Author Events July 30-August 5

Author Tayari Jones, editor of “Atlanta Noir.”

Author Tayari Jones, editor of “Atlanta Noir.”

Writers @ The Wrecking Bar, "Atlanta Noir." To launch the long-awaited Atlanta version of this groundbreaking series, editor Tayari Jones joins Daniel Black, Jim Grimsley, Anthony Grooms, Jennifer Harlow, John Holman, Dallas Hudgens, Kenji Jasper, Sheri Joseph, Alesia Parker, David James Poissant, and Gillian Royes to read, discuss, and answer questions about the stories, each set in a distinct Atlanta neighborhood or location. 7 p.m. Aug 1. Discussion, readings, Q&A, signings. Free. The Wrecking Bar, 292 Moreland Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-681-5128, www.acappellabooks.com

Joshilyn Jackson, "Almost Sisters." In the Decatur author's eighth novel (after "The Opposite of Everyone"), when a graphic novelist — her book's super heroine, Violence, is "a busty force with crazy eyes and silver thigh boots" — returns home to announce an unexpected pregnancy, she unearths a dangerous secret with roots reaching back to the Civil War. 6 p.m. Aug. 1. Reading, discussion, signing. Free. Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road, Milton, www.bookmiser.net, www.afpls.org

Rahim Snow, "Remember Who You Are." In a time when Islam is understood less and less, local author Snow introduces a book about the interfaith spirituality of the Quran that calls on all people of faith to remember what we have in common and to stand united as a compassionate community. Written for Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all seekers of knowledge, it contains 28 verses from the Quran, accompanied by a commentary that teaches us how to practice each verse in our daily lives. 7 p.m. Aug. 4. Book launch, signing. Free. Little Shop of Stories, 133A East Court Square, Decatur, 404-373-6300, littleshopofstories.com

Matthew Quinn, "The Thing in the Woods." Local author Quinn debuts his newest title, a horror story set in small-town Georgia about a restless teenager itching to get out. During an ATV race near an abandoned farm, the teen and his rival encounter a shocking, Lovecraftian creature and its equally shocking cult of devotees, a coven that dates back to the Civil War. 2 p.m. Aug. 5. Signing. Free. Tall Tales Book Shop, Toco Hill Shopping Center, 2105 LaVista Road NE., Atlanta, 404-636-2498, www.talltalesatlanta.com