Authors Grace Viall and Dara Levan will each visit Wonderland Books in downtown Bethesda this month for separate events at the independent bookstore on Norfolk Avenue.

Viall, a Maryland-based novelist, will appear on a Wednesday evening in September for a conversation with author Jenni Howell about her debut novel, "(Mostly) Human Resources." The event runs 7–8 p.m. at 7920B Norfolk Ave. in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. The bookstore has not posted a specific date; readers should check with Wonderland Books for details.

The novel, published Aug. 4 by Alcove Press, blends a workplace romance with supernatural elements. The Southern Review of Books described it as an enemies-to-lovers story set at a company that researches and eliminates monsters and cryptids. Viall is an Instant Sunday Times Bestselling author, according to her Goodreads profile.

"It's been my love letter to Appalachian folklore and my hate mail to corporate desk jobs," Viall wrote on Goodreads in April about the book.

Levan will follow on Sunday, Sept. 20, from noon to 1 p.m. to sell and sign her novel, "Shaken to the Core." The book, published June 23 by Regalo Press, follows a free-spirited photographer whose life is upended by sudden loss and devastating news, according to publisher Simon & Schuster. The publisher notes the novel was named one of People's Most-Anticipated Summer Reads.

The novel explores family, love and heartbreak, according to Bethesda Magazine.

Wonderland Books opened in December 2024, filling a gap in downtown Bethesda after a Barnes & Noble closed in 2018 and an Amazon Books shuttered in 2022, the Washingtonian reported. The store spans more than 2,000 square feet.

Upcoming Bethesda events

• Grace Viall at Wonderland Books: A Wednesday in September, 7–8 p.m., 7920B Norfolk Ave.
• Dara Levan signing at Wonderland Books: Sunday, Sept. 20, noon–1 p.m., 7920B Norfolk Ave.
• Trawick Prize exhibition at Gallery B: Opens Thursday, Sept. 3, as we reported Aug. 31.