Today's Featured Books— Events

Free online: Exploring Hemingway at the JFK. Join for a virtual exploration of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's special website, Hemingway at the JFK. Designed as a "living website," the Hemingway at the JFK project offers an exploration of Ernest Hemingway's life, works, and legacy. Wednesday, October 23, 6 PM EDT. 

“The way to make people trustworthy is to trust them.” ~Ernest Hemingway

Free online: Rogue Reads. Join for cocktails and conversation with authors Jenny Milchman, author of The Fairest; Daryl Wood Gerber, Murder by the Millions; L. Divine, Lost in the Garden of Eve; and Kate Belli, The Gallery Assistant. Monday, October 20, 7 PM ET. 

“The more he gave away, the more delighted he became.” ~Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish

Free online this weekend: Chills & Thrills at The Back Room. Join authors Lou Berney, Kristen L. Berry, Kelly Mustian, and Chevy Stevens as they read from and discuss their critically acclaimed mystery and thriller novels. Sunday, October 19, 7 PM ET. 

“We reveal more of ourselves in the lies we tell than we do when we try to tell the truth.” ~Donna Tartt, The Secret History

Join the Drawing Hive for a free weekly art session where adult artists of all levels come together to draw from stunning photography and pop-culture imagery. Create, share, and grow your skills as a visual storyteller in a relaxed, come-and-go environment using any medium you love. Register for tomorrow evening's session! 

“The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.” ~Frida Kahlo

Free online: Reading the Classics. Hosted by the New York Public Library, this online series is for readers worldwide. Moderated by Prof. Ilan Stavans, the meetings take place via Zoom on the second Tuesday of the month, February through May and September through December. This month: Paradise Lost by John Milton. Tuesday, October 14, 7 - 8:30 PM EDT. 

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” ~John Milton, Paradise Lost

Free online: The Art of Gratitude Journaling. Discover the power of gratitude journaling and unlock your creativity in a fun workshop designed to help you build a more positive outlook on life. Saturday, October 11, 12 - 1 p.m. CDT.

“I don't know what I think until I write it down.” ~Joan Didion

Free online: How did Indigenous art inspire Jackson Pollock? Join Joyce Raimondo from the Pollock-Krasner House and W. Jackson Rushing III, author of Native American Art and the New York Avant-Garde, for a lively talk about how Indigenous symbols influenced Pollock’s work. Then, take a live Zoom tour with Joyce inside Pollock’s famous barn studio, where his poured paintings came to life. Thursday, October 9, 12:00pm - 1:00pm (EDT).

"It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Free online: NYC Library Book Club. Each month, the Mulberry Street Branch of the New York City Library hosts a book discussion. Booklovers can participate in person or online. This month, the club will be discussing The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two boy geniuses dreaming up superheroes in New York’s Golden Age of comics. Monday, October 6, 6-7 p.m. ET.

"There is no force more powerful than that of an unbridled imagination." ~Michael Chabon

Free online: Cheat Codes! Join for an evening of storytelling and book chats. Cheat Codes! The Empowerment Manual for the Wife is a self-help guide for women navigating the complexities of marriage. October 4, 8 p.m. CDT.

“A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” ~Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

Free online: Strong Women, Strange Worlds. Join for a tasting menu of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories featuring six authors who will each have eight minutes to tempt and tantalizing you with their reading. Friday, October 3, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CDT.

“I would always rather be happy than dignified.” ~Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Free online: Readings from the Room. Join booklovers online for a free reading from the Writers' Room of Boston. The event will be hosted by Spencer Storey Johnson and will feature the work of Anu Kandikuppa and Jake Hargrove. Tuesday, September 30, 7-8 p.m. EDT.

“Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything.” ~Sally Rooney, Normal People

Free online: Tribute to Stanley Plumly and his Collected Poems. Hosted by the Hudson Valley Writers Center, join for a tribute celebration of Stanley Plumly's new Collected Poems. Poets and editors David Baker, Jill Bialosky, and Michael Collier will introduce the collection and host the reading. Sunday, September 28, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. EST. 

"I’m listening and thinking of the distances imagination travels sitting still, wandering without direction.” ~Stanley Plumly

LitNuts regularly shares information about online literary and cultural events, but in-person book festivals are also a great way to connect with authors and other booklovers. Check out this list of upcoming book festivals to find one near you. 

“So many books, so little time.” ~Frank Zappa

Free online: Chicago Storytelling at the Newberry Library. Join via Zoom to kick off the library's fall programming season with Chicago Storytelling—a celebration of the Windy City featuring presentation of the 2025 Pattis Award and conversations with photographer Sandra Steinbrecher and authors Scott W. Berg and Larry A. McClellan. Saturday, September 20, 1 p.m. CT.

"Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty." ~Scott W. Berg

Free online: Heritage Book Club. Join the New York Public Library and author Natalie Bakopoulos for a discussion of Archipelago, a stirring and impeccably balanced novel of self-discovery. Thursday, September 18, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. ET.

"We are interconnected...in the most absolute tranquility or in the midst of tumultuous events.” ~Natalie Bakopoulos, Scorpionfish

Free online: Rogue Reads, a fun online event where authors discuss their latest novels. Tonight's line-up includes Isabella Maldonado and Jeffery Deaver, authors of The Grave Artist; Lou Berney, author of Crooks; and Alyssa Maxwell, author of Murder at Arleigh. Monday, September 15, 7 p.m. EST.

"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience." ~Frank Herbert, Dune

Free online: Poetry Lit! Festival. Join for a full day of poetry with multiple readings and panel discussions throughout the day. Saturday, September 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. 

“Whatever you do, don’t be boring.” ~Anne Sexton

Each year, the Mississippi Book Festival (September 13, Jackson, Mississippi) unites readers and authors via panel discussions, book signings, family-friendly activities, food trucks, live music, and more! The festival is free and open to all who attend in person, but if you're not in the area, you can still enjoy the festival's huge archive of videos from past Mississippi Book Festival events. 

“One place understood helps us understand all places better.” ~Eudora Welty

Free online: Historical Fiction Book Recommendations. Join Jane Healey on the second Tuesday of each month for 30 minutes of recommendations on the best of historical fiction out there. Jane is author of The Beantown Girls, a Washington Post and Amazon bestseller, and The Secret Stealers, a Historical Novel Society’s Editors’ Choice. Tuesday, September 9, 5:30 - 6:00 PM CDT.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." ~Mark Twain

Free online: Imprint. Join this live event celebrating the YouTube release of the award-winning documentary Imprint. a poetic documentary exploring 13 grassroots projects across Sweden that reimagine community, resilience, and our shared future in the age of the Anthropocene. You can see the movie trailer on YouTube now. Saturday, September 6, 10-11 a.m. CDT. 

"What if humans belong to the Earth—and not the other way around?" ~Mattias Olsson, documentary filmmaker

Free online: Malcolm X at 100. Join the staff of the New York Public Library and a panel of scholars and authors for a discussion of the life, insights, and legacy of Malcom X. Thursday, September 4, 6:30 - 8:00 PM EDT. 

"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it." ~Malcolm X

Join Next Stop Italy for a free virtual tour of Montepulciano. Known for its magnificent views, idyllic rolling hills, medieval and Renaissance history, and its wine, Montepulciano is the quintessential Tuscan village. Thursday, August 28, 10 - 11 AM CDT. 

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” ~Leonardo da Vinci

The Eudora Welty House & Garden hosts tours and events at the author's former home in Jackson, Mississippi. Not in Jackson? You can participate in the Welty at Home Virtual Book Club. Next up: A discussion of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, beginning Monday, September 8, at Noon CST. 

“Write about what you don’t know about what you know.” ~Eudora Welty

The Edinburgh International Book Festival, the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas. wraps up this weekend and includes a dozen online events Saturday and Sunday that you can attend free or for whatever you would like to donate. 

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.” ~Terry Pratchett, Diggers

Free online: Strong Women, Strange Worlds. Join for a tasting menu of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories featuring six authors who will each have eight minutes to tempt and tantalizing you with their reading. Thursday, August 21, 6 PM CDT. 

"If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war." ~Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace