Monique Truong talks about her novel, Bitter In The Mouth: "When we tell the stories of our lives, I think that what we leave out, what we leave till the end, and what we never say are as revealing as the words that we do utter." more ›

The Elliott Bay Bookstore Reading Room was packed in tight last night with Seattle geeks of all ages anticipating the last stop on Ernie Cline's book tour for his novel, Ready Player One. Special guest, Wil Wheaton (narrator of the audiobook), accompanied Cline yesterday to talk about the book and it's significance for those who grew up in the 80s as gamers and Duran-Duran fans alike. more ›

Maybe you're a parent who's just moved to the Seattle area and wondering what the natives do when The Grim strikes again for the winter. Or maybe you've got young visitors coming into town, and you're not sure how to entertain them. Here are some of our favorite ways to celebrate autumn with the kiddos in Seattle. more ›

Seattle’s own librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl is adding two more accolades to her curriculum vitae this evening at Elliott Bay Book Company, where her long-time publisher Sasquatch Books will present awards for lifetime achievement from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association and for 2011 Librarian of the Year from the Library Journal. The only librarian (that we know of) with her very own action figure, Pearl is the former executive director of the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library; the author of half a dozen books on, well, loving books, including Book Lust and Book Crush; and the brains behind the “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” program that spread across the country in the late ’90s. She also regularly contributes her literary recommendations to NPR and was the 50th recipient of the Women’s National Book Association Award in 2004. Sasquatch president Gary Luke will be on hand this evening to sing Pearl’s praises, and Pearl herself will give a brief talk. And as if there already wasn’t enough reason to add these festivities to your evening schedule, the presentation is free and open to the public — which can also imbibe on complimentary wine and nosh on free apps. more ›

WHAT THE WHAAAA: Why is Kat Von D in town? Oh. She has a new book called Tattoo Chronicles, which actually looks kind of cool (aesthetically, no comment on the content). It's an illustrated diary "that offers an intimate look at a crucial year in the personal and professional life of Kat Von D, the charismatic, no-holds-barred tattooer and star of LA Ink." Scared? Maybe a little. more ›

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS Remember that Republica song Drop Dead Gorgeous? "I know my ex-boyfriend lies? Oh he does it every timmmme?" Well, this has nothing to do with that song, just wanted to get it stuck in your hand. But the completely different group Drop Dead Gorgeous is in town tonight, with Sleeping with Sirens, Attila, Abandon All Ships, For All Those Sleeping, Scarlett O'Hara, and Woe Is Me. That's a crap ton of tunes. more ›

BIKE TO DINNER: Spoke & Food will be happening tonight at 14 various Seattle restaurants including Dad Watson's, Snoose Junction Pizzeria, and the Montlake Ale House. This evening of dining and bikes hopes to promote bicycling as a mode of transportation when traveling to places that are in or around your neighborhood. Each of the 14 included restaurants have also agreed to donate a percent of their revenue from the evening to the local non-profit program Lettuce Link at Solid Ground. Overall, a good chance to get out and meet fellow bikers in the 'hood, eat some great food, and help a good cause. Check the website for details on the restaurants, bike maps, and more. more ›

How Did You Get This Number does a fantastic job of further highlighting Crosley's maturity as a writer and now as an early thirtysomething who has moved past the young woes of botched first jobs and the like, and into more of an adult realm of situational humor. However this is not to say that her second collection of essays is any less humorous than the first; rather we think it just may be the opposite. more ›

Norman Ollestad will be reading from his book, Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival, at Elliott Bay Book Company on June 15, at 7:30 p.m. Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival, is both a chilling account of survival and a heartwarming coming-of-age story based around Norman Ollestad and his relationship with his father, the late Norman Ollestad. more ›

PRET-A-PORTER: The Art Institute of Seattle's fashion and design students take over the Showbox SoDo tonight for "Peace, Love, Fashion," their eleventh annual psychedelic-themed fashion show/student portfolio exhibition. There are two chances to see it, at 5 and 7 p.m. High school students can get into the earlier show for free with their student IDs. more ›

INFINITE JEST: David Foster Wallace's suicide in September of last year was a major blow to the literary world. While opinions differ on his major work (this writer didn't particularly like ), Wallace was undoubtedly one of the most influential writers of the '90s and the '00s, equally capable of creating a complex multi-layered short story as he was of delivering a deeply insightful analysis of John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign. Tonight, a group of local literary somebodies are getting together to honor Wallace's life and to read from some of his work up at the Hugo House. Featuring the likes of Paul Constant, Cienna Madrid, and David Schmader. more ›

NERD BOOK: Junot Diaz, the nerdy Dominican-American novelist whose still be available, but you'll have to check at Benaroya's box office, as online sales have closed. more ›

might blow, and sure, Kirk Hammett & co. are getting pretty old, but somehow, they've managed to sell out the house. Scalpers are busy at it, though, so if you've got $250 (going price at more ›

, but given Grove's and Rosset's history, it's bound to cover plenty of interesting stuff. more ›

LAUGH SO HARD YOU'LL CHOKE: Actor/comedian Aziz Ansari will probably make you laugh. So, if you like laughter, you might want to go to his show. If you don't like laughter, we have other suggestions. But, at any rate Ansari, who has appeared in will be appearing tonight at the Triple Door. Get your mojito on, get some tasty vittles, and then laugh until you choke. more ›

COO COO CANNONBALL: The Breeders are at Neumo's tonight. The freaking Breeders, people. If we hadn't already made up our minds to spend the evening watching a guy we'd never heard about until yesterday, we would so be there. But you should go, because the Breeders are responsible for a good chunk of our development as a songwriter, and homage needs to be paid. Dammit. The Breeders! Seriously. more ›

DETROIT ROCK CITY: Can't get in to the sold-out Tom Morello/Nightwatchmen show at the Showbox tonight? Well, your consolation prize is that tix are still available to Detroit rock 'n' roll extremists Electric Six. A fusion of, well, pretty much everything, Electric Six's shows are supposed to be awesome. With Local H and Japanese Motors. more ›

CAJUN BLUES: Wow, who forgot to clue us into this one until the last minute? We'll have to fire some interns over this, but that's what they get. Tab freaking Benoit is playing two sets at the Tractor tonight. It would be a real shame if the place wasn't crazy packed. The man is a legend. Bar none. Be there. We're going to do our damnedest to cancel our plans and join you. more ›

YOU BETCHA: As far as Seattlest is concerned, there really is nothing worth doing tonight aside from watching the Sarah Palin show. Will she deliver endless bullshit answers full of noun phrases that seem to have nothing to do with one another? Will she address that "Putin flying over Alaska gives me foreign policy cred" absurdity? Will Joe Biden totally slaughter her, or will he make some "woops" remark that actually makes her come out looking like the more poised option? There is so much on the line, but mostly there's just so much entertainment value. We'll start you off on your drinking game plan: drink when Palin says "You Betcha!" more ›

DIAL M-A-C-E-O: You know how some people are so funny (Steve Carell, Ellen DeGeneres) that just looking at them makes you laugh? Well, that's kind of how Maceo makes us feel, but instead of making us laugh, he makes us get funky. He's played with everyone who matters—from James Brown to Prince—and he's here tonight and for the rest of the weekend to bring the funk to you. How lucky you are! more ›

FOREVER WAR: Dexter Filkins, the Pulitzer Prize-winning , recounting his experiences covering the war in Iraq. Filkins actually had a piece in yesterday's "Week in Review" section about returning to Iraq for the first time in two years, finding it a changed if uneasy place, balanced on a knife's edge of peace following the much ballyhooed troop surge, but still capable of slipping back into chaos. With the economy in the tank, most people are probably less interested in Iraq, but Filkins' trenchant analysis is worth the time of anyone truly interested in understanding the realities on the ground in Iraq and figuring out how to move forward. more ›

BLACK MONDAY: Good God! Have you been following what's going on in the banking sector? We're closing our WaMu accounts as fast as we can and switching to WSECU before our Wamoola goes the same way as the investors in Lehman Bros. Wait...is that how bank runs start? Shit. Anyway, if ever there was a good day for drinking, it's today. Which is why Seattlest is happy to host a Moe Bar happy hour tonight from five to eight p.m. Come by and enjoy free financial advice from just-this-side-of-homeless Seattlest contributors, spinning fanciful webs of cheap liquor-fueled disinformation and plain old bad advice for your amusement. more ›

MEET ME IN THE CHAMBER: We don't need to sell the symphony fans on chamber music, but maybe you rock and rollers could use a little primer. Catch six chamber ensembles at Town Hall tonight, and get your chamber music in 15-minute doses. It's like tapas, but with violins. more ›

AUSSIES IN THE HOUSE: The Waifs are so much fun live. There's just something about families that sing together—you can't get that kind of synchronicity from strangers. The Australian sisters and their male guitarist compatriot are one of the most delightful folk-pop bands around, and their live energy is undeniably infectious. Catch them tonight at that swanky joint, the Triple Door. more ›

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SEATTLEST HAPPY HOUR: What the hell else are you going to do tonight after work besides head down to Moe Bar and join your tweed-wearing Seattlest contributors as we do what comes naturally on a Monday: drinking ourselves into a stupor and making untoward advances on anything that moves. In exchange for hanging out with us, we'll regale you with stories of community development committee meetings, which prominent Seattle chef is faking his/her accent, and the criminal predilections of a certain notable neighborhood activist. It'll be a veritable hyper-local hootenanny! more ›

ACROBATS AT THE MALL: We understand that, when the Southcenter mall opened up a couple weeks ago, there were some aerialists and acrobats there to provide some fanfare. Apparently, Pacific Place got all jealous, because they'll be welcoming aerialists, diablo artists and comediennes from Teatro ZinZanni Thursdays through Sundays for the rest of the month. Head to the mall tonight to get a free show! more ›

DRINK WITH CHRIS GREGOIRE: Drinking Liberally gathers each Tuesday to talk politics and drink alcohol. Tonight, they'll be joined by unafraid-to-call-herself-a-Democrat Chris Gregoire, who will no doubt be drinking for the votes of all those in attendance. more ›

FREE BUSH: Get your mind out of the gutter. We're talking about Gavin Rossdale. He's in town today to put on a free show at everyone's favorite new venue Showbox SODO. Get there early, because we imagine there'll be a line for blocks to get into this thing. We hope he does some solo acoustic versions of all the Bush classics. more ›

HOW MANY BOYS, HOW MANY GIRLS: A Chorus Line opens at the Paramount tonight. It's being sold on the TV commercials as the best Broadway musical EVAR, and we'd have to agree. Seattlest will be the one singing along with every single word (and dancing along with every bit of choreography in our seat). This is the show, at least in part, responsible for our life-long love affair with music and dance. You've got a week to fall in love yourself. No pressure. more ›