Every year Silicon Valley residents have the opportunity to read the same book and come together to discuss it and participate in a variety of programs on topics related to it. Silicon Valley Reads programs take place in libraries and other venues throughout the county.

The title selected for adults for 2011 is:

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond - "Photographer Abby Mason's life is changed forever by the disappearance of the young girl with whom she had been walking on a cold and foggy beach, and her desperate search for the truth behind the child's vanishing."

The companion books for children are:

Alabama Moon by Watt Key (grades 4-8) - "After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless enemy, and finally a new life."

One by Kathryn Otoshi (grades K-3) - "A number/color book reminding us that it just takes one to make everyone count."

Pouch! by David Ezra Stein (preschool-K) - "A baby kangaroo takes his first tentative hops outside of his mama's pouch, meeting other creatures and growing bolder each time."

Silicon Valley Reads will kick off on January 26, 2011, with a conversation between author Michelle Richmond and Mercury News columnist Mike Cassidy. The free program will be held at the Heritage Theatre in Campbell at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 6:45 pm, and it's a good idea to arrive early since last year's event attracted an overflow crowd.

• Events at San Jose Public Libraries
 
• More Silicon Valley Reads 2011 events throughout the area