THURSDAY 10/10
DOUGLAS ANDERSON
Oh, the horror. Pale, world-weary Tolkienphiles in hoards emerge from "Middle-earth" (a.k.a. their parents' basement) this afternoon with a purposeful glint in their clouded eyes--and "noted Tolkien scholar" Anderson is happy to take their money hand over fist as he signs The Annotated Hobbit. University of Washington, Kane Hall, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.MICHAEL CHABON
Pulitzer Prize-winner Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay) tries his hand at chipping away the Rowling family fortune--crafting a young-adult fantasy that somehow unites a young boy, baseball, and the forces of evil, in his latest, Summerland. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
CHIP KIDD

Former book-cover designer Kidd hits the keys in the most impressively titled novel I've seen all morning--The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters--a playful novel about a particular victim of a state art school. Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30, free.
ANNE LAMOTT

Lamott recounts the petty, trivial crises of a middle-aged, suburban divorcée in Blue Shoe, her latest novel targeting the vastly popular literary demographic of middle-aged, suburban divorcées. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, $5.

FRIDAY 10/11
TAYLOR MALI
An arrogant, self-satisfied entertainer, Mali is a four-time national poetry slam champion, who the New York Times calls "a ranting comic showman and a literary provocateur." University of Puget Sound, 1500 N Warner St, Tacoma, 253-879-3100, 7:30 pm, $3-$8.
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
The New York Times best-selling author of Illuminata, A Woman's Worth, and A Return to Love haunts the Women of Wisdom (WOW!) festival with her particular blend of spiritual psychology--utilizing the "power of our womanly knowingness" to connect with the almighty Goddess. Seattle Unity Church, 200 Eighth Ave N, 782-3363, 7:30 pm, $30-$35.

SATURDAY 10/12
RIFF HAFFAR
A selection of bolded, italicized items in Mr. Haffar's press release for his latest book, Away from My Desk: "fascinating," "hilarious," "the life-altering thrill," "pack up and hit the road," "round-the-world," "by motorbike," "trip of a lifetime." Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free

SUNDAY 10/13
"See? I'm not pregnant anymore!"

MONDAY 10/14
AMY YURK
Psychic distress signals, physical abuse, mental retardation, pregnancy, and rape populate The Language of Sisters, Yurk's latest feel-good novel about two adult sisters and their sordid relationship with their mother. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.

TUESDAY 10/15
KEN ALDER
Ever wonder what mathematical and historical components account for the length of the world's universal unit of measure? Yeah, me neither. But if this sort of inquiry floats your cerebral boat, Alder's in-depth account of two Enlightenment-era surveyors responsible for the seven years of work that would determine the measure of a meter will no doubt serve as splendid bathroom reading. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 2 pm, free, also Third Place Books, 366-3333, Wed Oct 16 at 6:30 pm, free.
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REBECCA BROWN, CAROLE GLICKFELD, & SARAH SINGER

See Stranger Suggests. Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 723-8164, 7:30 pm, $3.
RUDOLPH GIULIANI

Remember when everyone thought Rudy Giuliani was a dick? Well if you do, the terrorists have already won. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 11:30 am, free.
DONNA MISCOLTA, JOANN FARIAS, FELICIA GONZALEZ, & MARISSA MARTINEZ

Though not specifically addressed in its press release, it appears that the Hugo House's The House of Memory is a snapshot of literary talent among local Latin American women, including the award-winning Donna Miscolta, Joann Farias, Felicia Gonzalez, and Marissa Martinez. Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 723-8164, 7:30 pm, free.
CHARLES SIMIC

Award-winning poet Simic waxes, well, poetic on topics routine in his new volume, Night Picnic. University of Washington, Kane Hall, Walker-Ames room, 634-3400, 7:30 pm, free.
ADAM SISMAN

Sisman's biography of James Boswell (himself considered by many to be the greatest biographer of all time) is in many ways a biography of Boswell's biography of 18th-century literary great Samuel Johnson--onion layers that will hopefully lead to a biography of Sisman's biography of Boswell's biography of Johnson. University of Washington, Kane Hall, Walker-Ames room, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

WEDNESDAY 10/16
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY
The mighty Mississippi, eternal point of geographic and cultural reference, flows uninhibited through the pages of Brinkley and co-author Stephen Ambrose's presumptuous new account, The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation, which aspires to place the waterway as the "cornerstone of America's history." University of Washington, Kane Hall, room 130, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
JoANN DEAK, Ph.D., KAREN STABINER

Deak and Stabiner confront the question of women's liberation and equality versus individual emotional responsibility in a patriarchal society (in Girls Will Be Girls and All Girls, respectively)--offering what appears to be a somewhat convoluted solution that samples only the rewarding aspects of both outlooks. University of Washington, Kane Hall, room 120, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.