There were no racing bibs, countdown clocks or jittery pre-event warmups at the Sacramento Walking Sticks 5K/10K walk on Saturday. Instead, there were happy clusters of walkers strolling along the bubbling American River, optional forays into the Soil Born Farms farm stand and plenty of time to stop for a picnic lunch. Starting at the William B. Pond Recreation area, walkers were able to choose a 5K, 10K or any distance in between, and could start at any time between 8 a.m. and noon. Or, if you’re an “obsessive walker,” you might do two walks in a day, as one club member is known to do. The new club walking route, designed by President Heidi Foster, primarily followed equestrian trails

Award-winning British children's book author Caroline Lawrence will be visiting the Del Paso Heights Library (920 Grand Avenue in North Sacramento) on Wednesday, April 25. She will be attending the Friends of the Library meeting and potluck beginning at noon, which is open to anyone interested in supporting the library. A book talk follows at 1:30pm. Later that day, she will be visiting the McClatchy Library (at 22nd & U Streets downtown) 6:30-7:30pm for another lively discussion. All events are free. Ms. Lawrence is the author of the juvenile historical fiction series Roman Mysteries, which has been made into a CBBC TV series in the UK. The thrilling book series has won several awards a

Beginning June 5, Sacramento’s Arden-Dimick Library will host “Hearing Voices – Author, Character and Narrator in Audiobooks,” a summer book club sponsored by the Sacramento Public Library and the California Center for the Book. At the first meeting, participants will meet the Audie and Audiofile Earphones award-winning Simon Vance, narrator of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and King’s Speech audiobooks. Vance will discuss his experience of what makes good literature and what makes good audio and how those two may differ. Registered participants will receive audiobooks and series materials, including author biographies and discussion questions. At each of the four remaining meetings, pa

Once the introductory applause had quieted down in The Crest Theatre, Dave Eggers settled into his chair and asked his audience of literary fans and admirers the score of the Giants/Phillies game. He said he wouldn’t be able to relax until he knew. With similar candidness and humor, Eggers opened up about his latest nonfiction book “Zeitoun,” which documents the life and wrongful imprisonment of a Muslim-American man, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sharing the stage with Eggers was Sacramento State’s Joseph Palermo, an associate professor of history. Together they discussed what it was like to have a relative wrongfully incarcerated, the mi

Jane Austen left her mark on the world of fiction when she penned her six novels and various short and unfinished works. Her work has been studied since its publishing, influencing studies in character to plot to nuanced themes of culture and social comment. The Central Public Library is in the middle of its 12-part set of presentations on Austen’s work called “How Austentatious!,” the most recent meeting focusing on “Emma,” one of the last works to be published in the writer’s career. Each month, groups of up to 250 people listen to lectures, participate in cultural exercises (such as dancing and etiquette) and get into smaller study groups to discuss the text with discussion leaders.

A group of 12 women sat around a large table, passively sipping iced tea and discussing the latest novel chosen for their 8-month-old book club: “Darling Jim” by Christian Moerk. The outdoor awning of Franklin Boulevard’s Coffee Garden was full of avid readers as the Alt+Library Book Club for 20s and 30s met for its August discussion. The book club’s facilitators – programming librarians Lori Eastwood, 31, and Jessica Zaker, 29 – lead the monthly discussions with poignant insights and leading questions that get the attendees into the right mode of talk. “It’s a great way to read,” Meg Dana, 22, said. “If I’m not in school and I don’t have something driving me to read, I just don’t do it

The Arden Dimick Library open book club has announced a fall theme for foodies – reading about eating, cooking and sharing food. Recent slow food events in Sacramento have illustrated the region’s deep interest in sustainable food issues. Michael Pollan’s California Lectures event sold out. The Crest Theater continues to be pestered by callers looking for opening night of sustainable food documentary Food Inc. Local foodie websites like Vanilla Garlic and Poor Girl Eats Well garner huge audiences and serious praise. With that in mind, this summer may be the perfect time to read about food, preparing you to take part in the book club discussions this fall. September 20, the club will discu