I have no idea what to do tonight. Two of the most talented women in literature are reading at two different venues at the exact same time. And it doesn't help that they're both so scorching hot that upside-down images of them have burned into my retinas. Lahiri, author of The Namesake, one of the best-written novels of the last 10 years, is here with her very fine new collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth... (Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, 624-6600. 7 pm, free.) PAUL CONSTANT

...but Satrapi, author of the excellent Persepolis, director of the animated film of the same title, and creator of the criminally underrated Chicken with Plums, has single-handedly brought comics to the book-club set without condescending to write a Kite Runner–style crapfest. This is less a reading than a free-form chat, and Satrapi is a raconteur, funny and engaging and everything you wouldn't expect a comic-book artist to be. It's the worst case of Betty-or-Veronica syndrome ever. (Moore, 1932 Second Ave, 467-5510. 7:30 pm, $25–$32.)