FOR THE DESIGNERS: Northwest Film Forum is holding their 10th annual ByDesign Series and tonight features two different selections of short films from the influential husband and wife design team, Charles and Ray Eames. The first selection, Eames Design, documents their private home, Herman Miller furniture, and solar powered kinetic sculpture. The second selection, Eames Communication, includes the duo's short films on communication, science, and new technologies. Considering that these two iconic designers were the main inspiration behind the ByDesign series when it first began a decade ago, this is definitely a not-to-be-missed night for the designers out there. more ›

Overall, Chabon has shown us since his beginning in 1988 that he is no one-trick pony. He doesn't JUST want to be his generation's Raymond Chandler or Philip K. Roth, or McSweeney's poster child. Chabon does what he wants; he writes about what interests him in the moment, whether it's fiction or non-fiction, pulp or fantasy; at times, even taking different genres and fixing them together to fit a novel's purpose. more ›

God bless you, Kurt Vonnegut, life has been so much more dull without you here. And thank you, Sidney Offit, for making this collection possible! As the second posthumous short story collection from Kurt Vonnegut, Look at the Birdie is a great pick for longtime fans, or a great entry into his work for those who are unfamiliar. We don't normally buy hardcover books, but this was one that we couldn't pass up, as Vonnegut is one of our all-time favorite American authors, and we own a great number of his books in hardcover. Unlike his first posthumous collection, Armageddon in Retrospect, which speaks more of times of war and peace, Look at the Birdie contains stories reminiscent of Vonnegut's best work--those of the broader ideas and mindsets of America after World War II. Expect this collection to have Vonnegut's usual excellent wit and humor along with underlying themes of humanism, as, like Mark Twain, Vonnegut was a devout follower. If you love this awesome new collection, you may also consider a couple of his older collections that are just as excellent: Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons, or Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction--our very personal favorite (includes characters from stories in Welcome to the Monkey House, an added bonus for those that are familiar). more ›

Michael Chabon's new book The Yiddish Policeman's Union is THE SHIT. We finished it in a little over a weekend recently and regretted not that we'd once again failed to execute our long-held dream of eating every single item on the Taco Bell menu on Cinco de Mayo night. more ›

Well, literary immortality, anyway. A gaggle of authors (some Seattlest-approved, some not-so-approved)- including Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Dave Eggers, John Grisham, Lemony Snicket, Michael Chabon, and Jonathan Lethem- will be auctioning the chance to have the winning bidder's name included in their next work. Clearly, a win would be somewhat conditional- if you want to use a friend's name, you have to get permission, for instance- but they seem pretty accommodating. That said, if your name is Amanda Huggnkiss or Mike Hunt, you had probably better skip this one. more ›