Ventura County readers can choose from two literary events next weekend.

The third annual Ventura Book Festival, sponsored by the California Literary Arts Society, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ventura. The conference is free and geared toward families.

Activities will include exhibits from bookstores and publishers, writers seminars, book signings, a children's story time, an adult discussion group and a raffle with book-related prizes.

The hotel is at Harbor Boulevard and California Street. For information, call 643-3385 or e-mail the festival coordinator at marye@literaryarts-ca.org.

Local Hero bookstore and the Foundation for Mythological Studies will host a Myth & Mystery conference from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and July 27 at the Soule Park banquet room in Ojai. Participating authors are Druscilla French, Sue Grafton (author of the Kinsey Millhone novels), Susan Rowland, Ricki Tannen and Jacqueline Winspear (an Ojai resident and creator of the Maisie Dobbies mysteries). Registration for the two-day conference is $150. Soule Park is at 1033 E. Ojai Ave. For information, call 889-0169 or visit http://www.mythology.org.

AUTHOR APPEARANCES

The following authors will visit Mysteries to Die For, 2940 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 374-0084:

Brent Ghelfi 1 p.m. Wednesday. Will sign "Volk's Shadow."

James Scott Bell 1 p.m. Saturday. Will sign "Try Darkness."

Timothy Hallinan 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Will sign "The Fourth Watcher."

SPECIAL EVENTS

Book club 7 p.m. Tuesday. "The Whistling Season" by Ivan Doig. Barnes & Noble, 4820 Telephone Road, Ventura. 339-0990.

Friendship stories and crafts 7 p.m. Tuesday. Barnes & Noble, 4820 Telephone Road, Ventura. 339-0990.

Poetry evening 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Featured poet is Suzanne Roberts. Artists' Union Gallery, 330 S. California St., Ventura. 320-3524.

Poetry workshop 7 p.m. Wednesday. Barnes & Noble, 4820 Telephone Road, Ventura. 339-0990.

Poetry reading 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Suzanne Roberts will read her work. Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 497-8159.

Train of Thought 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Poetry reading at 856 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura. 642-1146.

Kool Kidz Club 8 p.m. Friday. Barnes & Noble, 4820 Telephone Road, Ventura. 339-0990.

Dog stories 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., Thousand Oaks. 446-2820.

Poetry reading 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Featured poet is Ryan Gillenwater. Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura. 643-1960.

LITERARY NOTE

Adventures for Kids bookstore in Ventura is closing. Readers with store credit or gift certificates need to visit the store as soon as possible. For information, call 650-9688.

LIBRARY NEWS

Computer workshop 10 a.m. Monday. Prueter Library, 510 Park Ave., Port Hueneme. 486-5460.

PAWS for Reading 3:30 p.m. Monday. Camarillo Library, 4101 Las Posas Road. 388-5222.

Wild animal stories 6:30 p.m. Monday. Wright Library, 57 Day Road, Ventura. 642-0337.

Sea stories 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Foster Library, 651 E. Main St., Ventura. 648-2716.

Bug display 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Moorpark Library, 699 Moorpark Ave. 517-6370.

Drop-in computer help 2 p.m. Wednesday. Camarillo Library, 4101 Las Posas Road. 388-5222.

Mountain lion presentation 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Wright Library, 57 Day Road, Ventura. 642-0337.

Nature craft 4 p.m. Wednesday. South Oxnard Library, 4300 Saviers Road. 385-8129.

Preschool stories 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Moorpark Library, 699 Moorpark Ave. 517-6370.

Book club 2 p.m. Thursday. "The Women of Brewster Place" by Gloria Naylor. Prueter Library, 510 Park Ave., Port Hueneme. 486-5460.

Writers workshop 6 p.m. Thursday. Sponsored by Ojai Library. Twice-Sold Tales Bookstore, 122 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. 646-1639.

Free concert 7 p.m. Thursday. Conejo Valley Youth String Ensemble. Thousand Oaks Library, 1401 E. Janss Road. 449-2660.

Paws for Reading 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Wright Library, 57 Day Road, Ventura. 642-0337.

Zoo event Noon Saturday. Simi Valley Library, 1969 Tapo Canyon Road. 526-1735.

Oil lecture 2 p.m. Saturday. Speaker is UC Santa Barbara professor John Perona. Oxnard Library, 251 South A St. 385-7500.

— We'd like to announce your news about book/author events in Ventura County. Send items at least three weeks in advance to Jo Ellen Heil at P.O. Box 7083, Ventura, CA 93006; samheil@hotmail.com; or fax to 482-6167.