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It’s no wonder that curious Americans have long turned to Russia’s finest export — its culture — to gain insights into the country and its leaders. To learn more, we checked in with Bay Area experts for recommendations for books, films and other works that they believe will offer a window into the Russian soul. They mentioned many of the greatest hits: the novels of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev and Bulgakov and Solzhenitsyn; the plays and short stories of Chekhov; the films of Sergei Eisenstein; and the music of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Borodin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. But they also came up with other favorite works that that may be lesser known but worthy of consideration.

On Halloween afternoon, members of the Sophomore Class Council dropped off scores of handmade cards to the John Muir Breast Cancer Center in Walnut Creek, brightly decorated pink and red notes with personal messages to women — and men — they didn’t know, “I know when my aunt had breast cancer, getting cards from friends and loved ones made her really baby girl ballerina shoes, purple baby shoes, baby girl ballet slippers, baby ballet shoes, baby leather shoes, baby girlshower happy,” said student Hannah Kenneally of Pleasant Hill, Hannah was one of several girls on the council who had been directly affected by breast cancer, which touches one in seven women..

This offer is a result of Filoli participating for the seventh year in Blue Star Museums, a collaboration with Blue Star Families, National Endowment for the Arts, Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums and cultural institutions throughout the United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa. To find other museums or cultural institutions that are participating, go to www.arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums. Filoli — a 654-acre property that includes a 36,000 square foot home furnished with a vast collection of 17th and 18th century English antiques and 16 acres of English Renaissance gardens that showcase an beautiful horticultural collection — is open Tuesdays through Sundays and closed in observance of all Federal holidays. To learn more about Filoli and its special events, sunset hikes, tours, classes, and talks, go to www.filoli.org.

Chinglish: The Palo Alto Players stage this comedy about an American businessman who wants to expand his family’s sign-making business in China, where public signage is often hilariously mistranslated from Mandarin to English, Through June 28, times vary, Lucie Stern Community Theatre and Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, $34-48, paplayers.org, 650-329-0891, Fallen Angels: TheatreWorks baby girl ballerina shoes, purple baby shoes, baby girl ballet slippers, baby ballet shoes, baby leather shoes, baby girlshower Silicon Valley presents Noel Coward’s tale of two women who learn that the dashing French flame they shared years ago is back in town and eager for a reunion, Through June 28; Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays, 2 p.m, and 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m, and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m, and 7 p.m, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View, $19-$74, theatreworks.org, 650-463-1960..

The event is Sept. 29, at the garden, 1540 Marchbanks Drive, in Walnut Creek. The lecture is at 7 p.m., followed by the book signing and reception at 8 p.m. The cost is $25 for the general public, and $20 for garden and garden conservancy members. For more information and to register, visit www.gardenshf.org or call 925-947-1678. Final movies in the park scheduled in Orinda. The final summer movies at Orinda Community Park are Aug. 4 and 18. The free event is open to the community and sponsored by the Orinda Parks and Recreation Department. Families are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and popcorn.