This week in the Book section, I visit Pilot Books, a month-old bookstore on Broadway. Everything about this bookstore is charming, including its owner, Summer Robinson:

Pilot is a space for people who love the idea and art of books. One wall displays a collection of books faced out, like works of art; many of those books have insert cards with one or two words (such as "sharp" and "yes yes") printed on them as a recommendation. Spending time in Pilot Books (especially the upstairs lending library, which is quiet and dim and lined with comfy reading chairs) feels like hiding out in a super-cool literary tree fort, and Robinson is funny and candid enough to make visitors want to join her writerly club.

I also love following the Pilot Books blog. This is what I hope is the first in a new weekly feature, in which Robinson reports on interesting new books that have arrived at the store this week:

Low brow is the new high art: The Jook, by Gary Phillips and I-5, by Summer Brenner. (PM Press, 2009) Crime, suspense, sleeze! Who you callin’ book snob?

The newest of the new: What Do You Want?, by Marina Temkina. (Ugly Duckling, 2009) Still trying to figure this one out… In a good way.

I hope you'll check out the book section, Pilot Books' blog, and Pilot Books itself this weekend.

There's a lot going on.

At the University Farmer's Market right now, Matthew Amster-Burton reads from his book Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater. It's a book about why children only want to eat macaroni and cheese.

At noon, R.T. Jordan reads from A Talent for Murder, which is a book about the murder of a thinly veiled analogue for Simon Cowell.

In Queen Anne, the author of Barking Buddha "discusses the benefits of practicing yoga and meditation with your dog." The press release continues: "Do not bring your dog."

Up at Third Place Books, Mary Lloyd reads from Supercharged Retirement, which is apparently for people who want to retire and be electrocuted simultaneously.

At Town Hall, it's time for Sister's Singing, in which female singers and poets will perform in support of a book called Sisters Singing: Blessings, Prayers, Art, Songs, Poetry and Sacred Stories by Women.

Elliott Bay Book Company hosts Seattle Noir vs. Portland Noir. Editors of collections of mysteries set in Seattle and Portland will try to determine once and for all which city is better. The winner will be determined by knife fight.

But the reading of the night is in Georgetown. Peter Bagge, who is the cartoonist behind Hate, signs his newest book of non-fiction cartoon essays, Everybody is Stupid Except for Me and Other Astute Observations, and then he and his rock band will play a gig up the street at Jules Mae's. This can't be beat for sheer entertainment value.

The full readings calendar, including the next week or so, is here. And if you're planning on staying in and you're looking for personalized book recommendations, feel free to tell me the books you like and ask me what to read next over at Questionland.

Something worth checking out for any comics lovers looking for a slightly different kind of thing to read this summer. DC is putting out Wednesday Comics, a weekly published in broadsheet newspaper format. This hearkens back to the origins of the comics in the Sunday funnies (the first comic books were just re-packaged Sunday strips). Wednesday Comics has fifteen ongoing stories featuring different DCU characters, from the A-list (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) to the obscure (Metamorpho, Kamandi, Adam Strange). I picked up the first issue, and each story has a nice cliffhanger ending—it's like the old serials, and it strikes me as a great summer pastime.

The creative teams are top-rate, including Neil Gaiman writing Metamorpho, Joe Kubert drawing Sgt. Rock, and Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso doing Batman (and the final trade paperback collection of their multiple-Eisner award winning crime series 100 Bullets just hit the stands too). The visual aesthetics of the stories vary from grim noir to classic '60s and '70s styles to manga (I might have to skip the Supergirl story, as diabetes runs in my family and it looks like it's going to be very sweet. . . ). A good summer read, with updates weekly instead of monthly. The first issue came out last week, so if you want in at the beginning, head to the local comics store now. . .