tuesday/8
“Tangled Vines: Jews and the Creation of the California Wine Industry.” Frances Dinkelspiel discusses her book about a dark side of California’s wine history. At the Magnes, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley. 5 p.m. Free. www.magnes.org
thursday/10
Tale of motley, murderous Muscovites. Paul Goldberg, who grew up in Moscow, will discuss the inspiration for his tragicomic debut novel “The Yid,” which follows the Stalinist-era assassination plot of an aging Yiddish actor, a persecuted Jewish physician and an African American expatriate.
4 p.m. Thursday, March 10 at the Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F. Free. www.jewishcommunitylibrary.org
sunday/13
Litquake Palo Alto. Literary festival featuring salons and workshops, with keynote speaker Joyce Carol Oates and authors Lemony Snicket and Joyce Maynard. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 3 to 8 p.m. Free. www.tinyurl.com/litquake-paloalto
thursday/17
“Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning.” Yale history professor Timothy Snyder discusses his book exploring the history of the Holocaust. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F. 7 p.m. Free, but reservation required. www.jccsf.org