Helen Simonson reads at Elliott Bay Book Company tonight. Simonson will read from Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. Press materials suggest that "critics compar[e] her to both Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith." Jane Austen eats Alexander McCall Smith's lunch every day of the week; the two should not even be listed in the same sentence.
Atul Gawande reads at Town Benaroya Hall tonight. Gawande is a surgeon who writes about important medical issues. He is also a much better writer than most doctors. And Sig Hansen is at the Leif Erikson Ballroom tonight. The Deadliest Catch star, who is a local fisherman, signs his newest book, North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters.
UPDATE: Gawande reads at Benaroya Hall, not Town Hall. Thanks to Slog tipper George for bringing that to my attention.
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.
