Hiding Place

If waxing self-conscious is the way to your heart, you should find some room deep down (or in your evening, at least) for editor and author Jonathan Messinger, a Chicago native whose debut book was released last month. At 7 p.m. tonight, Messinger is swinging by the Lorem Ipsum bookstore in Cambridge to promote "Hiding Out," his collection of short stories that captures the universal nervousness of adolesence and adulthood. Occasionally profound and often familiar, "Hiding Out" is tiny enough to slip in your jacket pocket for a rambling autumn walk. Lucky, since its stories feel made for this season.

Don't forget to keep your hands warm en route to the bookstore - I recommend a stop at the 1369 Coffee House in Central Square.