Events of 2020
We’ll reschedule and re-start our
Afternoon With an Author Series
as soon as it’s safe to do so!
Jim Bostwick
February 29
Jim Bostwick is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and author of his best selling book, Acts of Omission. Bostwick is noted as one of the Top 4 Trial Lawyers by the California Bar Journal. He is also featured in Newsweek, Town and Country, and Forbes. “Bostwick spins a powerful, informative tale drawn from real life. The courtroom scenes leap off the page and will leave the reader cheering for justice.” (Walter H. Walker III, best selling author The Crime of Privilege) Set in the Bay Area, Acts of Omission has everything, courtroom drama, personal relationships, suspense and mystery its a great read.
February 8
Julian Guthrie
Silicon Valley Reads 2020 selected author, Julian Guthrie, award winning journalist and author of the award winning book, Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took On Silicon Valley’s Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime. Julian follows the careers and lives of four entrepreneurial women in the venture capital world who were instrumental to the rise of such companies as: Sales Force, Tesla, Oracle, Imperva, Trulia, and Facebook. Her book is currently being adapted for a television series.
March 7
Jill Avery Henderson
Jill Avery Henderson established her unique company Life Launch. Her life mission is to teach life skills to young adults, preparing them for the real world with confidence. Jill Henderson is a life strategist and empowerment coach for youth. She believes “The greatest gift we can give our children is the self-sufficiency and independence they need to adapt to life’s inevitable challenges.” Her passion for helping teens and parents succeed in life is evident in her programs.
Events of 2019
October
Ed Grant
Explore Piers of the California Coast
Author, Ed Grant spoke about his book Piers of the California Coast. His talk was entertaining and informative.
May
Caroline Cocciardi
Overlooked for centuries yet visual to the naked eye Cocciardi detected that the minute interlocking embroidered knot pattern on Mona Lisa’s dress deviated from the decorative embroidery of the day. The Mona Lisa Knot was a mathematical pattern based on its angular crossing patterns.
March
Bill Griffeth
TV financial journalist, Bill Griffeth spoke about his memoir The Stranger in My Genes, which is a 2019 Silicon Valley Reads selection. In his book, Bill undertakes a quest to solve the mystery of his origins, which shakes his sense of identity.
Anna Yen
Sophia of Silicon Valley is a novel about a fictional character, Sophia, and her life working with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Anna Yen based her character’s adventures on her own experiences working with notables like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. She grew up in Silicon Valley, and went to local schools.
January
Karen Trolan
Ms. Trolan inspired the audience with her tips for ways to deal with set-backs to gain success. She is a real estate Broker Associate and Assistant manager who has dealt with much adversity including paraplegia and yet continues to give back to the community by volunteering, exemplified by getting inducted into the “Legends of Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Events of 2018
OCTOBER
The 21st Century Irish Writers
The Friends hosted two of the writers at the Friends’ bookstore. Wendy Erskine, author of Sweet Home and Emer Martin, author of The Cruelty Men.
Joe Galiardi, author of Hooked on Autographs
An Engaging Memoir
Joe has the largest and most diversified private collection of autographed golf balls in the world. His collection of signed golf balls extends beyond golf superstars to include other famous notable athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and the last nine U.S. Presidents.
JULY
Dr. Victoria Sweet
Dr. Sweet and Alyce Parsons
In July, Dr. Victoria Sweet spoke to a standing-room only crowd. You can find out more about her latest trip and her visit with Carlo Petrini, the creator of The Slow Food Movement. HERE.
APRIL
Olympic Gold Medalists
Bianca and Sonja Van der Velden
Synchronized Swimming Gold Medalists Bianca and Sonja Van der Velden-OLY shared their journey from Olympic Hopefuls, to Olympic Winners.
FEBRUARY
Mark Lukach, author of My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward, a Silicon Valley Reads 2018
An incredible story through years of battling mental illness.
Four and five star reviews, say this is a “powerful and raw story,” “heartbreaking,” “intimate portrait of mental illness and how if affects those closest to the sufferers.” Many write, “Must read.”
WHEN WE CAN TAKE DONATIONS AND SORT BOOKS, WE'LL ONCE AGAIN OFFER A GREAT SELECTION OF BOOKS ON 