You've read their books, now plan to hobnob with 42 California writers of note at Sacramento's premier literary event.

The 10th annual Authors on the Move is the primary fundraiser for the Sacramento Public Library Foundation. The March 3 event offers attendees the rare opportunity to chat with authors of popular fiction and nonfiction.

This year's theme is "The Plot Thickens: The Future of Libraries." Keynote speakers will be New York Times best-selling legal-thriller writer John Lescroart ("The Hunter" and 22 other titles), and Lisa Lutz, author of the five-title "Spellmans" PI series ("Trail of the Spellmans" is her latest). The two will engage in a lively (read: lots of laughs) onstage discussion about trends in book publishing and how they are affecting libraries, and what the future may hold.

Lutz will appear March 22 for The Bee Book Club at the central library's Tsakopoulos Galleria.

"We're looking forward to another stellar evening and the chance to be up close and personal with some of the region's most talented writers," said library director Rivkah Sass.

The evening will begin with a champagne reception and book-signing, followed by a four-course meal with wine. During dinner, the authors will move from table to table with each course, joining diners to chat about their books and answer writing- related questions. A live auction and more author signings will take place after dinner.

The event's moderator will be Paul Robins, host and anchor for "FOX40 Live." The on-site bookstore will be staffed by Avid Reader at the Tower, with a percentage of book sales benefiting the foundation. The auction will be conducted by David Sobon.

Authors On the Move will be from 5 to 10 p.m. March 3 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1209 L St., Sacramento; (916) 443-1234. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $200 each, or $1,500 for an eight-person table. The event sells out each year.

To buy tickets and for more information – including the list of participating authors – call (916) 264-2711 or log on to www.saclibraryfoundation.org.

How about four page-turners?

This quartet will keep you reading into the night:

• "The Orphan Master's Son" by Adam Johnson (Random House, $26, 464 pages): The Stanford University creative- writing teacher takes us into the belly of the beast – North Korea – for the Orwellian story of Pak Jun Do, who goes to the brink to survive the collective insanity of his masters.

"I started writing about North Korea because of a fascination with propaganda and the way it prescribes an official narrative to an entire people," Johnson has said.

Huge buzz over this one.

• "Defending Jacob" by William Landay (Delacorte, $26, 432 pages): Assistant DA Andy Barber, his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob, are part of a peaceful New England community that is stunned and outraged when one of Jacob's fellow students is murdered.

Unbelievably, Jacob is charged with the crime. Can his father exonerate him, or is his son really a killer at heart?

More huge buzz.

• "The Thief" by Fuminori Nakamura (Soho, $23, 304 pages; March 20): A sparsely written, surreal story of a Tokyo pickpocket recruited by a former partner to subdue an elderly man and empty his safe. A day after the job, the thief learns the man was a major politician found murdered.

• "Chasing Midnight" by Randy Wayne White (Putnam, $26, 336 pages; March 6): The 19th thriller in the fishing guide-turned- novelist's Doc Ford series. The marine biologist-black ops expert faces ecoterrorists and the Russian mafia on a Florida resort island that's been cut off from all help from the mainland. White has appeared for The Bee Book Club.

Tie-ins to our state

These titles and/or authors have California connections:

• "Streak Hitter" by Larry Hill (Black Opal, $12.99, 360 pages): Navo LeJune is only a utility player for the San Francisco Giants, so how did he find himself suddenly challenging the hitting streak of an icon – Joe DiMaggio?

• "Mystery Montage" and "Crime Montage" by psychotherapist Patricia L. Morin (Top Publications, $12.95, 217 pages; and $14.95, 194 pages, respectively): The two volumes contain eclectic crime- and mystery-oriented short stories that cover a spectrum of styles.

• "Bending With the Bamboo: Memoirs of an American Missionary Family's Life in Laos During the Vietnam War" by Winnie Kaetzel (Outskirts, $16.95, 228 pages): The author and her husband, Ollie, left for their mission in 1957, raising a family, adapting to a new country and facing the war surrounding them.

• "Duty and Desire" by Anju Gattani (Greenbriar, $14.99, 304 pages): The ultra-modern Sheetal marries into one of India's wealthiest families, and finds everything but happiness – greed, infidelity and buried secrets.

• "Louise: Amended" by Louise Krug (Black Balloon, $14, 200 pages): In this memoir, the author recounts the life-threatening brain trauma that severely disabled her at age 22. Her fight for recovery is inspirational. Today, Krug is a wife, mother, teacher and Ph.D. candidate.

An online place for teens

Teenagers would be smart to navigate to www. teenreads.com. Among the features are book reviews and recommended reading lists, the most popular books of 2011, author interviews (Melody Carlson, Walter Dean Myers, Hilary Jordan) and a blog site where writers of young-adult books have their say on current issues.

Enter the monthly contest to win a copy of "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green and "Why We Broke Up" by Daniel "Lemony Snickett" Handler.

The "Current Question" is, "What is the leading reason (name up to three) that your friends say they do not read for pleasure?"

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