Books: Jane Smiley to sign ‘Private Life’ at Vroman’s, Diesel

Jane Smiley, the California author of a dozen wildly different books, tackles half a century of events in the life of Margaret Early, a plain girl who gets married off to an eccentric scientist, in “Private Life.” The pair move to San Francisco, where they suffer a series of internal and external disasters, but the knowledge that Margaret has married a madman is what keeps the pages turning. The Washington Post has called “Private Life” a “quantum leap” for this already accomplished writer, who will sign her latest work. Vroman’s, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 7 p.m. Thu. (626) 449-5320. Also at Diesel, Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Suite 33. 3 p.m. Sat. (310) 576-9960.