TICKETED: Kiran Desai, author of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny in conversation with Maya Jasanoff

Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Kiran Desai for the PAPERBACK release of her latest book, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. Maya Jasanoff will join Desai in conversation. This event will take place at OFFSITE at St. James Episcopal Church in Cambridge.&nbsp; Doors open at 6:30 pm. Use the entrance located on Beech Street (near 7 Beech Street). TICKETS This event is TICKETED. There are two ticket types. 1) Option 1 includes admission for 1 person to the event, as well as one paperback copy of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny&nbsp; 2) Option 2 includes admission only for 1 person. WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. Additional copies of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny as well as Kiran Desai's previous books will also be available for purchase at the event. BOOKS WILL BE PRE-SIGNED ...BUT KIRAN WILL PERSONALIZE BOOKS AFTER THE EVENT.&nbsp; PARKING We recommend taking public transit due to the limited parking in Cambridge. However, if you plan to drive, you can park in our store lot where there is limited parking. From there, the venue is a 6 minute walk. We will have parking validation slips at check-in. Our store lot is located on Roseland St. behind Lesley's University Hall. Roseland Street is accessible by Beacon Street and Mass Ave. When you arrive at the lot, use the screen on the gate to get a ticket. When you check in to the event, ask for a validation barcode. Parking is free on weekends and weekday evenings from 6PM-7AM. From 7AM-6PM on weekdays the first 45 minutes are free.&nbsp; After the event, scan your ticket at one of the kiosks located in the building and choose "validation." Then scan the barcode your received from us. If you have an additional charge, you will be prompted to pay after scanning your barcode. The public safety desk located near the kiosks can help with any parking validation issues. PRAISE FOR THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW’S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF PEOPLE’S TOP 5 BOOKS OF THE YEAR BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLIST KIRKUS PRIZE FINALIST NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, The Washington Post, NPR, Time, Oprah Daily, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Economist, Harper’s Bazaar, The Globe and Mail, BBC, New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, Elle, Library Journal, Libby, Chicago Public Library, Lit Hub LONGLISTED FOR THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARD • A LIBBY BOOK AWARD NOMINEE • ONE OF BOOKPAGE’S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years—an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, by the Booker Prize–winning author of The Inheritance of Loss “A transcendent triumph . . . not so much a novel as a marvel.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) “A magnificent saga.”—Washington Post “Lavish, funny, smart, and wise, this is a novel that will last.”—The Boston Globe “A spectacular literary achievement. I wanted to pack a little suitcase and stay inside this book forever.”—Ann Patchett &nbsp; The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists. &nbsp; ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Kiran Desai is the bestselling author of the novels Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and The Inheritance of Loss, which won both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Born in India, she came to the United States when she was sixteen and now lives in New York City. Maya Jasanoff is the author of three prize-winning books — The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World, Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World, and Edge of Empire: Lives, Culture, and Conquest in the East, 1750-1850. Her teaching and research extend from the history of the British Empire to global history.

St. James Episcopal Church

TICKETED: Jill Lepore, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, in conversation with James O’Donnell

Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Jill Lepore for the release of her latest book, <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9781324098423">The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State</a>. James O’Donnell will join Lepore in conversation. This event will take place OFFSITE at First Parish in Cambridge (1446 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138). Doors will open at 6:30 pm.  TICKETS This event is TICKETED. There are two ticket types. 1) Option 1 includes admission for 1 person to the event, as well as one signed copy of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State. If you want a signed copy of the book, please select this ticket option. There will be no personalizations. 2) Option 2 includes A LIMITED SUPPLY OF admission only for 1 person. This ticket does not include a copy of the book. If we sell out, please purchase a ticket that includes a copy of the book. Additional copies of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State as well as previous books by Jill Lepore will also be available for purchase at the event.  Please note that there is no book signing after the event. Personalizations are not possible. Books included with tickets will be pre-signed.  PARKING We recommend taking public transit due to the limited parking in Cambridge. However, if you plan to drive, there are a few paid parking garages nearby: Church Street Lot at 41 Church Street, University Place Garage at 124 Mt. Auburn Street, and Charles Square Garage at the Charles Hotel (5 Bennett Street). Give yourself plenty of time to find parking, as traffic can be heavy during evening rush hour.  ABOUT THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ARTIFICIAL STATE “Much in history is headlong but few grand transformations have been more precipitate or more heedless than the rise of . . . the Artificial State,” writes Jill Lepore in this passionate account of how rule by machine has ravaged the world.  Inspired by Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism, which argued in 1951 that the machinery of modern life was reshaping the very fundamentals of human existence, Lepore, profoundly disturbed by the technology revolution and by the soulless inundation of artificial intelligence, unfurls a new history for our own twenty-first century. Building on an essay in The New Yorker in 2024, Lepore’s clarion call traces our increasing dependence on and strangulation by data. Political campaigns, awash in an avalanche of fake bots, have been reduced to attention-mining algorithms, while multinational media corporations dictate public discourse, and the era of the liberal nation-state seems to be coming to a rapid end, replaced by billionaire technocrats reliant on autocracy and the tools of AI. With Orwellian overtones, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State demonstrates how technology has corroded global democracy, leading to the destruction of both human community and capacity for self-government, creating a new form of AI government, a digital citizen’s assembly, where AI will recommend the course of action to humans in place of human-run legislatures. Especially sobering with this proliferation of “dizzying, ever-changing schemes, prophesies, and predictions” is that the Artificial State has come at the expense of the natural world, leading to catastrophic loss of wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Deliberately alarming, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, despite its abundance of dire facts, is not a funeral dirge; rather, it’s an inspiring wake-up call, written in Lepore’s typically elegiac prose, which demonstrates that nothing about the Artificial State was inevitable, for it is a “government without consent, even government without humans.” It can, Lepore asserts, be dismantled. Other heinous systems, like feudalism, fascism, and slavery, have also been dismantled, but disassembly requires identifying the parts, tracing the sources. It requires telling a new history. This is the purpose of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University, professor of law at Harvard Law School, and a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the New York Times bestsellers These Truths and We the People. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. James O’Donnell is a senior reporter for MIT Technology Review, where he writes about artificial intelligence. His stories have also appeared in The Washington Post, FRONTLINE PBS, ProPublica, The New Republic, and other outlets. His reporting examines how AI is reshaping high-stakes fields like policing and warfare, as well as its broader social consequences. His investigation into AI’s energy footprint was a recent finalist for a National Magazine Award. He lives outside Boston.

First Parish Church

PORTER SQUARE BOOKS PRESENTS: Reader Prom

Join Porter Square Books for the return of Reader Prom! A FUN-DRAISER FOR <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/porter-square-books-foundation">THE PORTER SQUARE BOOKS FOUNDATION!</a> Dress up in your finest prom fashion. Bring a copy of your favorite book as your date to donate to the <a href="https://www.y2ynetwork.org/harvard-square">Y2Y Homeless Shelter</a> in Harvard Square. (It’s the only prom where you’re supposed to dump your date at the door!)  And support literacy by helping the PSB Foundation donate more books to kids. There will be free snacks and soft drinks, a cash bar, music, dancing, and, of course, “chaperones.”  This year your chaperones are Nicky Gonzalez! Author of <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780593731550">Mayra </a>AND  Paul Tremblay! Author of the upcoming<a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780063398467"> Dead, but Dreaming of Electric Sheep</a>, <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780063070028">Horror Movie</a> and many more!  Meet, Greet and get signed copies of their books! You’ll also be able to get a formal prom picture with your “date” and a bookish corsage. There will be three types of tickets for this event; Mass Market, Paperback, and Hardcover.  Mass Market: $35, which covers the cost of 3-5 books for kids. General admission. (68 Mass Market Tickets Available) Paperback: $55, which covers the cost of 5-8 books for kids. General admission, plus request a song, &amp; 1 additional entry into the Author &amp; Illustrator raffle. (20 Paperback Tickets Available) Hardcover: $100, which covers the cost of 8-10 books for kids. General admission, plus request and dedicate a song, &amp; 2 additional entries into the Author &amp; Illustrator raffle (7 Hardcover Tickets Available) Since this is a prom we will have a “King” and “Queen” but because this is a Reader Prom (and we’re not that big on monarchy as a system of government or strict genders as a system of interpersonal relationships) we’ll have an “Author” and “Illustrator.” Our Reader Prom Author and Illustrator will be randomly selected from all of the attendees and will each receive a $50 gift card. (A celebratory Author and Illustrator dance is not expected but we certainly won’t stop you!) Sponsored by Grub Street and Cambridge Savings Bank

Porter Square Books: Boston Edition

Themed Music Night: Boy Bands!

Are you longing year round for the return of the 90's? Do NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys still regularly make it into your top artists of the year? Well, get ready for Porter Square Books' upcoming Boy Bands themed music night! From 6-8PM on Thursday, April 30th, we’ll be playing all boy band music. Singing along to the songs you know is not only allowed, but encouraged! AND everyone who attends can nominate a genre or artist for the next music night!

Porter Square Books: Cambridge Edition

Independent Bookstore Day: Cambridge Edition

Join Porter Square Books for Independent Bookstore Day, the day-long celebration of everything that makes independent bookstores such vital parts of the community. Here's what's happening at Porter Square Books: Cambridge Edition! <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/metro-boston-indie-bookstore-crawl-2026">MetroBoston Indie Bookstore Crawl</a>: Both PSB locations are participating in the MetroBoston Indie Bookstore Crawl. Redeem your IBD passport at either (or both!) locations to get 1% off your purchase for every stamp. Stay tuned for more information about prizes. All Recommendations Are 20% Off: Normally it’s just our staff picks that are discounted; On Independent Bookstore Day, however, any book recommendation that you purchase at either store location will also be 20% off!  <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-04-25/stuffed-animal-portrait-party-support-porter-square-books-foundation-2026">Stuff Animal Portrait Fundraiser</a>: Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with the whole family (even the beloved stuffed companions who’ve protected your children from monsters under the bed for decades). Commemorate these gallant guardians and have their portraits drawn by professional children’s book illustrators! <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-04-25/stuffed-animal-portrait-party-support-porter-square-books-foundation-2026">Click here for more info and to reserve a spot!</a> <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-04-25/great-bookseller-bake-2026">Great Bookseller Bake-Off</a>: The Great Bookseller Bake-off returns! As part of our annual Independent Bookstore Day celebrations, a number of PSB libromancers will put their baking skills to the test, with only one being The Undisputed Baking Champion of the Year. And the best part about the bake-off is that you are the judges! The Bake-Off will take place 4PM-6PM. Independent Bookstore Day Exclusives: Once again, PSB will be selling a bunch of cool IBD exclusive items! See what specialties we'll have <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-04-25/independent-bookstore-day-2026-cambridge-edition">here</a>.

Independent Bookstore Day: Boston Edition

Join Porter Square Books for Independent Bookstore Day, the day-long celebration of everything that makes independent bookstores such vital parts of the community. Here's what's happening at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition! <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/metro-boston-indie-bookstore-crawl-2026">MetroBoston Indie Bookstore Crawl</a>: Both PSB locations are participating in the MetroBoston Indie Bookstore Crawl. Redeem your IBD passport at either (or both!) locations to get 1% off your purchase for every stamp. Stay tuned for more information about prizes. All Recommendations Are 20% Off: Normally it’s just our staff picks that are discounted; On Independent Bookstore Day, however, any book recommendation that you purchase at either store location will also be 20% off!  Independent Bookstore Day Exclusives: Once again, PSB will be selling a bunch of cool IBD exclusive items! See what specialties we'll have <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-04-25/independent-bookstore-day-2026-cambridge-edition">here</a>.

Yann Martel, author of Son of Nobody

Porter Square Books&nbsp;is thrilled to welcome Yann Martel for the release of his latest novel <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9781324118138">Son of Nobody</a>. A signing will follow the event. This event will take place at OFFSITE at the Marran Theater in Cambridge. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-04-03/ticketed-yann-martel-author-son-nobody">here</a>!

The Marran Theatre

Ibram X. Kendi, author of Chain of Ideas 

Porter Square Books&nbsp;is thrilled to present an evening with Ibram X. Kendi at First Parish in Cambridge for the release of his latest book, <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780593978023">Chain of Ideas</a>.&nbsp; This event will take place OFFSITE at First Parish in Cambridge (1446 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138). Doors open at 6:00 pm.&nbsp; Tickets can be purchased <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-03-31/ticketed-ibram-x-kendi-author-chain-ideas">here</a>.

Terry Tempest Williams, author of The Glorians

Porter Square Books&nbsp;is thrilled to welcome Terry Tempest Williams for the release of her latest book, <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780802165848">The Glorians</a>. Joshua Kurtz will join Williams in conversation. This event will take place at OFFSITE at St. James Episcopal Church in Cambridge. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Use the entrance located on Beech Street (near 7 Beech Street). Tickets can be purchased <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/event/2026-03-12/ticketed-terry-tempest-williams-author-glorians">here</a>!

Reading Romance Boston - Book Club

Join the local book club Reading Romance Boston, which meets at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition (50 Liberty Dr. Boston, MA 02210). All are welcome! For details on this month's book pick, <a href="https://www.portersquarebooks.com/porter-square-books-book-clubs">visit this page</a>.  For the February meeting, the group will read <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062240125">Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4)</a> by Tessa Dare.

PSB: Boston Edition

Cambridge Edition Book Club 

Please join us for our PSB Cambridge Edition Book Club, led by bookseller Wendy! We'll meet on the fourth Monday of every month at 7pm at Porter Square Books in Cambridge (1815 Mass Ave Cambridge, MA 02140). For details on this month's book pick, <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/porter-square-books-book-clubs">visit this page</a>, and to participate in an ongoing online discussion and see what other members have to say, <a href="https://padlet.com/wwunderblum/9cc49smddlajzua4">visit this page</a>!

Porter Square Books

PSB: Boston Edition Silent Reading Party 

The Silent Reading Party continues! You can either BYOB (bring your own book) or buy a book here! We’ll be sitting and reading quietly for an hour, followed by some discussion about what we read. Or not, if you don’t feel like talking! Snacks, refreshments, and excellent book recommendations will be provided.

Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Club

Please join us for our newest book club: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club! Meetings with be led by bookseller Connor. We'll meet on the third Monday of every month at 7pm at Porter Square Books in Cambridge (1815 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140). For details on this month's book, <a href="https://live-portersq1741858883.pantheonsite.io/porter-square-books-book-clubs">please visit this page</a>!

Book Swap at PSB: Boston Edition

Do you have a bunch of books hanging out that you know you're not going to read again? Trade them with other readers for new books! Come by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition with up to three books and leave with the same number. How the swap works: Each attendee will be able to given one number per book they bring, and then each person will get to pick a book from the table in the front. Please note: you must leave with the same number of books you arrived with! You cannot leave unwanted books at the store! This event started out as part of our Winter Event Series and was so popular that we're continuing it year-round and for our second winter season. Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase at Travelmug Cafe!

TICKETED: James Ponti, author of Europa (City Spies #7), in conversation with Raúl the Third 

Porter Square Books&nbsp;is thrilled to welcome James Ponti for the release of his latest book in the City Spies series, <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9781665959988">Europa</a>. Author Raúl the Third will join Ponti in conversation. This event will take place at OFFSITE at St. James Episcopal Church in Cambridge. Doors open at 1:30 pm. Use the entrance located on Beech Street (near 7 Beech Street). <a href="https://portersquarebooks.com/products/tags/event-ticket">TICKETS</a> This event is&nbsp;TICKETED. Each ticket includes admission for 1 kid plus 1 adult/guardian, as well as one copy of a City Spies book (your choice from books 1-6 or the newest one, Europa). Additional copies of Europa and the previous books in the series will be available for purchase at the event. James will sign and personalize books following the event. SIGNING James will sign and personalize copies of his books after the event, both the book included with your event ticket as well as copies brought from home. PARKING We recommend taking public transit due to the limited parking in Cambridge. However, if you plan to drive, you can park in our store lot where there is limited parking. From there, the venue is a 6 minute walk. We will have parking validation slips at check-in. Our store lot is located on Roseland St. behind Lesley's University Hall. Roseland Street is accessible by Beacon Street and Mass Ave. When you arrive at the lot, use the screen on the gate to get a ticket. When you check in to the event, ask for a validation barcode. Parking is free on weekends and weekday evenings from 6PM-7AM. From 7AM-6PM on weekdays the first 45 minutes are free.&nbsp; After the event, scan your ticket at one of the kiosks located in the building and choose "validation." Then scan the barcode your received from us. If you have an additional charge, you will be prompted to pay after scanning your barcode. The public safety desk located near the kiosks can help with any parking validation issues.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Where

psb_events

Experiences