* 7:00 PM: Workhorse author Dan Simmons’ newest novel is a little different than we’ve seen from him before. Drood is a sprawling, Victorian thriller about Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and possibly a vampire leading an army of the undead. While the premise is interesting, the trend of derivative fiction is looking more than a little like the movie industry, all remakes, sequels, and adaptations. Simmons writes well, though, so fans of his work will be happy to visit the U-District UW Bookstore for the reading and book signing.
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* 7:30 PM: Elliott Bay Book Co. welcomes back E. Lynn Harris, author of some of the most interesting romantic fiction I have ever read. His latest is Basketball Jones, about an NBA star, his secret boyfriend, and his (the NBA star, not the secret boyfriend) new wife. Harris started out self-publishing, before being picked up by a publisher, and has been producing steadily ever since. I was a little disappointed by Say a Little Prayer, but I’m looking forward to Basketball Jones, which promises to be highly entertaining. And, of course, Harris is highly entertaining, which is why you should go to this reading.
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* 7:30 PM: T.C. Boyle adds yet another remake, adaptation, whatever-you-want-to-call-it novel to the list with The Women, a novel about Frank Lloyd Wright, told by the women who loved him. Boyle has made a habit of fictional biographies, so if you’ve liked the others, you’ll probably like The Women. Boyle will read and sign at the University Village Barnes and Noble, tonight.
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