The same sick impulse that causes us to rubberneck at car crashes gets a tickle when talented authors fall prey to the sophomore slump. And a failure of a second novel by Joshua Ferris—whose brilliant, funny debut, Then We Came to the End, was a critically acclaimed best seller—would make for some delicious schadenfreude. Sorry, haterz: The Unnamed (about a man stricken with a disease that makes him walk aimlessly) is another smart look at small lives in strange circumstances. No failure here; you'll just have to satisfy yourself with a great book. (Seattle Public Library, University Branch, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, 684-4063. 2 pm, free.)