Joe Donahue

Mona Awad’s books walk the line between the surreal and the deeply human. Her latest novel, “We Love You, Bunny,” is a darkly glittering fable about love, obsession, and the masks we wear.

This week's Book Picks comes from Amy Zimmerman from Chatham Bookstore in Chatham, NY and we also welcome Cheryl McKeon from The Book House in Albany, NY.

There are two major exhibits now on display at Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York through the end of the year.The exhibit “Exploring Calvin and Hobbes” revisits the beloved comic strip created by Bill Watterson from 1985 to 1995. It explores his mastery of the comic strip art form through engaging characters, thoughtful writing, and creative layouts.Also on display, “Romare Bearden: Artist-Activist-Visionary.” Drawn from the Romare Bearden Foundation Collection, the exhibition examines how Bearden agitated for change through images and writing.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert Theresa Bourgeois, Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College Robert Brigham, Executive Director at The Alliance for a Hunger Free NY and The Food Pantries for the Capital District, Founder of the NYS Food as Medicine Coalition Natasha Pernicka, and Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

Culinary Arts at SPAC Events features the talents of both local and visiting chefs along with a visiting guest cookbook author who share their expertise and insights alongside their food. Barbeque legend, James Beard Award Winning author, and host of PBS’s “Project Fire” Steven Raichlen kicked off the Culinary Arts SPAC Fall season with a sizzling celebration of the griddle. His latest book is “Project Griddle: The Versatile Art of Grilling on a Flattop with Steven Raichlen.”

November is National American Indian Heritage Month and on the first of the month, the Bard Center for Indigenous Studies will present a community fair at Bard Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater which will include food, a makers’ market, and a performance by Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band.The Bard Center for Indigenous Studies Community Fair begins at 5:30 pm on Saturday, November 1 at Bard Fisher Center.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Preceptor in Public Speaking, Strategic Communications, and Public Relations for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University Terry Gipson, Professor of Government at Dutchess Community College and President of the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley Dr. Karin Riedl, and Political consultant and lobbyist Libby Post.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government atSkidmore College Beau Breslin, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond, and Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategy and Policy at Bard College Malia Du Mont.

One cold night, Natasha William's father drove his car into the New York Bay with her two-year-old half-sister in the backseat. She was the one to walk him past the column of hungry reporters demanding an explanation. The headline in The Daily News read: Back from a Watery Grave. But Natasha's experiences growing up with her schizophrenic father in the gritty New York City of the 1970s are not so easily captured in a single headline.Natasha Williams’ new book, “The Parts of Him I Kept: The Gifts of My Father's Madness,” is an intimate account of coming of age in the face of a father's schizophrenic unraveling.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Partner with the Albany law firm of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, Cianna Freeman-Tolbert, Publisher Emeritus of The Daily Freeman Ira Fusfeld, Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences at RPI Jim Hendler, and Wall Street Investment Banker Mark Wittman.