PENG SHEPHERD at Books Inc. Palo Alto

PENG SHEPHERD at Books Inc. Palo Alto

Join us for an exciting in-person event with bestselling author Peng Shepherd at Books Inc. Palo Alto! Peng will be discussing her latest book and signing copies for fans. Don't miss this opportunity to meet the author and connect with fellow book lovers. See you there!

From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made… and how far she’ll go to find her elusive “happily ever after.” But there’s a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate.

What is the price of a perfect life?

Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure—and is desperate for a do-over.

She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their past and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time.

But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More’s promises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.…

Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?

Perfect for fans of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library and Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, bestselling author Peng Shepherd’s All This and More is an utterly original, startlingly poignant novel with an interactive twist—it allows the reader to decide Marsh’s fate.

“In Shepherd’s imaginative latest, [she] playfully mines nostalgia for Choose Your Own Adventure series (“If Ren didn’t break up with Marsh last night: Turn the page”). Whichever path readers take, they’ll find a tantalizing and well-knit story. Reality TV fans especially ought to take note.” -Publishers Weekly on All This and More

“Equal parts thriller, fantasy and family drama, [with] layers upon layers of expertly told story.” -New York Times on The Cartographers

"Peng Shepherd’s The Cartographers is… an enjoyable, fast-paced (and fantastical) thriller.… [Shepherd] nails the sense of deep-seated, profound connection and love between a small group of people drawn together by shared experience and interest, creating an intense familial bond….The tragedy of the book is what happens to that bond—and why. The Cartographers is both beautiful and intellectual, and Shepherd sticks the landing in a deeply satisfying fashion…. It’s brilliant." -Washington Post on The Cartographers

“The Cartographers is a memorable work of speculative fiction, filled with ‘phantom settlements,’ captivating flashbacks, alternate realities, ill-fated passion and enduring love. There are echoes of Borges and Bradbury, Pynchon and Finian’s Rainbow, but Ms. Shepherd’s exhilarating and enjoyable work casts a magical glow all its own.” -Wall Street Journal on The Cartographers

"Peng Shepherd has done it again! The Cartographers is an exquisitely written, brilliantly plotted, absolutely fantastic novel. A story like this reminds us of why we all fell in love with reading to begin with. Be prepared to be swept away on an incredible journey that will stay with you long after you turn the final page." - Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Black Ice

"Reminiscent of the work of Dan Brown, Shepherd’s absorbing, inventive second novel showcases the art of mapmaking as one young woman’s obsession puts her in the sights of a determined killer....Shepherd toys expertly with the known unknowns, how we navigate the gloomy backroads of the heart." -Oprah Daily on The Cartographers

“[W]onderful…a fascinating cast of characters, a can’t-miss idea, and a story that is absolutely spellbinding. It’s one of those novels that, just when you think you’ve got a handle on where it's going, something forces you to rethink everything you think you knew. Shepherd's latest deserves to be a smash hit.” -Booklist (starred review)

"If you were the type of kid who loved the choose-your-own adventure books, Peng Shepherd's newest, All This and More, has to be on the top of your summer reading list." -Town & Country on All This and More

Peng Shepherd was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York, and Mexico City. Her second novel, The Cartographers, became a national bestseller, was named a Best Book of 2022 by The Washington Post, and received a 2020 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her debut, The Book of M, won the 2019 Neukom Institute for Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction, and was chosen as a best book of the year by Amazon, Elle, Refinery29, and The Verge, as well as a best book of the summer by the Today show and NPR’s On Point.

Mike Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood, Here and Now and Then, A Quantum Love Story, and other novels, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine comics. He has covered geek culture for sites such as Nerdist and The Mary Sue, and in a different life, he's covered the NHL. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and many rescue animals. Follow him on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram: @mikechenwriter

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Books Inc. Palo Alto, 74 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, United States