We have a two mystery authors tonight (one who writes about a “skeleton detective” and one who titles a book Rock and Roll Never Forgets: A JP Kincaid Mystery and apparently thinks that that’s a good idea.) and many other readings.

At Queen Anne Books, local author Garth Stein, who wrote The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is the novel from the point of view of a dog, reads. It’s also the big Starbucks book of choice at the moment. And this reading will feature free cookies. There will also be cookies for dogs, but dogs aren’t allowed at the reading.

Up at Third Place Books, Guyanne Booth, whose first name is Guyanne, will be reading from Robber’s Roost, which is about a family that moves in with a bunch of robbers. And then wacky hijinx and important life lessons, no doubt, will ensue.

Elliott Bay Book Company has a couple of authors, Lin and Leif Enger, reading from their respective books. Leif wrote a book called Peace Like a River a few years ago that critics hated but independent booksellers seemed to love. I hated the hell out of that book—it felt like super-generic literary fiction to me—and at the time I was both a critic and an independent bookseller. I haven’t read his new book, but if you’ll permit me to judge it by its cover, I think it looks like more of the same. I have not even looked at Lin’s book. The one thing you can guarantee about this reading is that it will be twice as long as other book readings.

At the Richard Hugo House, Susanna Lang will read from Even Now, a collection of poems. Here is a link to one of Ms. Lang’s narrative poems, called “Pussywillow.” I actually really like the poem (except for the last line), but that’s still enough to make this the reading of the night.

The full readings calendar, including the next week or so, is here.