Happening today

EVENTS

St. Nick’s Pet Pics Thanks to Best Friends Animal Society the family cat or dog can pose with Santa too. Montclair Plaza, 5060 E. Montclair Plaza Lane. 6-9 p.m. $14.99-$45.99. (909) 626-2442. www.montclairplaza.com.

BOOKS

‘Cleaving’ “Julie and Julia” author Julie Powell reads from her new book, a memoir of the year she spent learning the butcher’s trade while having numerous affairs. Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 7 p.m. Free. (626) 449-5320, www.vromansbookstore.com.

PERFORMANCE

‘This, and My Heart Too’ Actress Linda Kelsey, soprano Anne Marie Ketchum and pianist Victoria Kirsch celebrate Emily Dickinson. Annenberg Community Beach House, Garden Terrace Room, 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica. 6:30 p.m. Free, but reservation required. www.beachhouse.smgov.net.

POP MUSIC

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros This sprawling canyon-folk collective seems to be winning fans for its sheer spectacle. Mayan Theatre, 1038 S. Hill St., L.A.. 8 p.m. $18. (213) 746-4674.