Vroman's Bookstore: Caroline L. Perry & Sydney Hanson read from & sign I Am Not Happy!
2025-11-02 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
In the vein of Grumpy Monkey and Unicorns Are the Worst!, this hilarious picture book introduces the adorable quokka, who–despite his ever-present smile–is definitely not as happy as he looks!
With its bright eyes, puffy cheeks, and beaming smile, the quokka is clearly the happiest animal on earth. Or is it? This quokka is here to tell you…he is not happy! At least not all the time. Just like everyone else, he can be sulky, or sorry, or sad; but you’d never know from the look on his face! So, what’s a moody marsupial to do when he’s being misunderstood? Teach every other animal from kangaroos to koalas not to judge a critter by its cover!

Vroman's Bookstore: Garrett Hongo and Robin Coste Lewis read from & sign their new books Ocean of Clouds: Poems and Archive of Desire: A Poem in Four Parts for C. P. Cavafy
2025-11-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
About Ocean of Clouds:
In his fourth book of poems, award-winning poet Garrett Hongo sees coastlines and waters, skylines and ancestral lines for what they inspire and teach.
In a surpassingly beautiful collection of poems, with his characteristic long-lined, rolling music, Hongo is alert to the possibilities of individual moments of perception and grace in the landscapes of his life, whether waiting for a ferry in Balboa after a writing workshop (“An oil slick from a yacht . . . / Spread rainbows on the water, an aleph / curving toward us”) or hanging out and playing LPs with the late, great poet Michael Harper, or watching his daughter in the sun with a halo of messy twelve-year-old’s hair, or listening to the sea, which speaks to him in so many places: at the Wai’ōpae Tidepools, at Cassis, at Divi Bay in Saint Martin, where, he tells us, “I thought of writing to the soul of Nâzim Hikmet, / saying loving a woman was like writing a book– / . . . it is love’s body on which you write a page of kisses . . .”
These poems of cloudy moons and sandstone cliffsides, the black glass of lava shattered into sands, waves surging, and stories of a poet’s gratitude for the journey he has made, come together to make a paean against forgetting.
About Archive of Desire:
The National Book Award, PEN/Voelcker Award, and NAACP Image Award winner returns with another inventive and boundary-breaking book: a sensual journey ignited in the archives of iconic queer Alexandrian poet C. P. Cavafy.
In her first book, Robin Coste Lewis’s poems exploded the imagery of the Black female figure from antiquity through the present day. Her second book was an expansive hybrid photographic and poetic study of human migration and the human family. Now she delivers a “poem in four parts,” which originated as a musical, visual, and lyrical collaboration with the composer Vijay Iyer, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, and visual artist Julie Mehretu, with Lewis on the microphone offering a live reading of this sequence. Ignited by their encounters with Cavafy’s archive, in the heart of Athens, the multimedia quartet exalted the liminal spaces where desire and diaspora meet–where art often asserts itself most forcefully. In this volume, Lewis brings this performance to life on the page, where the poem weaves in and out of Cavafy’s bedrooms, notebooks, and the suppressed erotic excavation underpinning all of his work. Lewis converses directly with Mr. Cavafy: “often you / reminded us that // the only true / barbarians are the ones / raging in silence inside // of our own / minds.” But she also brings equal parts of herself to this study of artistry and sensuality, as in the short, tender section entitled “Cavafy in Compton/Closet Anthem: Self-Portrait at Sixteen, 1979.”
As in all Lewis’s works, here she reaches across centuries to express what is timeless and not bound by our current moment or our single selves: the discipline and glory of art, the give-and-take of love, the kiss that lives in the moment, and the unfolding journey of being human, whose contours become clear only with the passage of time, the igniting of memory, and the words we find to describe the journey.

Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris Present: The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate's Revenge: A Graphic Novel
2025-11-03 18:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
In the fourth installment of Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris’s New York Times-bestselling series our heroes–First Cat, LOZ 4000, and the Moon Queen– encounter Captain Babybeard and his crew of swashbuckling pirates.

Vroman's Bookstore: Julia Ioffee discusses & signs Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy
2025-11-04 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
Acclaimed journalist Julia Ioffe tells the story of modern Russia through the history of its women, from revolution to utopia to autocracy.
In 1990, seven-year-old Julia Ioffe and her family fled the Soviet Union. Nearly twenty years later, Ioffe returned to Moscow—only to discover just how much Russian society had changed while she had been living in America. The Soviet women she had known growing up—doctors, engineers, scientists—seemed to have been replaced by women desperate to marry rich and become stay-at-home moms. How had Russia gone from portraying itself as the vanguard of world feminism to becoming a bastion of conservative Christian values?
In Motherland, Ioffe turns modern Russian history on its head, telling it exclusively through the stories of its women. From her own physician great-grandmothers to Lenin’s lover, a feminist revolutionary; from the hundreds of thousands of Soviet girls who fought in World War II to the millions of single mothers who rebuilt and repopulated a devastated country; from the members of Pussy Riot to Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Ioffe chronicles one of the most audacious social experiments in history and documents how it failed the very women it was meant to liberate—and how that failure paved the way for the revanche of Vladimir Putin.
Part memoir, part journalistic exploration, part history, Motherland paints a portrait of modern Russia through the women who shaped it. With deep emotion, Ioffe reveals what it means to live through the cataclysms of revolution, war, idealism, and heartbreak—and how the story of Russia today is inextricably tied to the sacrifices of its women.

Vroman's Bookstore: Aria Mia Loberti reads from & signs I Am Ingrid: The Adventures of the World's Greatest Guide Dog
2025-11-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
This funny, adorable picture book is based on the life of Ingrid, the real guide dog to actress, author, and UNICEF Ambassador Aria Mia Loberti!
Ingrid knows she is fabulous. She flies around the world with her person, Aria. Working as a team, they navigate everything from college classes and ancient ruins to movie sets and red carpets. And Ingrid never goes anywhere without her string of pearls. But before Ingrid was the best guide dog there ever was, she was just a small, black puppy with very big paws.
Growing up at Guide Dogs for the Blind, Ingrid saw lots of grown-up dogs wearing special harnesses. They were guide dogs, and they got to help people and go on adventures. Ingrid dreamed of being just like them. But becoming a guide dog isn’t easy. It takes a lot of training and hard work. When they are wearing their harnesses, guide dogs must be focused and calm. That means no sniffing strangers, barking, or picking up food from the ground — no matter how good it smells! But Ingrid was determined to complete her training and become the best guide dog in the world.
This funny and heartwarming illustrated picture book will teach kids what guide dogs do and how they work together with their humans to become an unstoppable team. Plus, the back of the book includes nonfiction information about guide dogs, the spectrum of vision, Aria’s life and career, and photos of the real Ingrid — including her wearing her trademark pearls!

Vroman's Bookstore: Tori Atencio McCullough, Kelsey McCullough, & Bobbie Lucas, discuss & sign Xavier X Atencio: The Legacy of an Artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend
2025-11-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From apprentice animator on Pinocchio to the lyricist behind “Yo Ho, Yo Ho A Pirates Life for Me,” Xavier “X” Atencio’s Disney career was diverse and spectacular.
Now for the first time his talent, humor, and creativity come to life in a book celebrating the body of work and the legacy of one of Walt’s original and most versatile Imagineers.
Xavier “X” Atencio: The Legacy of An Artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend depicts the life, art, and lasting legacy of X, detailing how he put himself into his work and used his talents, passion, humor, and creativity to inspire generations. It is the most comprehensive look to date at the one of Walt’s original and most versatile Imagineers.
Featuring previously unpublished artwork and photographs from X’s personal collection, this book grants readers the unique opportunity to discover the true depths of influence X attained on his life journey. For while it was rare to become a Disney Imagineer, it was even rarer to end a career at Disney with as diversified a resume as X’s–from “small-town Colorado boy” to art school attendee, Disney animator, attraction scriptwriter, lyricist, voice-over artist, and finally Disney Legend.
Set against the historic and cultural evolutions of The Walt Disney Company, Xavier “X” Atencio: The Legacy of An Artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend provides a deeply personal perspective into the life and career of a Disney Legend whose story, until now, had remained largely untold.

Boston Court: MARIOLOGY
2025-11-05 19:30, 2025-11-09 14:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
In a mythical fifth-grade classroom, indoctrination explodes into fantasy and rebellion in Nancy Keystone and Critical Mass Performance Group’s form-busting and exuberantly theatrical West Coast Premiere. Mariology explores the Virgin Mary both as a source of faith and a weapon of control, illuminating Mary’s roles in systems of gender, power, and personal agency.

Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - David Daley discusses & signs Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections
2025-11-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
“David Daley has been at the absolute forefront of educating us about the theft of our elections by radical Republicans determined to subvert everyone else’s power to choose their own leaders. An absolute warrior for democracy.” — Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author of Nixonland and Reaganland
In 1981, a young lawyer, fresh out of Harvard law school, joined the Reagan administration’s Department of Justice, taking up a cause that had been fomenting in Republican circles for over a decade by that point. From his perch inside the Reagan DOJ, this lawyer would attempt to bring down one of the defining pieces of 20th century legislation–the Voting Rights Act. His name was John Roberts.
Over thirty years later in 2013, these efforts by John Roberts and the conservative legal establishment culminated when Roberts, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, wrote Shelby County vs. Holder, one of the most consequential decisions of modern jurisprudence. A dramatic move that gutted the Voting Rights Act, Roberts’s decision–dangerously premised on the flawed notion that racism was a thing of the past–emboldened right-wing, antidemocratic voting laws around the country immediately. No modern court decision has done more to hand elections to Republicans than Shelby.
Now lauded investigative reporter David Daley reveals the urgent story of this fifty-year Republican plot to end the Voting Rights Act and encourage minority rule in their party’s favor. From the bowels of Reagan’s DOJ to the walls of the conservative Federalist Society to the moneyed Republican resources bankrolling restrictive voting laws today, Daley reveals a hidden history as sweeping as it is troubling. Through careful research and exhaustive reporting, he connects Shelby to a well-funded, highly-coordinated right-wing effort to erode the power of minority voters and Democrats at the ballot box–an effort that has grown stronger with each election cycle. In the process Roberts and his conservative allies have enabled extreme partisan gerrymandering to become the law of the land, while fringe conservative theories about our elections infiltrate the foundations of our democracy.

Monopole Wine by RX: Live Jazz
2025-11-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Monopole Wine By RX, 21 S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Join Monopole Wine by RX for an evening of Live Jazz with performances by The Todd Hunter Trio! This event is free with a 2-drink minimum!

Boston Court: Just Jazz Foundation Series: Ben Williams Band
2025-11-06 20:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
Performing music from his albums “I AM A MAN”, “Coming of Age”, and “State of Art”, as well as brand new material from his upcoming album & film “Between Church and State,” Ben Williams brings his dynamic band to the Boston Court stage.

Vroman's Bookstore: Meher McArthur discusses & signs A Japanese Art Journey: A Curator's Memoir of Polka Dot Pumpkins, Paper Dolls and Woodblock Prints
2025-11-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Passion, Art, and Identity: A Multicultural Memoir of Finding One’s Place in the World
In this engaging memoir, Japanese art historian and curator Meher McArthur transports you into the extraordinary world of Japanese art — from ceramics, swords, prints and textiles to Buddhist art, folk painting, contemporary art and animation. One artwork and one language lesson at a time, we follow McArthur as she unspools a compelling narrative of curiosity and inspiration, personal and cultural growth, with heartbreak and resilience. This book will provide avid art lovers new ways of seeing and understanding the power of art, not only to inspire but to illuminate one’s place in the world.
The author presents her art memoir in three parts:
Discovering and Learning
Growing up in a small Scottish town as a multiracial child, McArthur often felt culturally out of place. Encouraged by her Persian and Scottish parents to embrace a global identity, she studied Japanese at Cambridge, eventually moving to Japan–where she fell in love with its language, temples, ceramics, and art traditions. Just as she found her passion, family upheaval challenged her sense of direction.
Becoming a Curator
With a master’s degree in Japanese art, McArthur forged a path as a museum curator in California, organizing exhibitions on folk art, sake, ceramics, and Buddhist calligraphy–while learning the rhythms of museum life and starting a family.
Curating Beyond the Museum
Stepping away from the museum world, she became an independent curator, exploring new creative territory through origami, anime, and contemporary art–discovering fresh ways to connect with audiences and with herself.
Spanning continents and cultures, this is both an inspiring art memoir and a resonant reflection on cultural belonging. McArthur’s story offers a warm, generous vision of how art can illuminate identity and bridge difference–inviting readers to fall in love with Japanese art and culture, and to embrace the idea that there’s no single way to belong in the world.

Vroman's Bookstore: Erica Lee Schlaikjer reads from & signs Sky Luck
2025-11-08 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
As friends gather to look for shooting stars, one boy discovers how to pay attention to what’s here, not what’s missing. From an Own Voices Award winner comes a magical picture book celebrating abundant thinking.
A dark night. Friends have gathered. One by one they point out flames streaking across the sky. All but one boy. He sees an airplane, the Milky Way, a full moon, but no shooting stars. Frustrated by his bad luck, he gives up and goes inside.
His uncle sees things differently. He asks . . .
What if we open our hearts to all the wonders in the sky? The bright and the quiet, the everyday and the once-in-a-lifetime. What if nature’s gifts are all around, ready for us to recognize them? What if sky luck is infinite, and everywhere, for everyone?
Crisp, evocative text and lush, cinematic illustrations deliver an invitation to be mindful of our planet’s never-ending treasures. A final spread reminds readers of the abundance of celestial surprises all of us are lucky to delight in.

Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - Tigest Girma, discusses & signs Eternal Ruin
2025-11-08 15:00 - 16:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Like all ruinous things, he came from the abyss.
Kidan Adane has finally embraced her darkness. She’s killed without remorse, lied, and broken Uxlay University’s most sacred law by inviting elusive rogue vampires, the Nefrasi, into Uxlay.
Trapped with a violently unstable vampire, and reeling from her sister’s return, Kidan wields her anger like a weapon. She vows to master her house and protect the sacred artifact hidden inside, even if it means forging an alliance with the depraved leader of the Nefrasi, Samson Sagad–and betraying Susenyos.
A dangerous new philosophical text seems to hold the answers and promises the very thing Kidan has lost: control. Even as the dark pages consume her, Kidan knows no soul at Uxlay is trustworthy–least of all Susenyos. For Kidan and Susenyos, the lines of loathing and attraction may blur, but the quest for power rules them both. And neither is willing to surrender.
As devastating secrets resurface from the past, Kidan and her sister, June, must finally confront each other and take their rightful places in the looming war.

Archetype Yoga: Second Saturday Jazz Night
2025-11-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Archetypa Yoga, 638 e colorado ave, pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Since 2023, Jason Luckett, a local musician, has brought together artists to host a showcase of talent. 2nd Saturday Jazz Night was born as a place for artists to experiment and share their gifts with the local community. Once a month, you’ll enjoy an eclectic mix of musicians and vocal artists to make you smile, sing along, and meet locals.
Join Archetype Yoga & Jason Luckett every Second Saturday of the month from 8:00-10:30pm for a musical showcase with concessions for purchase. A suggested $25 donation is required and directly supports the artists. Beverages and snacks will be available for purchase; all proceeds go back into the production of building space for artists and the community. Seating is first-come, first-served. Doors open at 7:30pm.
Jason Luckett is a musician and has released multiple albums and performed globally. Known primarily as a singer and guitarist, his music effortlessly mixes elements of the classic singer-songwriters with the jazz, soul, and samba he grew up hearing at home. Over the years, Jason has played, recorded or shared the stage with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, BB King, Jeff Buckley, The Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Russell Ferrante (Yellowjackets), and members of Bauhaus, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz’s band, The Count Basie Orchestra, Tears for Fears, Sheryl Crow’s band and others.
Archetype Yoga is a perfect venue to host and bring people together! An airy loft space located in the heart of the Playhouse Village offering daily yoga classes, workshops and retreats. A studio that is focused on building community on and off the mat in addition to supporting local artists.
We look forward to having you join us in our space, meet local artists, and be in the community.
Doors Open at 7:30PM
Archetype Yoga is located on the third floor- if you require assistance, please email hello@archetype.yoga prior to the event to use the service elevator.

Vroman's Bookstore: Souvankham Thammavongsa discusses & signs Pick a Color
2025-11-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From Giller Prize and O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labor, and class, an intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don’t even know her true name.
“I live in a world of Susans. I got name tags for everyone who works at this nail salon, and on every one is printed the name ‘Susan.'”
Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. On this summer’s day, much like any other, the Susans buff and clip and polish and tweeze. They listen and smile and nod. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity. A woman enthralled by the intricacy and rhythms of her work, but also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost. A woman navigating the complex power dynamics among her fellow Susans, whose greatest fears and desires lie just behind the gossip they exchange.
As the day’s work grinds on, the friction between Ning’s two identities–as anonymous manicurist and brilliant observer of her own circumstances–will gather electric and crackling force, and at last demand a reckoning with the way the world of privilege looks at a woman like Ning.
Told over a single day with razor-sharp precision and wit, Pick a Color confirms Souvankham Thammavongsa’s place as literature’s premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms.

Vroman's Bookstore: Amber Smith and Sam Gellar discuss & sign Fade Into You
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Bird and Jessa don’t have much in common. Bird is an aspiring poet, still finding herself after a transformative summer away at writing camp. Jessa lives for the discovery of new music, using it to block out the dysfunction waiting for her at home. They would never have crossed paths if it weren’t for one shared problem: Their two best friends have started dating, and the relationship is threatening to ruin their senior year. Tired of coming second to their friends’ romance, the girls come to the only logical conclusion: they have to break their friends up. But the more time Bird and Jessa spend scheming, the more they start to realize they might have more in common than they thought. Set in the late ’90s in a world full of change as much as possibility, Jessa and Bird relearn what it means to love themselves and receive love in return, and to dream for a future they never imagined.
About the Authors:
Amber Smith is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and internationally bestselling author of the young adult novels The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, Something Like Gravity, and The Way I Am Now. An advocate for increased awareness of gendered violence and LGBTQIA+ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help foster change and spark dialogue. She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her wife and coauthor, Sam Gellar, and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. You can find her online at AmberSmithAuthor.com.
Sam Gellar kicked off her writing career with a short chapbook of poetry in third grade. In high school, her play Life Versus the Paperback Romance gained national attention and was subsequently performed Off-Broadway, starring Mary-Louise Parker and Lisa Kron. She earned her MFA in creative writing and has penned numerous short stories and screenplays. Fade into You is her first novel. She feeds her creativity and consummate inner nerd with graphic novels and weekly TTRPG gaming. She resides in Ithaca, New York, with her wife and growing gaggle of rescue fur babies. Visit her at SamGellarWrites.com.

Vroman's Bookstore: Gerald Petievich discusses & signs 13 Hillcrest Drive
2025-11-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
From the acclaimed author of To Live and Die in L.A…
In the streets of Beverly Hills, secrets are the most valuable currency. Meredith Fox, a once-prominent Hollywood publicity agent, has clawed her way back from the brink of obscurity. Now, she’s poised for a comeback, leveraging the dark secrets of her celebrity clients to put herself back on top. But when a routine money drop goes wrong, Meredith finds herself caught in a deadly web of betrayal.
Detective Michael Casey, navigating the waters of Beverly Hills’ elite, is tasked with unraveling the mystery behind Meredith’s death. With every clue leading to more questions, Casey must confront his own demons while piecing together a puzzle that threatens to expose the darkest secrets of the Los Angeles elite.
13 Hillcrest Drive is a gripping thriller that peels back the layers of Hollywood’s glitz. In a city where image is everything, the truth can be the most dangerous revelation of all.

Vroman's Bookstore: TICKETED - Kate Baer reads from & signs How About Now: Poems
2025-11-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
The third full length poetry collection from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman.
Renowned poet Kate Baer returns with a bold and compassionate collection that confronts the march of time in a shifting world.
With her trademark candor and curiosity, Baer explores what it means to grow older, to release children into the wildness of their own lives, and to reclaim the ever evolving self. Raw, luminous, and urgent, this collection channels Baer’s own journey to middle age into poems that are profoundly intimate yet resound universally, identifying the beauty, resilience, and fragility that arrive in every stage of life.
How About Now is a striking declaration of ongoing transformation and self-discovery. From the poet who has captured the heartbeat of the modern woman, this collection reaffirms Kate Baer’s place among the most vital voices of our era.

Vroman's Bookstore: Harshini Vankineni reads from & signs What Color Is the Baby?: A Celebration of Skin Tones
2025-11-15 11:00 - 12:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A debut author takes a familiar loaded question, steeped in colorism, and turns it into one child’s openhearted celebration of her new baby sister.
When Kundana meets her newborn sister, Kuku, she declares her the prettiest baby in the world. But as grandparents, aunts, and uncles welcome Kuku, all they want to know is what color she is. Is she a marigold like her sister? Or a white jasmine? As the family gazes at Kuku’s brown skin, big sister Kundana wonders why her family would care what color Kuku is–she’s beautiful! Inspired by first-time author Harshini Vankineni’s own experiences with colorism–the practice of treating people differently because of how dark or light their skin is– What Color Is the Baby? is a moving journey of a big sister finding a new and loving way to describe and defend her adored baby sister, while Neha Rawat’s warm illustrations delight with coziness and love of family.

Monopole Wine by RX: 3rd Annual Champagne Extravaganza
2025-11-15 14:00 - 18:00 | Monopole Wine By RX, 21 S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Bubbles & Bliss: A Champagne & Sparkling Wine Extravaganza
Monopole Wine by RX invites guests to an afternoon of effervescence and indulgence at Bubbles & Bliss, featuring over 25 bottles of Champagne and sparkling wines from around the world — each paired with elegant, indulgent small bites.
Attendees can explore five tasting stations showcasing Grower Champagnes, Classic Champagne Houses, Domestic Sparklers, Old World Crémants, and Global Favorites such as Cava, Franciacorta, and Pét-Nat.
Each pour is complemented by a decadent bite — from French Cheese & Charcuterie and Fried Chicken to Mini Croissants, Strawberries & Cream, Donuts, and more.
Guests can elevate their experience with the Caviar for Two (or just for you) add-on for $75, featuring a 1 oz tin of Paddlefish caviar served with blinis or gourmet potato chips, crème fraîche, and chives — perfect for sharing or savoring solo.

Vroman's Bookstore: Ry & Skyla Castles discuss & sign I Love Disneyland: 100+ Surprising Facts, Fun Quizzes, Fan-Favorite Trivia, and More about Disneyland!
2025-11-15 15:00 - 16:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Whether you’re a die-hard Disney fan or a first-time visitor, this insider guide promises to give you a deeper appreciation for the iconic amusement park.
I Love Disneyland blends fascinating trivia, fun quizzes, and key tips to help visitors of all ages make the most of their Disneyland experience. Going beyond the typical guidebook, this book uncovers must-know details about Disneyland’s history, secrets hidden throughout the park, and strategies for navigating its amazing attractions.
Each chapter is chock full of information regarding Disneyland’s nine themed lands including Main Street U.S.A, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland and the newest addition, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge which opened in 2019. Chapters highlight key rides and attractions guests won’t want to miss, fascinating trivia, must try restaurants, Park Pointers, shopping destinations, and more! I Love Disneyland is a must read for fans as the iconic park celebrates its 70th Anniversary!
“We wanted to create something that’s not just practical but also endlessly entertaining,” note authors Ry and Skyla Castles. “For anyone who loves Disney, this book is your ultimate companion to rediscover the magic at Disneyland.”
“I Love Disneyland” stands out from other titles as it features:

Trivia You’ll Love: Unearth lesser-known facts about the park’s70 year history and hidden gems.
Interactive Quizzes: Test your knowledge of all things Disneyland!
Park Navigation Tips: Learn insider tricks to avoid lines, save time, and plan your perfect day.

Whether you’re someone who loves amusement parks or a fan of Mickey Mouse, I Love Disneyland offers insight on Walt Disney’s vision to create an immersive entertainment experience for children and adults that would turn 160 acres of orange and walnut trees into the Happiest Place on Earth!
About the Authors:
Ry Castles is a marketing professional and theme park enthusiast from Southern California. He’s been visiting Disneyland since he was a small child and grew up going to Disneyland a few times a year with his family. Together with his partner Skyla, he created Sometimes Castles, an online community that shares knowledge of food, events, and theme parks—especially Disneyland! When they aren’t working on marketing plans, you’ll find them hanging out at Disneyland and California Adventure. From entertainment and special events, to tips and hidden secrets, they can help you feel like a Disney expert too! Learn more on their social media platforms at @SometimesCastles.
Skyla Castles is an influencer marketing specialist and Southern California transplant. In moving to SoCal, she discovered her love for Disney parks and wanted a creative outlet that married both her influencer marketing experience and this newly discovered passion. Together with her partner Ry, she created Sometimes Castles, an online community that shares knowledge of food, events, and theme parks—especially Disneyland!

FUMC: Third@First: Joy of Chamber Music
2025-11-15 16:00 - 17:00 | First United Methodist Church, 500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
LA Phil Musicians and Junko Ueno Garrett pursue a French connection with Debussy’s trio, Tansman’s cello quartet, and Faure’s quintet.

Boston Court: Kenton Chen
2025-11-15 20:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
Join award-winning Vocalist and Boston Court favorite Kenton Chen on a musical journey through the decades celebrating American immigrants and their children that forms the soundtrack of our lives.

SCCM: Get to Know Your Neighbors
2025-11-17 10:30 - 11:30 | Southern California Children’s Museum, 459 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91011, United States
The Southern California Children’s Museum invites families to a special morning program running November 17–21 at 10:30 AM. Diane Lang from Eaton Canyon Nature Center will introduce young learners to some of the fascinating animal neighbors that share our environment. Participants will explore where these animals live and discover surprising similarities between humans and wildlife.
This program is free with museum admission and is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

Vroman's Bookstore: Pyet DeSpain, discusses & signs Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking
2025-11-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Next Level Chef winner Pyet De Spain celebrates her Mexican and Native American heritage in this collection of mouthwatering recipes, a vibrant fusion that ties us to the land and to one another.
Star chef Pyet DeSpain rose to prominence as the first winner of Gordon Ramsey’s Fox television show Next Level Chef. Now, in her debut cookbook, she shares the joy of cooking fueled by her burning passion for Native American and Mexican American cuisine. Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking is a tribute to her dual heritage–a gorgeously crafted celebration of the diversity of food and the stories, traditions, culture, and profound philosophies of Indigenous people that season each meal.
Pyet shows you how to incorporate a delicious range of key ingredients–from venison, dandelion greens, and wild salmon to sunchokes, bison, and native berries–into more than sixty fusion dishes. Family and friends will be excited to gather around the table to enjoy sweet and savory food such as:
Three Sisters SaladBison and Sweet Corn SoupFry BreadMexican Chocolate & Mezcal CakeCorn Silk and Honey TeaWojapi BBQ Sauce
In addition to her inventive and palate pleasing recipes, Pyet invites home cooks to honor the seasons on our beautiful Earth and connect with essential foodways. “This is more than just a cookbook,” Pyet writes. “It’s giving a voice to Indigenous people, while also highlighting the fusion of my two cultures with fire and purpose.”

Vroman's Bookstore: Jerry D. Moore discusses & signs Cat Tales: A History
2025-11-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
Feared, revered, respected, and beloved, cats have left an indelible paw print on the histories and civilizations of humankind. Over the last two million years, cats and people have interacted in diverse and unexpected ways, but the predecessors of today’s furry friends were predators, not pets.
Leading anthropologist Jerry Moore charts the cat’s path from deadly enemy to improbable roommate, making use of the latest archaeological evidence to produce an original and revealing narrative. Starting with the terrifying prehistorical scimitar–tooth cat of the Pliocene age and the lion drawings of the Paleolithic Chauvet caverns, Moore journeys through our complicated history with these charismatic creatures. He travels along the Nile and across the Mediterranean, sailing on to South America, exploring pet cemeteries, cat mummies, and exquisite statuary across continents and centuries.
Illustrated throughout with photographs, artifacts, and artworks, this book surveys our relationships with cats from the Paleolithic period to the present day, unlocking the mysteries of these remarkable creatures. While cats are now beloved members of families around the world, our attempts to bring cats in from the cold have not always had happy endings, as Moore explores through such famous feline fanciers as Joe Exotic, Siegfried Fischbacher, and Roy Horn. From incredible archaeological finds to cave paintings, and from classical statues to contemporary social media, Cat Tales surveys ancient and modern interactions between humans and cats, wild and domestic, to ask a simple question: who domesticated who?

Vroman's Bookstore: Brian Schaefer, in conversation with Marc Malkin, discusses & signs Town & Country
2025-11-20 19:00 | Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91101, United States
A “big-hearted and true” (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winner) debut novel set in a small rural town amid a congressional race that forces the candidates, their families, and a clique of gay second homeowners to confront lies, betrayals and shifting allegiances.
The trendy rural town of Griffin has become a popular destination for weekenders and the city’s second homeowners, but now a congressional race in this swing district is highlighting tensions between life-long residents and new arrivals. The campaign pits local pub owner and town supervisor Chip Riley against the wealthy young carpetbagger Paul Banks, challenging the social and political loyalties of their families and friends with lasting repercussions.
Diane Riley, Chip’s wife, is a religiously devout real estate agent who feels conflicted about selling second homes–including to Paul and his much older husband, Stan. Their elder son, Joe, is grieving the recent overdose death of his best friend and spiraling into drugs himself, while their younger son, Will, is a newly out college student seduced by the decadent lifestyle of Paul’s circle.
Meanwhile, Stan Banks uses the race to give purpose to the pain of losing a loved one to AIDS, even as he begins to doubt Paul’s readiness for office. And within their growing fraternity of city transplants, Eric Larimer finds unexpected connection with a local farmer that opens his eyes to the region’s complexity as Leon Rogers, still reeling from a divorce, becomes increasingly desperate to infiltrate the Banks’s exclusive crew.
Spanning six months from Memorial Day to Election Day, Town & Country paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of a community in flux. For readers of Fredrick Backman and Jen Beagin, this “powerful and extremely well-written book” (Colum McCann, National Book Award winner) asks the essential and timeless questions: What makes a home, and what do we owe our neighbors?

Boston Court: Just Jazz Foundation Series: Eric Revis
2025-11-20 20:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
One of the most talented and accomplished musicians of his generation, Grammy Award-winning bassist and composer Eric Revis brings his definitive sound to the Boston Court stage for the first time.

Boston Court: Zarah Mahler
2025-11-21 20:00 | Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91206, United States
A captivating blend of soulful vocals, melodies, and lyrics, Zarah’s smoky sound merges elements of indie, pop, rock, and orchestral baroque with a touch of classic soul, creating a rich and textured musical landscape. Each live show is a unique and unforgettable experience.
