoon of activities designed by the USC PAM Teen Ambassadors! Enjoy artmaking, anime portraits, live music, and more. Snap a photo at our custom photo booth and go on a gallery scavenger hunt. FREE boba milk tea while supplies last!
Don’t miss your chance to see our student exhibition, “Past, Present, Future”, inspired by the explosive work in the special exhibition, Cai Guo-Qiang: A Material Odyssey.
This event is FREE and open to all ages and includes admission to the galleries.
Schedule of Activities:
11:00 am – 5:00 pm – “Past, Present, Future” student art exhibition
11:00 am – 3:30 pm – Calligraphy and Brush Painting
11:00 am – 3:30 pm – Zine Creation Station
11:00 am – 3:30 pm – Collaborative Poetry
11:00 am – 3:30 pm – Altadena Library Mobile
11:00 am – 4:00 pm – Rice Balls of Fire Food Truck (*for purchase)
12:00 pm – Storytime
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Anime Portrait (*limited availability)
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Photobooth
3:00 pm – Dance by Rangashree Dances of India

Pasadena Heritage: The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
2025-04-13 15:30 - 17:30 | Blinn House, 160 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Come to the magical Blinn House for The Mad Hatter’s Tea with Alice and her Looking Glass friends. It will include a fantasy tea party for two filled with gourmet tea time foods, tea/lemonade, sweets, a photobooth, magic, costumed characters, and stories served up with whimsy. Family Memberships and Golden Tickets get early ticket-buying opportunities—no discounts are available for this event.
$65 for two seats (plus fees): one adult over 16 and one child (4-12 years old). However, please bring a stuffed animal, doll, or imaginary friend that doesn’t require an extra seat. All children must be escorted. Fancy Dress or Cosplay is encouraged.
Only 32 tickets will be sold! (64 seats) First come, first served with early buying for Family and Golden Ticket Members.

Pasadena Heritage is thrilled to have ID-Eclair and La Cave as our generous sponsors for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!
✨ ID-Eclair is a charming French-inspired plant-based bakery and salon de thé, offering exquisite pastries crafted by Chef Romuald “Romy” Guiot, a fourth-generation pastry chef and finalist on the Spring Baking Championship. Known for their vegan viennoiserie, delicate macarons, and decadent éclairs, ID-Eclair is a must-visit for those who appreciate fine French pâtisserie. Now open in Pasadena!
🍷 La Cave is a sophisticated yet inviting wine bar specializing in organic, biodynamic, and vegan wines from both local and international producers. Paired with artisanal French dishes, La Cave is the perfect spot to enjoy a refined yet relaxed dining experience.
📍 Visit them at 169 & 163 W. Green Street, Pasadena, CA
📲 Follow @ideclairlosangeles | @lacavepasadena

Vroman's Bookstore: Ann Whitford Paul discusses If Animals Celebrated Easter
2025-04-14 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A must-have for any nursery! If Animals Celebrated Easter is another charming picture book in the bestselling If Animals Kissed Goodnight series that imagines springtime celebration from creatures all across the animal kingdom – making it a perfect gift for Easter baskets.
What if animals did what YOU do?
Colt would weave a basket of hay. Calf would splat-splatter his eggs with spots. Mama and Lamb would lead their friends in a parade. All the farm animals would celebrate Easter in their own special way.
Featuring playful rhymes and adorable art, little ones can see how creatures, great and small, celebrate Easter. Families will giggle along as they imagine the critters that inhabit places near and far. A wonderful gift for baby showers, birthdays, new parents, or any occasion!
Don’t miss the other books in this adorable series: If Animals Kissed Good Night, If Animals Said I Love You, If Animals Celebrated Christmas, If Animals Went to School, If Animals Gave Thanks, If Animals Tried to Be Kind, If Animals Trick-or-Treated, and If Animals Went to Work.ree

Vroman's Bookstore: Mark Whicker & Bill Plunkett discuss & sign their new books Don Drysdale: Up and in: The Life of a Dodgers Legend and L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages
2025-04-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Larger than Life. In the history of American sports, rare is the athlete who fits that description better than Don Drysdale. On the mound, the towering 6-foot-5 righthander intimidated National League hitters for more than a decade, amassing career totals of 209 wins, 2,486 strikeouts…and hitting 154 batters, a stat he lead the major leagues in four times. Off the field, Drysdale’s personality dominated every room he walked into. With a smile as immense as the sun, Drysdale’s contemporaries included Frank Sinatra and Howard Cosell. In Up and In, longtime Orange County Register sportswriter Mark Whicker takes readers on a remarkable journey through Drysdale’s life and career. Featuring exclusive interviews with Drysdale’s teammates, broadcasting, and colleagues, this new biography paints a complete portrait of an unparalleled baseball life – from Drysdale’s early years in Van Nuys to his sudden passing in 1993 at age 56.
Mark Whicker began his career as a sportswriter in 1974 and worked for SCNG newspapers from 1987 until his retirement in 2022. He was selected for induction to the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame in 2020.

Vroman's Bookstore: Sam Lumley and Daryl Wood Gerber discuss their new books How to Have a Killer Time in DC and Essence of Foul Play
2025-04-15 08:00 - 17:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A young, gay, autistic travel writer takes a head-spinning detour when murder and romance unbalance his well-planned life and career in this fun, quirky debut mystery . . .
For twenty-four-year-old Oliver Popp, autism is just another fact of life. As long as Oliver sticks to a comfortable itinerary planned well in advance, he gets by just fine as a staff writer for Offbeat Traveler magazine. But a curveball drops into Oliver’s budding career when his first feature assignment takes him to Washington, DC, to chronicle the latest tourism trends.
His freelance project photographer is Ricky Warner, a gregarious and impulsively adorable shot of adrenaline. If the flirty gay photographer isn’t enough to unbalance shy Oliver at the get-go, there’s also an unsettling chance encounter with old acquaintance, Elise Perkins, and a congressional hearing that’s shaking up both the capitol and an entrepreneurial billionaire. The unexpected distractions soon collide–quite literally–when Elise is struck dead by a speeding car. Funny how she didn’t move and didn’t scream. She just stared it down like she knew it was coming. Forget the National Mall and Mt. Vernon Square. Oliver and Ricky are game for something much more interesting: solving a mystery and a murder.
With their focus shifted and a deadline coming, they only have a few days to solve the crime. For Oliver, it’s a weeks of firsts: first crush, first time without a schedule, first time playing amateur sleuth, and first time getting wrestled out of his comfort zone. But with a loosey-goosey new partner like Ricky, that might not be such a bad thing at all.

Emma Brennan may have her head in a cloud of eucalyptus, but her feet are firmly planted on the ground in breathtaking Carmel, California, as she prepares to open her new spa business, Aroma Wellness. But all the reiki, shiatsu, and massage in the world can’t help her relax when she’s accused of murder . . .
Everything is going smoothly as Emma prepares for the grand opening of the spa. The therapy rooms are painted. The sales shop and café are stocked with meditative and delicious goodies, from essential oils to avocado masks and prickly pear massages. The fountain in the Courtyard of Peace is burbling with good vibrations. In fact, there isn’t a whiff of trouble until that morning when Emma is shocked to learn that a rival spa owner has been bludgeoned . . . with an item from the goodwill basket Emma gave her. Worse, a witness is pointing the finger at Emma . . .
With the police treating Emma like she’s the only suspect, and the town’s anti New Age anything posse
badmouthing her every step of the way, she’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Incensed by the accusations but empowered by her cousin, her nana, and her trusted Birman cat, Vivi, Emma reviews the potpourri of possible suspects, determined to uncover the essence of foul play–before she’s cold-pressed for murder . . .
