Books
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Matt Taibbi His famous vampire squid quote about Goldman Sachs-this in 2009, with the subprime mortgage crisis upon us and anti-Wall Street sentiment at peak rage-will one day be carved on Taibbi’s headstone. Until then, thankfully, the muckracking political journalist will find plenty more targets in Washington, D.C. Dissecting the causes of the Great Recession, when not a single banker went to jail, was one thing, but that outrage is now three congressional election cycles past. Republicans have swept the table, and the reasons are more complicated than partisan redistricting, red-state anger over Obamacare, or low turnout among young urban Democrats. What’s really going on, as Taibbi explores in The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap (Penguin, $17, new in paperback), is structural. A pinched middle class, many of whose white members already had health insurance and didn’t need a new government benefit, is stuck in place, angry, and bewildered. Real wages, adjusted for inflation, are lower than they were in the ‘70s. And the economy’s post-recession rebound has disproportionately benefited the vampire squids of our very unequal society. Part of The Divide concerns Wall Street impunity: those who get away with everything. The other part of the book concerns the poor: those who get away with nothing, who are essentially criminalized for being destitute or black or in the wrong place at the wrong time when a cop decides to write a summons (see: Ferguson, Staten Island, etc.). Street crime, of course, is today at record low levels, while the Dow Jones index heads in the opposite direction. With two years to go before the next election, The Divide-which belongs on the bookshelf alongside George Packer’s The Unwinding-vividly describes forces that will drive voters on both the right and left. (Whether the latter are enraged enough to vote is a different matter.) BRIAN MILLER Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 8 – 11:30pm
Brandon Sanderson
Firefight is his latest fantasy epic. Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 7 – 8pm
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David Shields & Caleb Powell Have you heard about that controversial James Franco movie? No, not The Interview. Apparently he filmed a version of the extended dialogue that is I Think You’re Totally Wrong (Knopf, $25.95) by the two Seattle writers (Shields being the more prolific and renowned, Powell being his former UW student). Their book, subtitled “An Argument,” is the result of a four-day marathon bullshit session spent in a Skykomish cabin together, with topics ranging from parenthood to art, from Ron Paul to Cormac McCarthy. It’s essentially a long, edited transcript of their sparring-in which Shields naturally makes reference to My Dinner With Andre. How’d the movie come about? (No release date is currently set.) Franco was a student of Shields during a visiting stint at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College; and he subsequently invited his prof (and Powell) down to L.A. to reenact it. (He also appears in the film, natch.) Oh, and there’s still more Franco-Shields news to report: Esquire says Franco now hopes to direct a fictional treatment of Shields’ 1999 Black Planet, about race and sports, a book based partly on his ‘90s reporting on the Sonics in these pages. Whether that movie happens or not remains to be seen, but let’s hope that Shields and Powell have tales to tell from the Francosphere. BRIAN MILLER University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Steve Sieberson The veteran Northwest climber’s memoir is The Naked Mountaineer: Misadventures of an Alpine Traveler. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Suzanne Selfors Her children’s tale is Ever After High: Next Top Villain. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Carol Levin
Confident Music Would Fly Us to Paradise collects her new verse. She’s joined by fellow poet Natasha Kochicheril Moni (The Cardiologist’s Daughter). Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Thursday, January 8, 2015, 7 – 8pm
David R. Kopacz He’ll discuss Re-humanizing Medicine: A Holistic Framework for Transforming Your Self, Your Practice and the Culture of Medicine. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Thursday, January 8, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Pierce Brown The class war unfold on Mars in his sci-fi novel Golden Son. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Thursday, January 8, 2015, 7 – 8pm
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Alexandra Witze & Jeff Kanipe Volcano! Sometimes it just feels good to shout the word, and it’s also a reminder of the large lurking presence to our city’s south. Sure, Mount Rainier appears a benign white snowy presence on a sunny January day, but the authors of Island on
Fire: The Extraordinary Story of a Forgotten Volcano That Changed the World (Pegasus, $26.95) would like to remind you how we could all die at any moment in clouds of ash and supersonic rivers of hot mud. However, that’s not quite what happened in 1783-100 years before Krakatoa (and two centuries before Simon Winchester’s book on the same kaboom)-when an Icelandic volcano called Laki blew its top. There wasn’t much to destroy on Iceland, of course, but the eruption changed weather patterns worldwide-destroying crops, causing famine, and possibly even worsening the social conditions that led to the French Revolution! Witze and Kanipe, married science writers from Boulder, first heard about Laki while researching the much smaller 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (the one that cancelled all those flights). Laki spewing sulfurous clouds east over Europe wasn’t a well-understood phenomenon in the 18th century, though Benjamin Franklin-then our ambassador to France-correctly guessed the Icelandic source of what he termed a “peculiar haze.” Today we might also call it one aspect of climate change. BRIAN MILLER Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Thursday, January 8, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Jason Schmidt
A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me is his humorous new memoir. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Free Thursday, January 8, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Nick Bruel For kids, he’s written Bad Kitty: Puppy’s Big Day. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Friday, January 9, 2015, 6:30 – 7:30pm
Emma Campion Local mystery writer Mary Daheim chats with the author of A Triple Knot. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Friday, January 9, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Steven Hendricks Dementia and parenthood figure in his debut novel Little Is Left to Tell. Also on hand to read: Stacey Levine (Girl With Brown Fur) and Miranda Mellis (None of This Is Real). Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Friday, January 9, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Tracy Weber & M.A. Lawson The authors of A Killer Retreat and Viking Bay, respectively, sign their wares. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Saturday, January 10, 2015, 12 – 1pm
Skylar Dorset
The Boy With the Hidden Name is his new YA fantasy tome. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Saturday, January 10, 2015, 6:30 – 7:30pm
Michael Spence & Judith Skillman Their two new poetry volumes are, respectively, The Bus Driver’s Threnody and Angles of Separation. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Saturday, January 10, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Helen Marshall She collects new oddball stories in Gifts for the One Who Comes After. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Sunday, January 11, 2015, 3 – 4pm
Susan Levy She’ll discuss The 8 Principles of a Heart-Healthy Woman. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Free Sunday, January 11, 2015, 3 – 4pm
Adam Rovner He considers the prehistory of Israel in In the Shadow of Zion. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Monday, January 12, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Sarah van Gelder The editor of Sustainable Happiness: Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference is joined by several contributors to that anthology. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Monday, January 12, 2015, 7 – 8pm
David Kukoff His memoir of growing up in L.A. during the ‘60s is Children of the Canyon. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Maria Gitin The author recalls her activism during the ‘60s in This Bright Light of Ours: Stories from the Voting Rights Fight. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Tim Johnston
Descent is his new Rocky Mountains-set thriller. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Daniel DiSalvo The author of Government Against Itself: Public Union Power and Its Consequences joins in a discussion with UW prof Michael McCann. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, January 13, 2015, 8 – 11:30pm
Jeanne Matthews Her thriller Where the Bones are Buried is set in Berlin. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 12 – 1pm
Eric Liu At the law school, he’ll discuss his memoir A Chinaman’s Chance: One Family’s Journey and the Chinese American Dream. RSVP required at asianlaw@uw.edu. University of Washington Campus, 15th Ave. N.E. and N.E. 41st St., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 3:30 – 4:30pm
Jeannette Franks The former UW gerontologist talks about his To Move or to Stay Put: A Guide for Your Last Decades. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 4:30 – 5:30pm
James Penner He’s written Timothy Leary: The Harvard Years: Early Writings on LSD and Psilocybin with Richard Alpert, Huston Smith, Ralph Metzner, and Others. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Marin Katusa He’s written The Colder War: How the Global Energy Trade Slipped from America’s Grasp. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 7 – 8pm
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Steven Brill The Time magazine writer talks about his America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fix to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Cathy Madden He’ll discuss Integrative Alexander Technique Practice for Performing Artists: Onstage Synergy. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Graeme Simsion He considers the travails of parenthood in his novel The Rosie Effect, sequel to The Rosie Project. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Tod Marshall & Dara Wier
Bugle and You Good Thing are their new poetry volumes, respectively, Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Lin Kaymer
Who is Mackie Spence? is her locally set new YA novel for girls. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Free Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Thomas Perry
A String of Beads is his latest crime novel. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Friday, January 16, 2015, 12 – 1pm
Jason Schmidt
A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me is his humorous new memoir. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Friday, January 16, 2015, 6:30 – 7:30pm
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David Shields & Caleb Powell Have you heard about that controversial James Franco movie? No, not The Interview. Apparently he filmed a version of the extended dialogue that is I Think You’re Totally Wrong (Knopf, $25.95) by the two Seattle writers (Shields being the more prolific and renowned, Powell being his former UW student). Their book, subtitled “An Argument,” is the result of a four-day marathon bullshit session spent in a Skykomish cabin together, with topics ranging from parenthood to art, from Ron Paul to Cormac McCarthy. It’s essentially a long, edited transcript of their sparring-in which Shields naturally makes reference to My Dinner With Andre. How’d the movie come about? (No release date is currently set.) Franco was a student of Shields during a visiting stint at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College; and he subsequently invited his prof (and Powell) down to L.A. to reenact it. (He also appears in the film, natch.) Oh, and there’s still more Franco-Shields news to report: Esquire says Franco now hopes to direct a fictional treatment of Shields’ 1999 Black Planet, about race and sports, a book based partly on his ‘90s reporting on the Sonics in these pages. Whether that movie happens or not remains to be seen, but let’s hope that Shields and Powell have tales to tell from the Francosphere. BRIAN MILLER Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Friday, January 16, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Eric Andrews-Katz
Balls and Chain is his new spy spoof. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Friday, January 16, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Carolyn Kizer Memorial Reading Her friends and fellow poets will include Willis Barnstone, Tess Gallagher, Garrett Hongo, and Carol Muske-Dukes. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Sunday, January 18, 2015, 4 – 5pm
Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell Street
Seattle, WA $5 Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 8 – 11:30pm
Randall Kenan The novelist (A Visitation of Spirits) talks about his craft. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 $5-$12 Thursday, January 22, 2015, 7 – 8pm
Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 8 – 11:30pm
Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, February 3, 2015, 8 – 11:30pm
Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 8 – 11:30pm
