The Boston Public Library is hosting a series of very cool author talks and lectures this fall. They’re all free, and all take place at the Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston St. The schedule is below, and you can find out more at www.bpl.org.

• October 6, 6:00 pm, Michael Cunningham, author of By Nightfall.
• October 6, 6:30 pm, Neil Miller, author of Banned in Boston.
• October 14, 5:30 pm, Ronald Grim and Paul McDermott, authors of Eye of the Explorer: Views of the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey, 1853-54.
• October 20, 6:00 pm, Ethan Gilsdorf, author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms.
• October 20, 6:30 pm, “Researching the History of Your House” with Marian Pierre-Louis.
• October 25, 6:00 pm, Alexander McCall Smith, best known for his internationally acclaimed No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.
• October 28, 6:00 pm, “Heroines: Literary and Super!” featuring Erin Blakemore and Mike Madrid.
• November 2, 6:00 pm, Bill Reynolds, author of Rise of a Dynasty: The ‘57 Celtics, The First Banner, and the Dawning of a New America.
• November 3, 6:30 pm, J. L. Bell on how Bostonians celebrated the fifth of November.
• November 4, 6:00 pm, Dennis Lehane, best-selling, Boston-based author.
• November 10, 6:00 pm, John Ochsendorf, author of Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile.
• November 17, 6:00 pm, Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.
• Wednesday, November 17, 6:30 pm, Carol Clingan with an introduction to Jewish genealogy.
• November 30, 6:00 pm, The Best American Sports Writing featuring Peter Gammons, Bob Ryan, and Bob Hohler.
• December 1, 6:00 pm, Roger Lowenstein, author of The End of Wall Street.
• December 1, 6:30 pm, Eric Jaffe, author of The King’s Best Highway: The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, the Route That Made America.
• December 15, 6:30 pm, Janis Duffy and Eva Murphy on family research at state depositories.

Photo: Flickr/John Stephen Dwyer – Creative Commons 2.0