A thriller, a book about gardening, an open mic, and three more events going on tonight.

First, at the University Book Store, Jeffrey Deaver is reading from his new Lincoln Rhyme thriller, The Broken Window. I wrote about my guilty attraction to Lincoln Rhyme thrillers a couple weeks back. I expect that Jeffrey Deaver is probably unwittingly hilarious in person—all of his essays and introductions are so sincere that he seems utterly unaware of himself as a schlock mystery writer with a deaf ear to dialogue and a hook-hand for typing plot. This could be a good time, especially since his fans are probably religiously devoted to him.

At Town Hall, Ahmed Rashid reads from Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. This is one of those readings that proves to be eerily relevant, given the news that the Taliban is making advances in Afghanistan. Rashid’s last book, about the Taliban, was titled Taliban.

And at Elliott Bay Book Company, Ed Park is reading from Personal Days, his first novel. I took Personal Days out on a Lunch Date a little over a week ago and I loved it. I’ve long since finished the book and it’s pretty amazing. The the first person plural narration that I was nervous about subsided early on—the book’s in three parts, and each is narrated differently—and the book finishes in a satisfying way. Plus, it’s a paperback original, so it’s easier on the wallet than most first-time novels. I’ll probably write more about Personal Days in a week or so in the books section, but this reading is totally worth your time.

Full readings calendar, including the next week or so, is up for your inspection.