There's a lot going on tonight, including another James Ellroy appearance at noon at Seattle Mystery Bookshop, self-helpy readings at both University Book Store and Third Place Books, a reading for a book about the Seahawks at F.X. McRory's, and a free National Novel Writing Month writing workshop at Pilot Books that you might want to consider attending if you're getting ready for Nanowrimo.

And then there's some big events going on, too.

Down at Schmancy, they're celebrating both the launch of another craft art show in honor of the crafting book Plush You, and they're also celebrating the fifth anniversary of Schmancy. There could very well be beer there, too. This would be a good place to start out your night and check out what's on display while you're at it.

At Town Hall, it's a reading for Logicomix, a new comic book about Bertrand Russell. Here's what I have to say about it in the book section this week

The structure of Logicomix is appropriately complex: At the end of his life, Russell lectures an audience about his life and adventures, while in the present day, the creators of Logicomix discuss how best to frame Russell's life story, arguing about self-referentiality and how best to portray Russell in comic-book form all the way through the book. And Logicomix does a solid, fair job explaining Russell's complex ideas (how does someone make a comic book about the making of a 400-page book explaining in great detail why 1 + 1 = 2? With not nearly as many word balloons as you're probably imagining right now).

And then at the Central Library, Nick Hornby reads. I review Hornby's new book Juliet, Naked in an online-only Constant Reader this week:

Whereas Hornby's last two novels were about misanthropy and suicide, respectively, Naked focuses on some of Hornby's old strengths: The book is full of painfully sharp observational prose about relationships. Any heterosexual woman will immediately recognize Duncan's condescending attitude toward Annie's interest in popular culture. (Duncan is sure that without his guidance, Annie "was hardly going to be able to respond to the kind of stark adult truths spread generously through" a Crowe album, and that "she'd get it one day, maybe, but clearly not for a few years yet.")

I can't pick a reading of the night out of these. They're all great books. Go to a reading tonight and have fun.

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.