MICHAEL CRICHTON
He's the dinosaur guy, right? Don't expect to quiz his greatness, however; this event is a signing only. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 7:30 pm, free.
TOM PARKER
Who knew? Turns out wine consumption isn't always meant to be motivated by volume, but rather some delicate attention to, um, taste. Parker and the folks at the Tasting Room have a few things to say about "hue" and "notes of oak" in Discovering Washington Wines. Tasting Room, 1924 Post Alley, 789-5668, free.
MARY LOU SANELLI
Taking the poetry out of tortured classrooms and into the familial comfort of the dining room, Sanelli presents The Immigrant's Table, a collection of family recipes and the opulent verbiage they inspire. Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
FRIDAY 12/13
* DAVID SKOVER
The Trials of Lenny Bruce coauthor visits Third Place with some insight and a few dirty words. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 6 pm, free.
ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE
There's something very creepy about the butterfly: a gorgeous entity from afar, when pinned and mounted the little beasts take on a completely different character--gruesome killers wafting on wings of painted splendor. Or something. Anyway, Pyle, a Ph.D. in butterfly conservation ecology from Yale, discusses his new book about the little monsters. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
SATURDAY 12/14
PAUL COLLINS, SHERMAN ALEXIE, SEAN CARMAN, ELLEN FORNEY, DAN SAVAGE, TOMMY WALLACH
See Stranger Suggests. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 2 pm, free.
DOROTHY JONES
Commie nostalgia seems to be gaining new footing here in America (just ask our books editor), but the history of the American Red is a long and rocky road. Jones' When Shadows Fell is a fictional testament to the struggle of McCarthy-era pinkos, set to the tune of interpersonal conflict. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, noon, free.
DAVY ROTHBART
The I Found It! concept gets reconfigured in magazine form with Rothbart's Found magazine, a print collection of random, displaced garbage allowed significance by the magazine's growing pedestal. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
SUNDAY 12/15
DONNA ANDERS, ANN RULE
A double dose of mass-market-paperback tripe, readily available at fine grocery store checkout lines everywhere. Be the first to get your $6.99 signed copy of either member of this gruesome twosome's latest today at Southcenter. Waldenbooks, Southcenter Mall, 248-0886, 1 pm, free.
* MATT BRIGGS
"In his essay 'Seattle Is Vortex,' Matt Briggs says, 'Seattle is an energy and not a geography.' His newest book (Misplaced Alice), like his previous book (The Remains of River Names), continues to explore the psychic landscape of characters misplaced here in our evolving, strange Northwest." (Rebecca Brown) Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 4 pm, free.
PAT O'DAY
Revisit those lonely nights of your youth spent listening to the radio in "legendary Seattle DJ" O'Day's new tome, It Was All Just Rock 'n' Roll: A Journey to the Center of the Radio & Concert Universe. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 2 pm, free.
MONDAY 12/16
LOUISE MARLEY
The Glass Harmonica author addresses her latest fable, a futuristic tale of French resistance, through her characteristic musical bent. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7:30 pm, free.
DAVID SAMUEL ROBBINS
Formerly featured in the photojournalistic high-water marks of National Geographic and The New York Times, Robbins' reflections of his travels are collected in Himalayan Odyssey, a photo collection of the mysterious region. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
TUESDAY 12/17
PHIL SMART SR.
Capitol Hill's most esteemed Mercedes purveyor wrote a book about his secret double life as a volunteer at Children's Orthopedic. Angels Among Us is a collection of stories about the kids he's worked with. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
WEDNESDAY 12/18
RICHARD BACH
Jonathan Livingston Seagull author discusses his Ferret Chronicles books, a series of allegorical accounts about rodents. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
LISA BORDERS
Borders signs her debut novel, a tale of two struggling musicians finding themselves, entitled Cloud Cuckoo Land. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
* GILLIAN G. GAAR
Here in its 10th-anniversary edition, She's a Rebel, authored by Seattle's own Gaar, traces the narrative history of women in rock from Big Mama Thornton to Sleater-Kinney. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 233-9873, free (21+)
