Book signing tonight

The Newport Beach Library Foundation will host a lecture and book signing by author Tatjana Soli at the Central Library tonight at 7 p.m.

Soli, who will be autographing her latest novel, "The Lotus Eaters," is pertinent to Newport Beach because she lives in nearby Tustin, said Tracy Keys, the foundation's executive director.

"The Lotus Eaters" is about a female war photographer during Vietnam, who not only faces external conflict which she captures on film, but undergoes a series of internal conflicts as well, Keys said.

"[The Lotus Eaters'] is such a good story. It's one of those that really grab you and you don't want to put it down. You immediately like the main protagonist," Keys said after having read the novel herself.

The event is one of many lectures and seminars sponsored by the foundation to benefit the city's public library, Keys said.

The exceptional writing style of Soli fits with Keys' criterion for foundation speakers, she said, adding that only the "cream of the crop" is selected.

Keys, who has heard Soli speak in front of audiences before, described the author's stage presence as "wonderful and engaging."

The event will take place in the central library's Friends Room.

While the event is free, a $10 donation is requested on the Newport Beach Library Foundation's website.

The foundation is able to organize literary events for the library, which does not have a budget for guest speakers, only through donations and community support, Keys said.

The Newport Beach Central Library is located at 1000 Avocado Ave.