Playhouse Village Association

Third@First: Hers: Music Ensemble
2026-05-16 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
A newly formed group dedicated to the empowerment and uplifting of female identifying musical artists. This concert, featuring award-winning vocalists Karen Hogle Brown and Tamara Bevard and pianist Jennie Jung, will present vocal selections by celebrated LA female composers including Reena Esmail, Zanaida Robles, Dale Trumbore and many more.

Vroman's Bookstore: Local Author Day (Young Readers Edition) Introducing Susana Porras & Matt Bolinger
2026-05-17 11:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Susana Porras presents Danny’s Trails
Danny’s Trails: Mossley, England, is loosely based on a true story and is filled with youthful creativity, and lessons in inner awakening, and mindfulness. This children’s book is appropriate for children ages 6-9. Consequently, the story’s imaginative use of real landmarks, walkable trail, and map makes it engaging for readers of all ages.
Matt Bolinger presents Dino Babies in Space
From deep within the primordial bog emerges… the debut Graphic Novel of the Dino Babies comic series!!! There’s a rock barreling through space at about a million miles per hour about to collide with Earth and cause the most catastrophic climate event the world has ever known!! But in the deep recesses of a secret government facility, a group of renegade dino scientists has kidnapped an elite group of dino babies. Follow along as Brik, Luna, Chonk, and Yo-Yo begin their journey through the farthest reaches of space in a last-ditch effort to find a new homeworld. What kind of strange creatures, and crazy adventures will they have along the way??

Boston Court NPRF26: The Frankenstein Project
2026-05-17 14:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
In 1816, Mary Shelley grieves her lost child and conjures a creature and his godlike creator in her masterpiece, Frankenstein. In the present, Mary Lattimore mourns her mother and begins an unlikely friendship with a sentient AI robot her father has created and brought home. The Frankenstein Project is about the monsters we battle, the monsters we create, and the monsters we (sometimes) are.

Archetype Yoga: Community Appreciation Week
2026-05-18 10:00 - 20:30 | CA
Mark your calendars: May 18th-23rd. A week dedicated to the people who make our studio what it is. Join us for special classes, giveaways, and a few surprises along the way.
➡️ Members + Class Pack holders are automatically entered into a raffle for prizes. You’ll receive an email letting you know!
➡️ Treats after class.
➡️ Special classes to be announced! Stay Tuned
➡️ Looking for a new community? Join us starting May 18th

Vroman's Bookstore: Tiffany Ezuma discusses & signs Major Gift: An 831 Stories Romance
2026-05-18 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The widow of a tech mogul is determined to give her wealth away–and keep one secret from the journalist tasked with telling her story. A hot new take on the billionaire romance.
When Ndidi Davis’s husband unexpectedly dies, she’s left bereft–and with $2.1 billion in the bank. She channels her grief into launching a charitable foundation, but the endeavor is made more complicated by Geoffrey Campbell, an ambitious, perceptive journalist assigned to profile her philanthropic pursuit. Geoffrey’s reporting slowly uncovers Ndidi’s whole heart–and some parts of her past she’s worked hard to keep out of the public eye.

Vroman's Bookstore: Alyssa Villaire discusses & signs The Neon Sky
2026-05-19 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
For fans of Stephanie Garber and Maggie Stiefvater comes the bewitching sequel to The Glittering Edge, where magic is real, witches make irresistible boyfriends, and keeping secrets is dangerous–but not as dangerous as the truth.
Penny Emberly didn’t expect to fall head over heels for Alonso De Luca last summer–or to discover that he’s a witch. Together with their friend Corey Barrion, they managed to save her mother from a deadly spell. Now autumn has arrived, and Penny believes they can take on anything.
But darkness is descending on the small town of Idlewood. Corey is desperate to undo the bloody legacy that made his family rich. The price, however, is steep: to unravel the magical bargain made by his grandfather, Corey must take a life.
As Corey wrestles with an impossible choice, Alonso begins to change. The more he pushes the limits of his magic, the more volatile, violent, and possessive he becomes. When tragedy strikes one of their classmates, the trio is forced to confront a terrifying question: is Alonso being consumed by something that’s bent on the destruction of everyone around him–especially Penny and Corey?
As supernatural forces drive them apart, Penny, Corey, and Alonso must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice before more blood is spilled–even if it means losing each other.

Vroman's Bookstore: Natalie Lemle discusses & signs Artifacts
2026-05-21 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
For readers of The Cloisters and Counterfeit, Natalie Lemle’s debut novel offers an insider’s view into the world of stolen artifacts and the hidden networks that link museums to organized crime, when a woman is forced to remember the summer she spent on an archaeological dig in Italy, as everyone she knew then may now be in danger.
Successful trusts and estates attorney Lena Connolly is asked by a colleague to assist on a case: the Italian government claims an artifact was looted and sold to a museum illegally, and is seeking repatriation. The object in question is a cup made of dichroic glass, which would have been rare even in Ancient Rome, let alone thousands of years later.
Lena has done everything she can to put the study abroad summer she spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps behind her. Her dreams of being an archaeologist were shattered when her mentor, Cyrille, disappeared, and her enigmatic boyfriend Giamma went dark, but with this new case, the past comes roaring back.
Told in alternating timelines, Artifacts follows young Lena as she falls in love with both archaeology and Giamma on the streets of Torino while her adult self pieces together what truly happened on the dig, now a fully restored Roman villa with World Heritage status. The dichroic cup, Lena discovers, may have been taken from the very site she helped unearth.
Powerful and exuberant, Natalie Lemle’s Artifacts brings readers behind the museum glass and asks questions about cultural heritage and the historical preservation of our shared sense of humanity.

Archetype Yoga: Monthly Bookclub: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
2026-05-23 11:00 - 12:30 | Hello You’re Welcome, 445 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
At Archetype Yoga, the community is encouraged to evolve beyond the mat through a monthly book club focused on wellness, movement, mindfulness, and personal growth. Each month, participants gather to explore a new book, share insights, and learn together in a welcoming community setting.
Readers can also enjoy exclusive studio discounts as part of the experience.
For the latest book pick, visit @archetypeyoga on Instagram or email hello@archetype.yoga for more information.
Next Meeting will be held at Hello You’re Welcome, on May 23 at 11 AM

This month’s book is Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Summary: Big Swiss follows Greta, a 45-year-old woman living in Hudson, New York, who works as a transcriptionist for a local sex therapist known as “Om.” Through hours of recorded therapy sessions, Greta becomes obsessed with one particular client she nicknames “Big Swiss,” a tall Swiss gynecologist named Flavia who is grappling with trauma, intimacy, and her inability to orgasm.

Play Day in the Park
2026-05-24 12:00 - 16:00 | Playhouse Village Park, 701 Union St, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Get ready for an epic day of fun and games at PLAY DAY in the PARK with giant games, board & card games, music, prizes, and kids’ crafts.
GAME ON! Get ready for an epic day of fun and games at PLAY DAY in the PARK presented by Playhouse Village Foundation. On Sunday, May 25th, from 12 pm to 4 pm, head over to Playhouse Village Park and challenge your friends and family to GIANT versions of your favorite games from Sorry! and Connect 4 to Candy Land and Uno, to so many more! But the big fun doesn’t stop there – we’ll also have table board & card games, prizes, music, and kids’ activities. Plus, satisfy your cravings with Bobby’s Place, featuring a menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, and more at the park concessions space. Don’t miss out on this exciting event packed with friendly competition and endless entertainment!

Vroman's Bookstore: Vroman's Fiction Reading Group
2026-05-27 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The Vroman’s Fiction Reading Group explores contemporary fiction -long and short– from a diverse selection of writers. Enjoy lively discussions at our one-hour meetings. Our Fiction Reading Group is free and inclusive – there are no requirements or criteria to join. We announce upcoming titles 3-6 months in advance and choose titles that are available in paperback. Drop by our next meeting!
May’s pick is Human Acts by Han Kang.

The Mixx: FREE Live Tribute to NO DOUBT Show and Dance Party
2026-05-29 20:00 - 23:30 | The Mixx, 443 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The Mixx Pasadena invites guests to a FREE live tribute to No Doubt and dance party featuring YES DOUBT. Calling all No Doubt fanatics for a night packed with live performances of the band’s biggest hits by local tribute rockers YES DOUBT. Guests can dance and sing along to the soundtrack of their “Tragic Kingdom” with DJ Jack Tames, plus live music video mixxes showcased on the largest LED wall in town.

Pasadena Heritage: Explore Historic Architecture in the Playhouse Village
2026-05-31 10:00 - 11:30 | Pasadena Heritage, The Blinn House 160 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena, 91101, United States
The Pasadena Playhouse Historic District includes approximately 34 buildings that tell the story of Pasadena’s eastward growth in the 1920s and 1930s, as the city shifted from its agricultural roots into a center of tourism, culture, and design. This period of development brought a mix of architectural styles that still define the district today, most notably Art Deco, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Mediterranean Revival.
This walking tour takes a closer look at how these styles came together during a moment of real growth and change in Pasadena. Along the way, we’ll stop at landmarks like the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the United Artists Theatre, and the Warner Building, along with other buildings that reflect the energy and optimism of the period.
Join Pasadena Heritage as they explore how architecture and development shaped this district, looking at both the original vision for the area and how it continues to evolve today.

Vroman's Bookstore: Jennifer Keishin Armstrong discusses & signs Parks and Rec
2026-06-02 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia, the definitive story of the creation and legacy of Parks and Recreation, with exclusive interview content from its cast, crew, and creators, as well as an introduction by Nick Offerman
More than fifteen years after Parks and Recreation premiered, it has become a streaming and pop culture staple. It’s beloved for its jokes, characters, and expressions–the show even created a now widely observed holiday, Galentine’s Day. How did it all happen and how did the show transform from a ratings disappointment into a cult classic? Pop culture historian Jennifer Keishin Armstrong reveals all this and more in the definitive history of the show, which is as full of humor, optimism, and heart as Parks and Recreation itself.
Through new and exclusive interviews, as well as deep insight and smart and entertaining pop culture analysis, Armstrong tells the story of how Parks and Recreation came to be: how it grew from The Office’s success and Obama-inspired optimism, how producers assembled one of TV’s most lovable casts but barely survived a mediocre first season, how the show found its voice by getting more political and more romantic, and how it became a cultural force despite middling ratings during its network run, going on to become a television savior of the Trump era and a modern classic.
Lovingly told and deeply researched, Parks and Rec is the ultimate history of the show that taught us what’s important in life: friends, waffles, and work.

Wolhaus: Crochet Foundations - For Beginners
2026-06-05 11:30 - 13:30 | Wollhaus Artisan Yarn & Tools, 696 E. Colorado Blvd. Suite 2, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Always wanted to learn to crochet? Need a refresher? In this class, you will learn the skills required to get you started or continue on your crochet journey. No previous experience required!

Vroman's Bookstore: Dr. Darby Saxbe, in conversation with Ken Bensinger, discusses & signs DAD BRAIN
2026-06-05 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
When we talk about the transformative experience of birth and child-rearing, we almost always focus on mothers. While biomedical research oversamples men, the opposite is true when it comes to research on birth and parenting. In the past few decades, studies have proliferated on how women’s bodies and brains change as they begin their families. Headlines and movie plotlines revolve around overworked moms—often accompanied by the image of inept dads muddling through a diaper change. The antiquated, but persistent, implication is that moms are “natural” parents, instinctive and nurturing, and dads are better left to the boardroom and golf course. With DAD BRAIN: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men’s Lives (Flatiron; June 9, 2026), psychologist and researcher Darby Saxbe leverages 15 years of studying fathers to do a deep dive into the science behind fatherhood—and what she finds will upend the way we think about men as parents.
Inspired in part by her own hands-on, solo father, Saxbe started asking important questions: What if men are natural parents, too? Does having a baby change men’s bodies and minds? What happens when fathers engage in child-rearing tasks? Saxbe shares hot-off-the-presses findings from her own laboratory studies, from neuroimaging scans and hormone samples to father-child interactions. In writing DAD BRAIN, she interviewed dozens of first-time fathers and traveled the world to connect with other scientists doing groundbreaking work. Full of fascinating stories and insights, DAD BRAIN showcases the science and culture of fatherhood and celebrates dads who are leaning into parenting.

The Mixx: Live Anniversary Tribute to Depeche Mode 101 Concert in Pasadena
2026-06-05 20:00 - 23:30 | The Mixx, 443 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The Mixx Pasadena invites guests to experience one of the best live tributes to Depeche Mode’s iconic 101 Concert. LA’s favorite Depeche Mode tribute band, ULTRA MODE, recreates the legendary performance in its entirety live on stage for a special evening of music and nostalgia. Guests can also enjoy rare backstage footage and live music video mixxes displayed across the largest high-definition LED wall in town, alongside sounds by DJ Jack Tames. Get ready to dance the night away to the soundtrack of a generation.

Vroman's Bookstore: Pasadena Conservatory of Music presents Musical Storytime: This Is a Moment by Micah Player
2026-06-06 11:30 | 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: This Is a Moment by Micah Player. Caregivers and children aged 3-9 will enjoy a story, creative movement, and a mini-concert!

Vroman's Bookstore: Merrill Joan Gerber discusses & signs Someone Should Know This Story: Selected Stories
2026-06-06 16:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
“‘Someone Should Know This Story’ is both the name of this book and the wish of my heart,” writes Merrill Joan Gerber in the introduction to this retrospective collection of twenty-five stories written over a period of four decades, many of which won awards and appeared in widely read periodicals such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Redbook, and Mademoiselle.
Gerber takes her teacher Andrew Lytle’s advice to “follow the thread back into the labyrinth” of the heart and its secrets. Finding its starting place with the crises of everyday family life-its conflicts, betrayals, confinements, and its devastating losses-she and her characters constantly reencounter themselves and the persistent yearning to “convey to others what we are” with grace and breathtaking honesty.

Boston Court: ¡Sí Se Puede!
2026-06-07 11:00 - 14:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
Follow trailblazing activist, Dolores Huerta, on her journey to improve conditions for farm workers. From co-founding the United Farmworkers to boycotts, marches, and high-stakes negotiations–her unwavering commitment to justice changed the course of history. Through a blend of movement, music, and actos inspired by El Teatro Campesino, experience the powerful transformation that happens when we come together to demand change.

Vroman's Bookstore: Matt Haig, in conversation with Lian Dolan, discusses The Midnight Train
2026-06-07 16:00 | Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena , CA, 91101, United States
When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?
No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.
The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.
To see what kind of person you really were.
For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.
Before he gave it all away.
He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .
A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.
Bio:
Matt Haig is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the novels The Midnight Library, The Life Impossible, and How to Stop Time, along with four other novels, the acclaimed memoirs Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet, and several award-winning children’s books. His work has been published in fifty territories across the world.
This is a ticketed event at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Tickets include one entry and one copy of The Midnight Train to be handed out at check-in.

JAZZ IN THE PARK
2026-06-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Playhouse Village Park, 701 Union St, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Jazz in the Park in Partnership with Playhouse Village Foundation and Arash Danialifar! Enjoy a free concert series under the stars at Playhouse Village Park on Sundays, June & July at 6PM-8PM.

Vroman's Bookstore: Lisa See discusses & signs Daughters of the Sun and Moon
2026-06-09 19:00 | Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena , CA, 91101, United States
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds.
In 1870, three Chinese women arrived in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain–America–where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.
Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of goodwill. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors, during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together, they are daughters of the sun and moon.

Vroman's Bookstore: James Ellroy discusses & signs Red Sheet
2026-06-10 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
It’s late October 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis has just concluded. The Russkies blinked and pulled their ICBMs out of Cuba. Attorney General Robert Kennedy fears reprisals from seething commies. He orders a red probe and puts the LAPD on the job.
Freddy Otash is injudiciously named the lead investigating officer. He’s a stone-cold criminal with police sanction and a harrowing dope habit. He homes in on a red-front trade union. There’s a murder on Halloween night. It may link to ex-VP and current gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon and two commie snuffs from eight years back. Freddy’s overworked and overamped. He’s running the probe, and Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman—Tricky Dick Nixon’s head goons—have hired him to keep Nixon away from the smear-minded press.
L.A. is coming unglued. Ex-cop/lawyer Tom Bradley is running for a city council seat and pushing the Rumford Fair Housing Act. Playboy kingpin Hugh Hefner is along for the ride, out to exploit racial tension and peddle untold copies of his smut rag.
Red Sheet is James Ellroy’s most crazed kamikaze run and a daring, subversive work of fiction.

Vroman's Bookstore: Summer Reading Program Kick-Off
2026-06-11 11:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Dragons, Duels, and Dazzling Reads is a free Summer Reading Program for young readers in grades Pre-K-12. Join the Vroman’s Children’s Department on an adventure-filled journey, designed to encourage a love of books amongst the youngest of readers, with events and prizes (and dragons) along the way!
To participate:
1. Stop by the Children’s Department to sign up and pick up a free reading log. Keep track of the books you have read throughout the summer–challenge yourself by reading ten or more!
2. Attend at least one in-store event—our summer event list is below.
3. Turn in your reading log on or after August 6th to claim your rewards!
READING EVENTS
Vroman’s Bookstore regularly offers author events for children’s books and young adult novels. Please check our website — or monthly e-newsletter — for upcoming author readings and signings: https://vromansbookstore.com/events/calendar

Thursday, June 11th at 11 am: Summer Reading Kickoff
Join us on Thursday, June 11th, at 11am in the Vroman’s courtyard for the kickoff to our Summer Reading Program! We will have crafts and a special performance from the Society for Creative Anachronism. Children will be invited to create their own cardboard swords and shields as they embark on their Summer Reading journey.
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and recreation of pre-seventeenth-century culture and practices. We will be joined by members of the Southern California branch. For more information about their events—including sword fighting classes- visit sca-caid.org.
This event will take place outside on the Vroman’s paseo.

Vroman's Bookstore: Shay Kauwe, in conversation with Keala Kendall, discusses & signs The Killing Spell
2026-06-11 19:00 | CA
In this spellbinding fantasy debut set in a future where language magic reigns, a young Hawaiian woman must solve a murder to clear her name.
Kea Petrova is dealing with more than her fair share of trouble.
At just twenty-five years old, she’s the youngest of five Hawaiian clan leaders living on the Homestead in outer Los Angeles. Nearly 200 years ago, when a catastrophic flood submerged the Hawaiian islands and unleashed magic into the world, these clans forged a treaty with the city, establishing a new Hawaiian homeland. But that treaty is about to expire.
Kea struggles to keep her small clan afloat, scraping together rent each month through odd jobs and selling her own crafted Hawaiian language spells. While her talent for language magic is her saving grace, she feels like a shadow of those who came before her. Just when she thinks things can’t get any more complicated, the murder of Angelo Reyes–LA’s most prominent Filipino activist–turns her world upside-down.
Angelo was killed by a death spell–something that, due to the properties of each school of language magic, can only exist in Hawaiian. With independent spellsmithing being technically illegal, Kea quickly becomes the prime suspect, known for her spellwork on the Homestead. To clear her name, she must unravel the mystery behind Angelo’s murder and confront LA’s most powerful (and dangerous) players, each wielding their own type of magic. The clock is ticking–can Kea save herself, her clan, and the Homestead before it’s too late?

Vroman's Bookstore: Laura Lekkos discusses & signs All the Little Ways
2026-06-12 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
In the vein of Pineapple Street and Such a Fun Age, a smart, heartfelt debut novel about two expecting mothers navigating motherhood, family life, and female friendship, whose bond is threatened by a shocking revelation.
Victoria and Liz barely breathe the same air, but they collide headfirst when they meet in a group for expectant mothers and find common ground against all odds.
Victoria, forty-three, is confident, poised, and powerful, on the fast track to major career success in finance. Having kids is not in the plan. She had avoided love for decades–and hadn’t been too keen on female friendship either–when she fell for Ace, a dashing man twenty years her senior.
Liz, thirty-two, lives a fairly unstable life, trying to make her situationship work and navigate a job on a vile reality dating show. She’s desperately wanted to experience motherhood for her entire life, but anxiety and insecurity have landed her with a laundry list of failed romances. It’s an accident–ish–when she gets pregnant with her emotionally elusive boyfriend Preston’s baby just shy of a year into dating.
When Liz and Victoria meet in a parenting class, they both feel out of place amongst these pregnant women who seem to have it all figured out. They roll their eyes at the classic sign-off peppering the new mommy group chat: TIA (thanks in advance!). Alienated from these other women and due within a week of each other, Victoria and Liz’s bond becomes a lifeline as they navigate their pregnancies and relationships. They grapple with impending motherhood together and lean on each other to navigate important decisions about family, career, and love. It’s the first successful female friendship in Victoria’s life and the first time Liz has felt so connected to an older, wiser confidante. Maybe, just maybe, it will all be okay.
But as they grow more secure in their futures with each other’s support, the friends confront a shocking turn of events that will change the course of both their lives. Victoria and Liz then must reckon with their relationships, their impending journeys of motherhood, and the strength of their own bond in this unforgettable work of women’s fiction.

Vroman's Bookstore: C.L. Max Nikias discusses & signs American Trojan
2026-06-13 15:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
American Trojan is the captivating story of a refugee who lost everything and then rebuilt it all, an immigrant who defied the odds and achieved the American Dream; a visionary technologist who transformed the University of Southern California into one of the nation’s most prestigious private research universities.
At a time when many universities have succumbed to ideology over truth, under Nikias’s leadership, USC retained its academic integrity in the face of high-stakes negotiations, high-rolling donors, and the profound challenges of modern leadership.
Hailing from a humble village on the island of Cyprus, Nikias steeped in thousands of years of history as he grew up. But when the Turkish invasion of 1974 destroyed everything his family had built, he came to America to see what the Land of Opportunity had to offer.
Upon completion of his graduate engineering studies, he embarked on an academic career that established him as a pioneer in digital signal analysis, lead him to collaborate on military projects with the U.S. Navy, and eventually led him to USC, which would forever alter the trajectory of his career and life.
Against this dramatic backdrop, American Trojan offers candid insights into how Nikias’ bold vision transformed USC into one of America’s most elite universities. More than a personal story, it is a blueprint for leadership, offering insights into how Nikias and his team strategized to meet formidable challenges to USC.
An urgent examination of higher education’s current crisis, American Trojan provides a roadmap for renewal, offering specific recommendations for how universities can reclaim their true mission of transmitting knowledge and cultivating young minds.

Vroman's Bookstoer: Reyna Grande discusses & signs Migrant Heart: Essay About Things I Can’t Forget
2026-06-15 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
An ambitious memoir in essays by beloved bestselling author Reyna Grande that illuminates the hidden cost of the American Dream and the complex journey of healing that follows survival.
What is the true power of stories? Can they heal the jagged edges of a traumatic childhood? Is the cost of telling the story worth the price of the cure?
Reyna Grande has spent her career capturing the raw reality of life across borders. In this intricate and deeply intimate memoir-in-essays, the author of the landmark memoirs The Distance Between Us and A Dream Called Home again turns her gaze inward to explore the scars left by migration and the ongoing work of stitching herself back together.
With her signature blend of sophistication and raw honesty, Grande interrogates how living between two nations, two languages, and two identities has shaped the woman, mother, and writer she has become. Moving from the legacy of violence in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to a bittersweet family vacation in Europe spent reconciling her own impoverished past with her children’s world of abundance, she uncovers startling truths about the nature of survival.
Whether being racially profiled in the Arizona borderlands or finding unexpected wisdom from the slugs in her garden, Grande unflinchingly asks: How do we bridge the gap between who we were and who we have become? How do we turn pain into power? When memory threatens to define us, how can we use story to heal while still honoring our boundaries?
Migrant Heart is a powerful testament to Grande’s role as a storyteller and cultural witness. It expands our understanding of life in the United States and the complex people who cross and live within its borders. It is an essential read for the seekers, the dreamers, and anyone who believes in the enduring, transformative power of finding one’s voice.

Vroman's Bookstore: CJ Leede & Kyle Kouri, in conversation with Chuck Tingle & Liz Kerin, discuss & sign Headlights & The Problem Drinker
2026-06-16 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it’s his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he’s summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it’s happening again.
Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they’ve allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger’s hair is tied around their tongue.
Now Daniel is pulled back into the gruesome cycle, and every clue leads him deeper into the shadows of his own past. He will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what’s been hunting him all along— before he and the people he loves become the next victims.
About The Problem Drinker
His girlfriend is horror famous, his own writing and acting is floundering, and he is drinking to make sense of it all.
Kyle Kouri’s debut non-fiction collection is full of ‘whiskey courage’ staring at the abyss of family, writing rejection, relationships, and his own drinking. From hijinks at AWP to hustling in the movie business, Kouri bridges the gap in drama between indie and horror.
At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, The Problem Drinker is the story of an artist living with another artist, yearning to move the needle in his career, amidst a sea of personal tragedies and comedies. If F. Scott Fitzgerald had one foot in the 2020s horror scene, that’s the spirit of Kouri’s caustic and big-hearted, lush and refreshingly candid debut.

Vroman's Bookstore: Kerri Schlottman, discusses & signs Daytime Moon
2026-06-17 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Isa has a gift. Premonitions, intuitive insight, a knack for tarot. But she is adrift.
Years ago, she ran away from one coast to the other and never looked back, but when her brother Cole unexpectedly shows up on her stoop, she’s convinced that it’s time to go home. Back in the California desert, Isa is swept up in her former life of late-night drag races by the Salton Sea, beers with the locals, and haunting reminders of the twin sister she lost and the mother she never got to meet.
When Dane, the man who raised them, becomes terminally ill, Isa is forced to confront everything she ran away from. In a posthumous letter, his revelations ignite her fearless internal drive. Traveling up and down California highways, through desert and forest, roaring coastline and border towns, Isa will follow the signs so delicately woven into the fabric of her life – a name, a constellation, a painting, a gleam of recognition on the water’s surface. If she can piece them together, she just might reunite the shattered remains of her beloved family.
Artfully narrated, Schlottman’s novel is an unforgettable journey through hidden stories, the depths of women’s secrets, the shimmering fluidity of memory, and the magic of transmutation.
