The following events this week are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. This is not a complete listing. For additional events, see Bookshop on our pages or log on to eg.washingtonpost.com/section/books.
18 Monday
6 P.M. The Women & Politics Institute hosts a discussion and signing with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison for her new book, American Heroines: The Spirited Women Who Shaped Our Country, at the University Club's Mary Graydon Center on the campus of American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Call 202-885-2903 or e-mail wandp@american.edu for details and to RSVP.
6 P.M. Medical reporter Susan Okie discusses and signs Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity at Reiter's Scientific & Professional Books, 2021 K St. NW, 202-223-3327.
7 P.M. Sarah Vowell reads from and signs her new book, Assassination Vacation, and Shalom Auslander reads from his new collection of stories, Beware of God, at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-1919.
19 Tuesday
4 P.M. James J. O'Donnell, provost of Georgetown University, discusses and signs Augustine: A New Biography at the university bookstore, Leavey Center, 37th & O Sts. NW, 202-687-7482. A reception and signing follow.
6:30 P.M. The "Author's Evening" series at the Meridian International Center presents a discussion and signing with USIA veteran Richard T. Arndt, author of The First Resort of Kings: American Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century, and Yale Richmond, author of Cultural Exchange & the Cold War: Raising the Iron Curtain, at 1630 Crescent Place NW. Call 202-939-5543 to RSVP.
6:30 P.M. Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, discusses FAB: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop -- From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication as part of the Smithsonian Associates program being held at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW. Admission is $15 for nonmembers; call 202-357-3030 to RSVP.
7 P.M. Romance writers Michelle Monkou, author of Making Promises, Catherine Asaro, author of sci-fi romances including The Charmed Sphere and the forthcoming The Misted Cliffs, and Ruth Glick, author (under the nom de plume Rebecca York) of Spellbound and Crimson Moon, discuss and sign their work at the Savage Branch Library, 9525 Durness Lane, Laurel, Md., 410-880-5980.
7 P.M. Andrei Makine presents a bilingual (French-English) reading of his new novel, The Earth and Sky of Jacques Dorme, at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 445 11th St. NW, 202-737-5553.
7 P.M. Loung Ung discusses and signs her new memoir, Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind (follow-up to the National Book Award-winning First They Killed My Father), at Politics and Prose, 202-364-1919.
7 P.M. Sue Miller reads from and signs her new novel, Lost in the Forest, at Olsson's-Courthouse, 2111 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va., 703-525-4227. She will also read on Wednesday, April 20, at 1 p.m. at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 202-737-5553.
7:30 P.M. Esther Freud, author of the novels Hideous Kinky and The Sea House, reads from and discusses her work at the D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. This event is part of the "nextbook" series; call 888-621-2230 or visit www.nextbook.org for details.
7:30 P.M. Phil Berardelli discusses and signs Safe Young Drivers: A Guide for Parents and Teens at Washington-Lee High School, 1300 North Quincy St., Arlington, Va. Visit www.safeyoungdrivers.com for details.
20 Wednesday
12:30 P.M. Flora Fraser signs (no reading) Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III at Borders-Downtown, 18th & L Sts. NW, 202-466-4999. She will discuss and sign her book that evening at 7:30 p.m. at Borders-Tysons Corner, 8027 Leesburg Pike, 703-556-7766. She will read again on Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m. at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 202-737-5553.
