Embarrassingly enough, I had no idea that Seattleites were expected to all be reading the same book until I stopped by the University Bookstore this weekend and noticed a small display tucked on one side of the main staircase. A poster for Persepolis [threeriverspress ^[1]] caught my eye, but I assumed that the campaign to synchronize our booklists had just begun and promptly forgot about it.

Yesterday, however, an article in the Seattle Times highlighted my ignorance. It seems that “Seattle Reads” [spl ^[2]] is nearing its conclusion. In fact, it was supposed to have wrapped up in March with a visit from Marjane Satrapi. Unfortunate for her (and for the kids in the class who did their reading in a timely fashion), French citizenship issues kept her away until now.

What this means for all of the slackers in the crowd is that you have a couple days to cram before she arrives. Starting tomorrow, Satrapi will be in Seattle on a whirlwind tour of branch libraries and other auditoriums to talk with you about her graphic novel memoir, Persepolis: the story of a childhood [$ ^[3]]. Ladies and gentlemen, clear your nightstands of other books and start your reading!

(story via seattle times [# ^[4]])