Book club spring lineup: Gabrielle Zevin, LeVar Burton, Elliot Page, Luis Alberto Urrea

Good morning and welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club Newsletter (Sneak Peek Edition).

This spring we celebrate freedom of expression, family, friendship and fighting to untangle yourself from the expectations of others.

Here’s a glimpse of what we’re reading and talking about. Be sure to save these dates so you can join the conversation:

On April 22 L.A. novelist and screenwriter Gabrielle Zevin joins book club readers at the Festival of Books to discuss “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.” This is Zevin’s first L.A. appearance for her supernova bestseller. She’ll be in conversation with Times editor Samantha Melbourneweaver at 1:45 p.m.

On May 24 actor, author and “Reading Rainbow” founder LeVar Burton will be in conversation with Times editor Steve Padilla about the State of Banned Books at the ASU California Center in Los Angeles. Burton also will discuss his documentary, “The Right to Read,” and the nailbiter Season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard.” Tickets.

On June 8 Academy Award nominee Elliot Page will join a live, in-person conversation about his debut memoir, “Pageboy,” at the historic Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood. Get tickets.

On July 19 award-winning novelist Luis Alberto Urrea will discuss his upcoming book, “Good Night, Irene,” a novel inspired by his mother’s service on the front lines of World War II in a group nicknamed the “Donut Dollies.” Urrea will be in conversation with Times editor Iliana Limon Romero at this virtual book club night. Ticket information is coming soon.

Ultimate L.A. Bookshelf

In time for the Festival of Books, we asked writers with deep ties to the city: What books define L.A.?

You’ll find Steph Cha on Raymond Chandler, Gustavo Arrellano on Luis J. Rodriguez, Edan Lepucki on Octavia E. Butler, Sesshu Foster on Charles Bukowski and David Kipen on forgotten L.A. stories. Plus 110 Essential Reads of the city.

Browse the entire package here.

(Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times)

Festival is (almost) here

Reservations open on Sunday, April 16, at 6 a.m. for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the USC campus. The in-person festival, which last year drew 155,000 book lovers of all ages, is April 22-23.

You’ll meet L.A. Times Book Club authors past and present, including Gabrielle Zevin, Annalee Newitz, Michael Connelly, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Steph Cha, Joe Ide, Father Gregory Boyle, Reyna Grande, Keith Corbin and Pico Iyer.

You’ll also find a wide range of conversations with more than 500 bestselling authors, beloved children’s writers, poet performers, musicians and celebrities sharing new books and book-to-screen projects.

Ask a Reporter, the live meet-up series where Times journalists discuss the news and answer your questions, is headed to the Festival of Books too. We’ll kick off Saturday with a discussion about the paper’s new Early Childhood Initiative, take you inside L.A. Times Studios, produce a live podcast, talk cookbooks and summer travel, and share some of the most interesting, innovative projects going on at The Times right now. Here’s what you need to know.

Tickets are available online, but you also can walk into many events on festival weekend if space is available.

Tell us: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Festival of Books? Share your responses here.

Kevin Merida, left, Laurie Ochoa and Steve Lopez are among the Los Angeles Times staff members speaking at the Festival of Books April 22-23.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times (Merida, Lopez); Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Quick pitch: If you like our book club and community events, please sign on as a supporter. You’ll help us produce a wider range of in-person and virtual events. We’ll also feature your name in lights (or at least on screen) at the next book club night. Here’s how.

Fate, family and fortunes

The Times just debuted “Foretold,” a podcast hosted by Faith Pinho about a Romani fortuneteller’s decision to leave her insular community and the consequences she faced in forging a new path. “If you’re a fan of the book ‘Educated’ by Tara Westover, you’ll appreciate this podcast,” says Times head of audio Jazmin Aguilera. “There are lots of overlapping themes of identity and commitment to family, culture, one’s ‘way of life.’ And at the center of it, a young woman who suddenly realizes there’s a big world out there and wonders, ‘What’s my place in it?’”

She adds, “You might get sucked in by the world of psychics, but stay for the wonder at the history of persecution and survival of the Roma and the fascinating ways their culture has evolved throughout the centuries.”

Mail bag

We get such great letters from book club readers! Here’s the latest from members of “The Book Babes” book club, who have been reading and meeting in Los Angeles for 29 years. They reached out to share a novel set in World War II California that, as they see it, hasn’t quite received the acclaim it deserves. Here’s a snippet:

“Most of the press attention that Marianne Wiggins’ latest novel, ‘Properties of Thirst,’ has garnered has centered on the heartwarming and triumphant human-interest backstory of the author and her daughter,” the Book Babes write. “The Los Angeles Times’ book review by Lorraine Berry did just that. As interesting as that is, this limited focus does a disservice to an important work of art.

“‘Properties of Thirst’ is a truly compelling, poetic, nuanced, laugh-out-loud funny, and sometimes heartbreaking exploration of human misreadings and moral dilemmas on national, regional and personal levels, many of which lead to profound injustices. These injustices reflect our times. Their relevance to us as readers, and the wisdom and compassion with which they are explored, distinguish and elevate this novel.”

In nearly three decades, the Babes — Karen Kurokawa, Mary Sheehan, Lana Burke Selness, Shari Canepa, Chris Weinberg, Joan Friedman, Denise Richards, Pam Kerr and Doris Levy — have read 264 books together. “Properties of Thirst” is one of the rare books they rated “unanimously adored.”

Last word

“‘Literary fiction’ is a fake category concocted in New York. There is no L.A. ‘literary fiction’ and thank God for that. Let the snobs stay on the East Coast.” Steve Erickson in L.A. writers make their case.