Are you a fan of Comic-Con? You should know that Will Eisner Week is March 1-7, 2026. The theme this year is Dream Big: Read a Graphic Novel!
San Diego’s amazing Comic-Con Museum will be celebrating “Will Eisner Day” with a special event. Four panels will be held in the museum’s theater on March 4, from 12 pm to 4 pm. Participation is included with museum admission, and free for museum members.
The panels are: Cats vs. Dogs: Panelists’ Pet Comics; Will Eisner Hall of Fame 2026; Graphic Novel Adaptations from Literature; and Graphic Memoirs by Women.
Administrator of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, Jackie Estrada, will be among the panelists!
If you’re a creator seeking inspiration, a lover of graphic novels, or simply curious about this certain-to-be-awesome, one-of-a-kind event, check out this webpage for more information!
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In Oceanside, it’s easy to arrange for a blind date . . . with a book!
For your blind date, simply head over to Jane & Evie’s Used Books at 323 North Coast Highway and choose one of the plainly wrapped packages pictured above.
Beneath the mysterious wrappings you’ll discover a book!
Will you fall in love with it?
You can’t judge a book by its cover. Particularly in this instance. Fortunately, there are written clues on the wrappings that provide an idea of what you might find inside. (You get a beautiful bookmark, too!)
Every five dollar purchase helps to fund the Oceanside Public Library. What’s not to love?
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The annual Local Author Showcase of the San Diego Library is now on display on the first floor of downtown’s Central Library!
It’s exciting to see dozens of newly published books every year by diverse authors. Our city has so many creative and talented people! The Central Library is an ideal place to showcase their achievements.
Today I moseyed past the glass display cases and peered at different titles and covers.
A few examples…
At one end of the exhibit, I found a colorful work of art by Judith Parenio! It’s titled Words.
Char Car (@charcar04) supports literacy by providing books to children in hospitals and schools, including Rady Children’s Hospital. The San Diego Gulls ice hockey team is a big supporter of literacy, too, with programs like Reading is the Goal.
My own short stories, including One Thousand Likes, are read by students around the world, so naturally I’m in favor of these efforts.
I’ve learned that Char Car is holding a Gulls Hockey Fundraiser that keeps kids reading. Game tickets purchased through the fundraiser will benefit summer reading programs. For $20, you get to watch a great game on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and you benefit local families! Sounds like a great deal to me!
For more information, see the above graphic!
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I ran into these good people this morning before the start of San Diego’s annual Holiday Bowl Parade. They operate the Char Car!
What’s the Char Car? A vehicle that celebrates Pokémon character Charmander, and that delivers books to kids in hospitals, schools and libraries!
Dr. Elizabeth Valles is a member of this smiling gang. She works at Rady Children’s Hospital. You might have seen her on KUSI television the other day. She was honored as KUSI Community Champion for her #ReadingonFire literacy campaigns. She and her team make the lives of children so much better, by promoting child literacy and spreading happiness.
Follow the Char Car’s Instagram page by clicking here. You can learn about their future events and perhaps even help them out!
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To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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If you have a library card with the San Diego Public Library, you can take almost 375 free online courses that further your professional and personal development!
I knew nothing about this amazing opportunity until the above gentleman who works for the library told me about it!
With a library card and access to a computer, anyone can enroll in free Gale Courses that provide 6-week online classes with real instructors. Subjects include everything from Accounting and Finance to Business to Computer Applications to Healthcare and Medical to Law and Legal to Teaching and Education and much more! I was told that completion of certain courses even provides certification.
To see all that is available, check out this webpage.
These free Gale Courses are available through the San Diego Library’s online eLibrary, which you can visit by clicking here.
The eLibrary offers many additional services. Users have access to eBooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, streaming videos, research databases, manuals, and a whole lot more.
Create a free account using your library card and you have access to a huge universe of free online resources!
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If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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A new independent bookstore opened in Mission Hills two days ago! It’s called the Library Shop Mission Hills.
The bookstore is operated by the Library Foundation SD. It’s located in the old Mission Hills Branch Library building (925 West Washington Street), which had been vacant for about five years. Sales from this beautiful new bookstore support all 37 branches of the San Diego Public Library!
I visited the awesome store today!
As you can see from my photos, it’s spacious inside and a very welcoming place. There are shelves and shelves full of new books for children and adults, plus oodles of gifts for book lovers. There are places where you can sit down and read, a Library Shop Scavenger Hunt, games to play, Storytime and LEGO art on Saturdays, and a whole lot to do and see!
Sign up for the Library Shop Email Newsletter by clicking here!
This week, December 1 to 7, 2025, Library Shop Mission Hills is celebrating its Grand Opening. Learn more here. During Booked For the Holidays: 7 Days of Celebration & Deals there will be author events, games, and exclusive bookstore discounts for library lovers to help with your holiday shopping.
At the front desk, during the Grand Opening, make sure to grab a handout concerning the great discounts you can enjoy!
(By the way, do you recognize this old Branch Library building? I posted photographs of community members lining Washington Street, passing its library books by hand several blocks to the new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library! See those historical photos here.)
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If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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A rare opportunity for history and book lovers is coming soon!
On the last weekend of November, the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park will be hosting their special Holiday Photo and Book Sale!
Several local authors will be present for book signings, including:
Elsa Sevilla (Saturday and Sunday) Emmy-nominated journalist, filmmaker, and host of San Diego’s Historic Places on KPBS; author of Camera Ready: From Hardship to the Spotlight.
Dr. Sandra Bonura (Saturday only) Historian and award-winning author of The Sugar King of California: The Life of Claus Spreckels and Empire Builder: John D. Spreckels and the Making of San Diego.
Maria Garcia (Saturday only) Educator and author of We Made San Diego, highlighting Latino contributions to the region’s growth and identity.
Richard L. Carrico (Saturday, possibly Sunday) Archaeologist, historian, and author of El Presidio de San Diego: Alta California’s Lost City.
There will also be the opportunity to purchase frameable prints of fascinating historical photographs, and past volumes of The Journal of San Diego History!
In addition, the San Diego History Center’s big annual Christmas tree made of live poinsettias should be ready to view, too!
The Holiday Photo and Book Sale will take place inside the San Diego History Center at 1649 El Prado (the Casa de Balboa) on November 29 and 30, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Admission is free!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
A big event is being held this coming Saturday, June 14, 2025 in San Diego!
Celebrated chefs and local fishermen will greet the public at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market as an amazing new cookbook is launched that celebrates seafood and fishing history in San Diego!
San Diego Seafood: Then & Now contains over 75 excellent recipes, and includes the contributions of over a hundred people from the San Diego community, such as historians and fishing boat captains.
The book is curated by California Sea Grant, a unique partnership that unites the resources of the federal government, the State of California and universities across the state to create knowledge, products and services that benefit the economy, the environment and the citizens of California.
In addition to recipes, the cookbook contains many great photographs, stories and essays concerning the rich history of fishing in San Diego. Those who’ve contributed to our fishing history include the Kumeyaay, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Italians and Mexicans. Many immigrants settled in San Diego because of our long-time status as tuna fishing capital of the world. You’ve heard of Little Italy, right?
As the Amazon page concerning the book explains: San Diego Seafood: Then & Now blends local history and cuisine to celebrate the region’s rich maritime heritage and culinary diversity. More than a cookbook, this volume features colorful stories from past and present, stunning visuals, and helpful tips on buying, storing and preparing seafood, in addition to over 75 recipes that showcase local catch– from widely-known favorites, like tuna and halibut, to lesser-known treasures, like black cod and spiny lobster...
At Tuna Harbor Dockside Market next Saturday, there will be book signings and a meet and greet. The public can rub elbows with book project participants, working fishermen and renowned chefs. And there will be seafood tastings!
If you’ve never been to Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, it’s where fishermen sell freshly caught seafood directly to the public and restaurants. It’s open Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm or sold out. Look for the many canopies on the pier just north of Seaport Village, next to Tuna Harbor.
Even if you have no interest in buying freshly caught fish, crabs or sea urchins, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is a bustling and fascinating place to experience. (I’ve blogged about it many times over the years, including the day of its grand opening!) There are usually sea lions playing and barking nearby. You can watch fishermen at work on their boats. And you can also buy and eat fish and chips on the pier!
Some past photos…
Here are some friendly folks from California Sea Grant that I once met…
If you want to be part of the San Diego Seafood: Then & Now book launch celebration next Saturday, and perhaps purchase a signed copy, look for the first canopy on the pier!
If you maintain a garden in San Diego, or would love to learn more about plants or gardening, you need to know about a very special library that is open to the public in Balboa Park. The San Diego Floral Association Library, located in Room 105 of the Casa del Prado, contains over 3,500 books filled with horticultural and gardening knowledge!
The San Diego Floral Association Library and Office is located down a short hallway beyond Balboa Park’s Senior Lounge. On a table just outside its entrance, one comes across an informative bulletin board and a table covered with all sorts of free printed material. I once was lucky and found the book-like California Garden Centennial Compilation 1909-2009, which is jam-packed with San Diego history and articles from past decades–a real treasure!
The San Diego Floral Association is home of California Garden magazine. It is the oldest horticulture magazine in continuous publication in the United States!
Inside the library you’ll find shelves full of books and valuable references. You’ll also see walls covered with beautiful paintings!
Looking around, I recognized several images of Kate Sessions, one of the San Diego Floral Association’s founders. Because she was instrumental in making Balboa Park a botanical wonder, she is commonly referred to as Mother of Balboa Park. (The book The Complete Writings of Kate Sessions in California Garden is also available for purchase. It would make a great gift!)
The smiling lady with whom I spoke was so very welcoming. She explained how the San Diego Floral Association hosts many fun and educational events, plus they have a gardening outreach program with San Diego schools.
If you are so inclined, become a member! Perhaps assist their efforts and volunteer! Members have the privilege of checking out library books for home use.
To see everything they have to offer, I encourage you to visit the San Diego Floral Association’s website by clicking here.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 