Get Ready For Life After Harry Potter

Here are some of the highlights happening around the Larkspur and Corte Madera Twin Cities area Sept. 26-27:

Harry Potter fans, hang on for a brave, new adventure. Corte Madera's Book Passage is hosting a breakfast party for the release of author J.K. Rowling's new book The Casual Vacancy. OK, so Harry Potter isn't in this story, but fans might find comfort in some of English settings.

Just under the calm surface, the town of Pagford is anything but peaceful. Everyone's at war with everyone else in town and an open seat on the local council takes matters to a whole new level in The Casual Vacancy.

Enjoy orange juice, mimosas, pastries and a good book, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday. Pre-order your copy early.

Here are a few of the events around our neighborhoods today and tomorrow. If you have an event or announcement coming up you'd like to share, please post it on Patch. It's free!

• Farmers Market Finds: See what's on center stage at the local farmers markets right now. The Town Center explodes with color during the Corte Madera Farmers Market every Wednesday, from noon to 5 p.m.

The weekly farmers market also includes fish, meat and poultry dealers and prepared foods. In the mood for some fresh salsa to go with those tortilla chips? Here's the place to get it all.

You might find something unexpected that inspires you to try a new recipe. Share your favorite family recipes on our Facebook page and be the star of the neighborhood.

• Modern Visions of Art: Media mogul William S. Paley had an eye for fine art and soon his collection will be on display to the public during a special exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Before you go, get a primer at the Corte Madera Library on the artists in the collection, which includes works by Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Degas, Toulouse-Latrec, Gauguin and others. The free lecture is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

This collection, on loan from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, includes paintings, sculpture and drawings ranging in date from the late 1800s through the 1970s. A docent from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco will present this illustrated lecture.

• Children's Storytime: Let's not forget how reading is FUNdamental for children, too. There are a variety of reading groups for young children and their parents around town. Mother Goose is on the loose at the Corte Madera Library every Tuesday at 10 a.m. for storytime for babies 0-24 months old, with a parent or caregiver. The Larkspur Library offers fun for babies and toddlers, with songs, fingerplays, nursery rhymes and very short stories just right for this age group. Pottery Barn Kids and Barnes & Noble Booksellers also offer children's storytimes.

• Don't Get Lost: Going camping or backpacking? Remember the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. REI in Corte Madera's Town Center is hosting a class on map and compass navigaton basics that can help keep you on track. The class is Wednesday, 6-8 p.m. at REI. The fee is $30-50.

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