God and the girls

Although brick-and-mortar bookstores seem to be going by the wayside, the folks at the Avid Reader have persevered, thanks in part to great local events. This Friday, the Davis shop will host Val Brelinski, a recent Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Brelinksi will read from her latest offering, The Girl Who Slept with God (Viking, $27.95), which tells the story of how religion altered the course of three girls' lives. 7:30 p.m., Friday, August 21; free. 617 2nd Street, Davis; www.avidreaderbooks.com.