Books

John Connolly His crime thriller The Wolf in Winter is set in Maine. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Monday, November 10, 2014, 12 – 1pm

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Richard Norton Smith His On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller has received excellent reviews. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Monday, November 10, 2014, 4 – 5pm

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Elissa Washuta Her much-praised new memoir of bipolar illness is My Body Is a Book of Rules. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Monday, November 10, 2014, 7 – 8pm

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R.M. Campbell The author of Stirring Up Seattle: Allied Arts in the Civic Landscape joins in a discussion with Seattle Weekly and Town Hall founder David Brewster. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Monday, November 10, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Richard Blanco His memoir of growing up gay is The Prince of los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood. Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122 Free Monday, November 10, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Bill Roorbach A snowstorm leads to romance in his comic novel The Remedy for Love. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 6 – 7pm

I Let Go of the Stars in My Hand This new anthology features Alex Bleecker, Thomas Hanchett, Mercedes Lawry, Richard Loranger, Jane Ormerod, and John J. Trause. Vermillion Art Gallery & Bar, 1508 11th Ave

Seattle, WA 98122 Free Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 7 – 8:30pm

International Comix Night Short Run Seattle, The Seattle Globalist, and The Seattle Public Library welcome international comix artists Anna Sailamaa (Finland), Jean De Wet (South Africa), and representatives from Nobrow Publishers in the UK. Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 7 – 8:30pm

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J. Robert Lennon The always entertaining writer from upstate New York collects new stories in See You in Paradise. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Leslie Klinger S.T. Joshi joins the author in a discussion of The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 7 – 8pm

John Hockenberry The NPR host speaks about universal design for the disabled. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $15 Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 7:30 – 9:30pm

Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 8 – 11:30pm

Fuminori Nakamura A journalist has doubts about a killer’s guilt in Last Winter We Parted. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 12 – 1pm

Robert Dugoni His new locally set thriller is My Sister’s Grave. University Book Store (Bellevue), 990 102nd Ave. N.E., Bellevue, WA 98004 Free Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 6 – 7pm

Alan Doyle His memoir of growing up Canadian is Where I Belong: Small Town to Great Big Sea. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Kelsang Jinduk The Buddhist nun considers How to Understand the Mind by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Scott Magner

Homefront is his new sci-fi thriller. Also reading will be Mark Teppo, with his holiday-themed Rudolph!

University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Fr Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Elizabeth Dimarco Her company has published Apps for Book Lovers & Bibliophiles. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Thursday, November 13, 2014, 12 – 1pm

Zack Davisson Davinder Bhowmik joins the author of Yurei: The Japanese Ghost. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Thursday, November 13, 2014, 7 – 8pm

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Greg Palmer Memorial Reading Local actor Jeff Steitzer reads from the reissued memoir Cheese Deluxe, in which the late local humorist Palmer (who died in 2009) recalls his ‘60s youth on Mercer Island. There are no antiwar demonstrations, no secret abortions, no declarations of “I love you, man” or catastrophic car crashes. (Though there is a chapter that’s essentially one long fender-bender, as Palmer and his buddies teach an inept friend to drive.) In a short series of well-told anecdotes, modesty is Palmer’s prevailing tone-one that TV viewers will recall from his days at KING 5 and PBS. (Also: Island Books, on Mercer Island, 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 8.) BRIAN MILLER Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Free Thursday, November 13, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

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Diane Von Furstenberg Yes, you read that name correctly, as in DVF. The fashion legend will discuss her The Woman I Wanted to Be with Chiyo Ishikawa of SAM and erstwhile SW writer Laura Cassidy. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Friday, November 14, 2014, 5:30 – 6:30pm

Marathon II: A Short Run Art Show Music from DJ Missie Mac and DJ Lit Field is part of an evening featuring artists MariNaomi, Tom Neely, Josh Simmons, Pam Wishbow, John Porcellino,

and Ed Piskor. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 1201 S. Vale St. Free Friday, November 14, 2014, 6 – 9pm

Diana Pharoh Francis, Devon Monk, Leah Cutter The fantasy writers discuss their new books, respectively: Trace of Magic, House Immortal, and The Changeling Troll. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Friday, November 14, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Patricia Cornwell The bestselling crime writer returns with Flesh and Blood: A Scarpetta Novel. University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 N.E. 43rd St., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Friday, November 14, 2014, 7 – 8pm

David Ignatius The journalist’s new novel is The Director, which he’ll discuss with historian Robert W. Merry.  Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Friday, November 14, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

Bridie Andews The visiting scholar gives a talk called ”What Is Chinese in Chinese Medicine?” $5-$10 Saturday, November 15, 2014, 9:30 – 10:30am

Short Run Comix & Arts Festival Nearly 200 writers and artists are scheduled to attend. Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave., Seattle, WA Free Saturday, November 15, 2014, 11am – 6pm

Maia Chance

Snow White Red-Handed has an American actress caught up in European intrigue during the late 1860s. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Saturday, November 15, 2014, 12 – 1pm

Cat Winters Her Gothic historical thriller, The Cure for Dreaming, features feminism and mesmerism. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Saturday, November 15, 2014, 4 – 5pm

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John Cleese This event is naturally sold out, but I suspect many SW readers already have their tickets-and book, So, Anyway . . . , ticket included with purchase-to see this Monty Python member in a Seattle appearance so rare that no graybeard I’ve asked can even remember the man visiting our city before. Could this be Cleese’s first and likely only sojourn to the Pacific Northwest? He and his four surviving fellow Pythons played some hugely profitable live comedy dates in London this past summer, which many called a swan song for the group. (All are into their 70s now; Cleese is 75.) Cleese’s new memoir is actually a pre-Python account of his humble youth and comedy coming-of-age, which began at Cambridge with fellow student Graham Chapman. After graduating, he became a writer for David Frost at the BBC. Through the latter’s sponsorship, he and Chapman created something called At Last the 1948 Show (this being the mid-’60s), which led to a fateful meeting with the Oxford triumvirate of Palin/Idle/Jones. And the rest, as you know, is comedy history. BRIAN MILLER University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 N.E. 43rd St., Seattle, WA 98105 $28 (sold out) Saturday, November 15, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Litsa Dremousis Love and mountain climbing combine in her novel Altitude Sickness. Also appearing are Matthew Simmons (A Happy Rock) and musician Trent Hill. Cairo, 507 E. Mercer St. Seattle, WA 98102 Free Saturday, November 15, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Mark L. Winston He’ll discuss his Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive with Karyn Schwartz, of Sugar Pill Apothecary. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Saturday, November 15, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Short Stories Live ACT’s Kurt Beattie directs local stage talent in a reading based on the radio essays of Walter Benjamin. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $13-$15 Sunday, November 16, 2014, 2 – 3pm

Joe Guppy His memoir of mental illness is My Fluorescent God. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Free Sunday, November 16, 2014, 3 – 4pm

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Yumi Sakugawa According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 22 percent of Americans identify as “unaffiliated”-a huge jump from the 8 percent surveyed in 2003. The trend is especially strong in the 18-29-year-old bracket: 32 percent of us godless, heathen millennials don’t claim any religious affiliation at all, and we’ve got the awesome legal weed and hot gay wedding parties to prove it. Despite all that, to the ire of old white clergymen, an increasing number of us seemingly hedonistic youths are confoundingly identifying as “spiritual, but not religious.” (Evidence: the pantheon of mystical symbols splayed on a trendy Actual Pain T-shirt. Further evidence: the popularity of Neil deGrasse Tyson.) Thus Sakugawa’s Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One With the Universe (Adams, $14.99)-a beautiful, funny, and genuinely inspiring spiritual handbook for the Cosmos age you didn’t know you were waiting for. The California comic artist manages to talk about connectedness, intentionality, and exploring “your inner cosmos” with a breeziness and wit that puts ancient religious tomes to shame. (Her gorgeous drawings certainly help.) Scientifically speaking, we are all made of the universe (Sagan’s famous “star stuff,”) and Sakugawa’s quiet truisms, deceptively simple exercises, and surreal ink-wash mandalas effortlessly engage you in the profound consequences of that simple realization. KELTON SEARS Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Sunday, November 16, 2014, 3 – 4pm

Erin M. Evans and Jennifer Brozek They chat about their new books: Fire in the Blood and Chicks Dig Gaming, respectively. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Monday, November 17, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Rory Fanning Soon after Veteran’s Day, he shares from Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger’s Journey Out of the Military and Across America. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Monday, November 17, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran Together they’ve written For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, and Sacrifice. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Monday, November 17, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

Matt Parker He uses math and comedy to explain the notions in his Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Monday, November 17, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

David Sedaris Always a Seattle favorite, he’ll share stories of life in France, read from his own works, and discuss Ann Patchetts’s This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle, WA 98101 See seattlesymphony.org for tickets. Monday, November 17, 2014, 8 – 9pm

Timothy Hallinan A stolen iPhone contains evidence of murder in his For the Dead. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 12 – 1pm

Peg Conley She’s the author of Imagine the Life you’d Love to Live, Then Live It: 52 Inspirational Habits and Playful Prompts. University Book Store (Bellevue), 990 102nd Ave. N.E., Bellevue, WA 98004 Free Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 6 – 7pm

Jim Heynen

Ordinary Sins collects his new stories.  Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Amanda Palmer She’s the author of The Art of Asking. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $15 Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 7:30 – 9:30pm

Don Stuart He’ll discuss Barnyards and Birkenstocks: Why Farmers and Environmentalists Need Each Other. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $5 Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 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, November 18, 2014, 8 – 11:30pm

F. Paul Wilson

Fear City concludes his Repairman Jack trilogy. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., Seattle, WA 98104 Free Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 12 – 1pm

Meslissa Wadsworth Her self-help guide is Collective Manifestation: Heart-Centered Blueprints for Creating Intentional Community. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Rajesh Rao In Kane Hall, Room 120, he’ll expound upon Brain-Computer Interfacing: An Introduction. University of Washington Campus, 15th Ave. N.E. and N.E. 41st St., Seattle, WA 98105 $20 Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Peg Conley

Imagine the Life You’d Love to Live, Then Live It! is her new inspirational guide. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Seattle, 98115 Free Thursday, November 20, 2014, 5 – 6pm

A.R. Kahler

Martyr: The Hunted Book One is her new fantasy tome. University Book Store (Mill Creek), 15311 Main St., Mill Creek, WA 98012 Free Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Eben Alexander He considers life and death in his metaphysical book The Map of Heaven. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Gary Ferguson He’ll read from The Carry Home: Lessons from the American Wilderness. (Also: Third Place, 7 p.m. Mon., Nov. 17.) Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Jennifer Longo

Six Feet Over It is her new YA novel. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Free Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

Ruth Ozeki Seattle Arts & Lectures presents the author of A Tale for the Time Being. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 See lectures.org for tickets. Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

Shane Harris He talks about @War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 Free Thursday, November 20, 2014, 7:30 – 8:30pm

Mick Fleetwood Advance tickets will go fast for the musician and author of the new memoir Play on: Now, Then and Fleetwood Mac. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Friday, November 21, 2014, 12 – 1pm

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Daniel James Brown About his surprise bestseller The Boys in the Boat, new in paperback and optioned in Hollywood, our Daniel Person wrote last year: “During the ‘30s, the UW and Berkeley became staunch rivals of Ivy League oarsmen. Joe Rantz’s eight-man team celebrates its victories in Hogwarts fashion. Then the rowers set their eyes upon that most evil of opponents: Voldemort . . . er, Hitler. Chosen to represent the U.S. at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, our homegrown boys would give Adolf one more thing to scowl at.” It’s a true story with a happy ending. University Book Store (Mill Creek), 15311 Main St., Mill Creek, WA 98012 Free Friday, November 21, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Lindsey S. Johnson Teenager or witch?!? That’s the dilemma for the heroine of her new YA novel A Ragged Magic. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 Free Friday, November 21, 2014, 7 – 8pm

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Ted Rall The lefty journalist and graphic novelist talks about his After We Kill You, We Will Welcome You Back as Honored Guests: Unembedded in Afghanistan. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 Free Friday, November 21, 2014, 7 – 8pm

Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell StreetSeattle, WA $5 Tuesday, November 25, 2014, 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, December 2, 2014, 8 – 11:30pm