'superman,' By Larry Tye: Review

Literary Guide, May 26 SundayTim Kahl, Joshua Mckinney The poets read from their work. 3 p.m. Diesel, A Bookstore, 5433 College Ave., Oakland. 7 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. Karen Leland "Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business." 7 p.m. Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley. Stanford's "Another Look" book clubAnita Loos' 1925 novel "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." 7:30 p.m., Stanford Humanities Center, 424 Santa Teresa, Palo Alto. WednesdayHoward Chaykin "American Flagg!" Levinthal Hall, Stanford Humanities Center. 5:30 p.m. Stanford University, 1201 Welch Road, Stanford. How a Freak Aneurysm Reframed My Life. 7 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. 7 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. Janet AfaryAli Akbar Dehkhoda and the Discourse on Religious Reform in Iran. 7 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. 7 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. 1 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. 4 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.

Recommended books, May 26 Wild OnesA Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in AmericaBy Jon Mooallem(The Penguin Press; 339 pages; $27.95)With a wry sense of humor and an eye for storytelling, Mooallem walks readers through the wilderness of wildlife conservation. A Curious ManThe Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not!" RipleyBy Neal Thompson(Crown Archetype; 421 pages; $26)In his jaunty biography, Thompson relates a buoyant, boozy tale of adventure and enterprise.

Roundup of children's books First you need to find the perfect bike for you. Light beams, books, numbers and sugar dissolving in tea fascinated him and eventually led to amazing discoveries about motion, magnetism, atoms, gravity, relativity, time and the universe. Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman makes his case by generously and gracefully incorporating Franklin's own words into the narrative that follows his rise from poor apprentice in Boston to man of letters, community organizer and scientist in Philadelphia to statesman abroad. Hero on a BicycleBy Shirley Hughes(Candlewick; 214 pages; $15.99; ages 10-14)At age 86, a British author-illustrator, famed for picture books featuring small domestic dramas, turns to a bigger tableau in this, her first novel. Under the Tuscan sun and in the dark of night, war forces impossible life-and-death choices in this page-turner that powerfully juxtaposes daring and danger, loyalty and betrayal, evil and human goodness. The Favorite DaughterBy Allen Say(Scholastic; 32 pages; $17.99; ages 4-8)Caldecott Medalist Allen Say offers both biography and autobiography in this intimate exploration of family life and biracial identity. With an assist from two photos of the beautiful, kimono-clad Yuriko, first at 2 and then as a young woman, Say's restrained and realistic watercolors capture lovely cityscapes as well as an inner journey from confusion to pride.

'The End of San Francisco' The End of San FranciscoBy Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore(City Lights; 186 pages; $15.95 paperback)"If I'm trying to establish a narrative here," writes Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore in her short but potent memoir, "The End of San Francisco," "crying is that narrative and everything else is around it." The details of the abuse emerge slowly throughout the book, and in the end are exposed to be a small, if significant, fragment of this frantic kaleidoscope of mourning and survival. (The book's title refers to her attempt to find safety and security in the mythical gay mecca of San Francisco, and the realization of loss when that fails.) Sycamore's family is a nest of control freaks.

San Francisco Chronicle best-sellers, May 26 San Francisco Chronicle best-sellers, May 26 HARDCOVER PAPERBACK FICTION Bay Area 1. INFERNO * Doubleday; $29.95 A DELICATE TRUTH MAYA'S NOTEBOOK Gillian Flynn (Crown; $25) An Easy Rawlins Mystery * Walter Mosley (Doubleday; $25.95) Helene Wecker (Harper; $26.99) A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5) * FICTION National 1. A Sookie Stackhouse Novel * David Baldacci (Grand Central; $27.99) A DELICATE TRUTH * Gillian Flynn (Crown; $25) DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS COOKED: A Natural History of Transformation Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle; $14.95) THE GUNS AT LAST NIGHT: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal Francesco Marciuliano (Chronicle; $12.95) Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great Gwyneth Paltrow (Grand Central; $32) THE LAST TRAIN TO ZONE VERDE: Howard Books; $24.99 LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS COOKED: A Natural History of Transformation Michael Pollan (Penguin; $27.95) DAD IS FAT * Jim Gaffigan (Crown Archetype; $25) THE DUCK COMMANDER FAMILY: How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty Schlabach (Howard Books; $23.99) America's Food Addiction - and My Own * A City, a Siege, a Revolution Useful Observations Bill O'Reilly (Crown Archetype; $21.99) FICTION Bay Area 1. BEAUTIFUL RUINS THE ORPHAN MASTER'S SON Hilary Mantel (Picador USA; $16) THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS Dublin Murder Squad Series #4 THE BLACK BOX (A Harry Bosch Novel) FICTION National 1. BEAUTIFUL RUINS FIFTY SHADES WORLD WAR Z Hilary Mantel (Picador USA; $16) THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS FIFTY SHADES DARKER PROOF OF HEAVEN: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance Susan Cain (Broadway; $16) GOD'S HOTEL: [] a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine An Existential Detective Story LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE Glenn Beck and others (Threshold Editions/Mercury Radio Arts; $12) PROOF OF HEAVEN: to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail AMERICAN SNIPER: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Susan Cain (Broadway; $16) WAKING UP IN HEAVEN: Howard Books; $15.99