For people who love to read who happen to be in Beijing, Chengdu or Suzhou right now, you’re in luck: the annual Bookworm International Literary Festival is underway at the three locations of The Bookworm.

Over the two weeks of March 5-19, over 40 writers will participate in numerous book talks, seminars and writing workshops at the store’s locations in those three cities. The event in Chengdu runs until March 31. This year’s authors include David Grossman, Jonathan Tel, Ram Devineni, Louise Welsh, Zoe Strachan, Amit Chaudhuri, Junot Diaz, Jonathan Fenby, Benjamin Zephaniah, Guy Delisle, Cathy Cassidy and others. The full schedule is here.

Not in Beijing, Chengdu or Suzhou? No problem. Shanghai also has its own event, the Shanghai International Literary Festival. The festival is in its second week right now, with presenters including Andrew Field, Sarah Brennan, David Leffman, Garry Marchant, Margaret Read McDonald and Alan Titley. The event is sponsored by the M Restaurant Group and is held in its various venues.

If those four cities are not on your itinerary, there’s one more city and one more event where you can participate: the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival opens in Hong Kong today and runs through March 19. The list of presenters is extensive and includes popular Chinese authors including Su Tong, whose novel became director Zhang Yimou’s film “Raise the Red Lantern,” and Xu Xi. The festival takes place over a wide number of venues during the nine days.

Ok, fine, if you’re not able to go to any of those cities during that time, you can still enjoy the best part of any literary event — reading. If you’re looking for unique China books to get you started, here’s a list of some new titles and some older ones that have generated buzz over the years.

Country Driving by Peter Hessler. Although this is only Hessler’s third book, it already seems like the author has made a long career of writing about China. His previous two books, especially his first, River Town, are considered classics and must-reads for people interested in learning about China today. His latest book is a chronicle of his drives around various parts of China and how the automobile is changing the country. Hessler sadly cancelled his scheduled appearances at the aforementioned Bookworm literary festival — heard he got a flat tire driving to Beijing.

Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman. To the early generation of students, teachers and others going to China, Iron & Silk was an instant classic, a look at a martial arts-obsessed American from Connecticut who goes to Changsha in Hunan province to teach English. Salzman’s unpretentious writing style and willingness to embrace just about any situation makes him a superb storyteller. His later book, Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia is a hilarious look at his life before Changsha, including the roots of his love for China.

Many of the events mentioned above charge a small fee to attend. Check with the organizers both for cost and availability — popular events will be sold out well in advance.