Ayad Akhtar’s debut novel “American Dervish,” published in January, is now available in paperback (Back Bay Books, $14.99). The novel is the story of Hayat Shah, an American of Pakistani parents who begins studying the Quran with the help of a family friend. Shah struggles with his changing feelings about religious commitment and tolerance.

Akhtar will read and sign copies of “American Dervish” at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth St. in Durham.

Here are some more releases and events:

-- Joyce Perry Edwards will discuss her recent book “Artelia: Portrait of an American Matriarch” Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at Stanford L. Warren Library, 1201 Fayetteville St., Durham. There will be an encore reading and discussion at 6:30 p.m.

The book shows the development of a lonely young woman who grows to become an educator, and ultimately to rear 16 children. The setting of the book is Durham, and the story is a biography of Edwards’ mother, Artelia. Edwards will discuss the process of writing the biography and will show a brief video on her mother’s life.

-- Dorothy Foltz-Gray will read from “With and Without Her: A Memoir of Being and Losing a Twin” (Argo Navis/Perseus) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Chapel Hill.

Foltz-Gray chronicles her relationship with her identical twin sister, before and after her sister was shot at point-blank range by a madman.

Send notices of readings and other events to cbellamy@heraldsun.com.