Let's not mince words: Couch is the most exciting, original debut novel to be released this fall. Benjamin Parzybok, a Portland writer and web designer, has written a book about one of the most annoying, uninteresting scenarios you can imagine—three apathetic young men moving an unwanted couch—and somehow turned it into a globe-spanning fantasy epic. Through all the battles with gun-toting villains and shark attacks, Couch tells a story of heroism and valor and outrageous acts, and somehow makes it all believable and touching. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600. 7:30 pm, free.)