Three readings tonight.

At the Elliott Bay Book Company, Kaya McLaren reads from her reissued novel, Church of the Dog. Here is what Publisher’s Weekly says about the book:

…The result is an ersatz inspirational novel that mistakes the characters’ tendencies to natter on about God and ethics and spout goofy New Age-isms for plot or character development.

And here is what Emerging Crone has to say about it:

It is impossible to encounter this book and not have your heart expanded.

Sounds like we have an old-fashioned “critics are just so full of hate that they can’t appreciate a beautiful, inspirational book for what it is” battle going on. To figure out what side of the fight you fall on, you might want to go to this reading. I’m not going, because Emerging Crone’s website has already given me hives from all its New Agey foo-foo.

Up at Third Place Books, Garth Stein reads from The Art of Racing in the Rain. Stein is local, and his book is prominently displayed in just about every Starbucks in the nation. It’s told from the point of view of a dog. I haven’t read it.

Lastly, and bestly, Cory Doctorow is back in town at the University Book Store. He was here a month or so ago for his young adult novel Little Brother, but I think that this will be a reading of new work. This is clearly the reading of the night.

The full readings calendar, including the next week or so, is ready for you.