MONDAY:
You’d think the title of the book A Buffalo in the House would be an idiom, like “the elephant in the room.” But no, the book is about a buffalo in a house — specifically the connection formed between a couple and a young buffalo they tried to rescue. Don’t worry. Author R. D. Rosen will be at Politics and Prose to explain everything. 7 p.m.

Claire Cook, the author who brought Must Love Dogs into the world, is at it again, this time with Life’s a Beach. In the novel, the main character is a single 41 year old with a cat named Boyfriend. If you plan on seeing Cook read from the novel at Olsson’s Arlington/Courthouse, please ask her “Why?” 7 p.m.

TUESDAY:
Author Susan Shreve will be at Busboys and Poets to discuss and sign her new book, Warm Springs: Traces of a Childhood at FDR’s Polio Haven. 6 p.m. You can also catch Shreve at Olsson’s Arlington/Courthouse, Thursday at 7 p.m.

Apparently the theme this week is people and their animal friends. Sy Montgomery will be at the Alexandria Olsson’s, to talk about her book The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood. In the book, the author, a naturalist, writes about her experiences with a sick piglet named Christopher Hogwood, who later became her 750-pound best friend. 7 p.m.

Writer Joyce Carol Oates will be at Politics and Prose to discuss her latest novel, The Gravedigger’s Daughter. 7 p.m.