Coronado Times

Art as History: Contemporary perspectives on American and San Diego stories
2026-06-25 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Drawing on the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s permanent collection, this presentation explores how contemporary artists over the last 50 years have engaged with United States history and reflected on it through their practices. Through a virtual tour of selected works, we will examine how artists have reimagined historical narratives — with a special focus on San Diego histories and the stories that shape our region. Join us for this visual journey connecting art, memory, and place.

Spoilers Book Club: "Hamnet"
2026-06-27 14:00 - 16:30 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
All spoilers, all the time! This month, Spoilers Book Club is reading Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, the moving and imaginative novel about love, loss, family, and the story behind one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
We’ll read the book, watch the film adaptation, and then dive into a lively discussion of what worked, what changed, what surprised us, and which version stayed with us most. Come ready to share your thoughts — spoilers encouraged!
No sign-up required.

Best of the Best Book Club: "Seven Empty Houses" by Samanta Schweblin
2026-07-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
The Coronado Public Library’s Best of the Best Book Club meets regularly on the fourth Wednesday of each month to discuss books that have won major awards.

For our July meeting, we will read and discuss the winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature, Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, a deft collection of seven stories that carries the reader in and out of the fragility of the mind, the spirit, and the body
About Seven Empty Houses
The seven houses in these seven stories are strange. A person is missing, or a truth, or memory; some rooms are enticing, some unmoored, others empty. But in Samanta Schweblin’s tense, visionary tales, something always creeps back inside: a ghost, a fight, trespassers, a list of things to do before you die, a child’s first encounter with darkness or the fallibility of parents.
In each story, twists and turns will unnerve and surprise: Schweblin never takes the expected path and instead digs under the skin, revealing surreal truths about our sense of home, of belonging, and of the fragility of our connections with others. This is a masterwork from one of our most brilliant modern writers.

An evening with New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd
2026-07-29 18:30 - 19:30 | Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Join New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd for a captivating evening of mystery, romance, and literary intrigue inspired by her newest novel, Teach the Torches to Burn.

In this imaginative reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the famous star-crossed lovers survived, married, and raised a daughter of their own. As Verona prepares for her wedding, a shocking murder threatens to unravel the celebration, setting the stage for a thrilling mystery filled with family secrets, danger, and suspense.
The evening opens with a performance by the San Diego Shakespeare Society, featuring Sidney Scripps, Michael Hoag, Rebecca Reisman, and Kevin Manley in pivotal scenes from Romeo and Juliet. As Shakespeare wrote, “Gallop apace you fiery-footed steeds,” you won’t want to miss this unforgettable evening inspired by one of literature’s greatest love stories.
Christina will discuss the novel, her creative process, and her fresh take on one of literature’s most enduring stories. The program will include an author conversation, audience Q&A, book signing, and the opportunity to purchase copies of Teach the Torches to Burn.

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-seated, subject to availability. Limited preferred seating is available with purchase of a book through Adventures by the Book. Please visit adventuresbythebook.com/calendar-event/christina-dodd-7-29-26/ for more information.

An evening with Annie Jacobsen, on "Biological War: A Scenario"
2026-08-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Nautilus Room, Coronado Community Center, 1845 Strand Way, Coronado, CA, 92118, United States
Coronado Public Library, in partnership with Warwick’s and the Friends of the Coronado Public Library, presents Annie Jacobsen discussing Biological War: A Scenario. Jacobsen is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario.

She will share insights into her latest work in which she explores a chilling scenario where a deliberate biological attack unleashes a global pandemic that rapidly overwhelms public health systems and triggers the collapse of modern society. Drawing on interviews with top government, military, and medical experts, she traces the hours, days, and weeks following such an event, revealing how quickly civilization could descend into chaos.
This event is a fund-raiser for the Friends of the Coronado Public Library and a paid ticket is required to enter. Tickets are available for purchase HERE. Ticket options are:

$10 entry only
$33 plus tax and fees for admission for one person and one copy of Biological War: A Scenario
$43 plus tax and fees for admission for two people and one copy of Biological War: A Scenario
Free tickets are available with the presentation of a military ID at check in while tickets are available. Please reserve your free ticket here.
Check-in starts/doors open at 6:15 p.m. Please print out your tickets or have the QR code available on your phone.
Seating is first-come, first served.
“With Book” ticketholders will receive a copy of Biological War: A Scenario at check-in.
Additional books will be available for purchase at this event.
The Nautilus Room is located at the Coronado Community Center 1845 Strand Way. Free public parking is available.

About Annie Jacoben
ANNIE JACOBSEN is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author. Her books include: AREA 51; OPERATION PAPERCLIP; THE PENTAGON’S BRAIN; PHENOMENA; SURPRISE, KILL VANISH, and FIRST PLATOON.
Her newest book, NUCLEAR WAR: A SCENARIO, is an international bestseller.
Jacobsen’s books have been named Best of the Year and Most Anticipated by outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, Apple, and Amazon. She has appeared on countless TV programs and media platforms—from PBS Newshour to Joe Rogan—discussing war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security. Audiences have ranged from The Vatican to The United Nations.
She also writes and produces TV, including Tom Clancy’s JACK RYAN.
Jacobsen graduated from Princeton University where she was Captain of the Women’s Ice Hockey Team. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Kevin and their two sons.
About Biological War: A Scenrio
A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based on dozens of new interviews with experts with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military responsibility, Annie Jacobsen examines this very scenario. It would be only a matter of days from such a global infection before the infrastructure built to handle this gravest of situations would be in a battle for human existence.
The fallout: mass death, total societal breakdown, widespread insurrection, anarchy, and a plague-ravaged wasteland that no longer resembles modern civilization. In other words: dystopia.
Following the gripping narrative style that launched Nuclear War to the New York Times bestseller list, Jacobsen looks deeply at a situation that is in some ways the opposite of a nuclear bomb: There is no mushroom cloud, no shock wave or blast. Instead, the scenario that could end the world as we know it begins with something so small, and something so malicious, that when used for evil, only evil can result.
This is what could happen; a ticking-clock roadmap to the hours, days, and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as the most essential, forward-looking journalism in preparation for urgent societal upheaval.
