Monday, January 6th: Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota's Garden Reading

This is a reading celebrating a new collection of "short stories, poems, essays, and photographs" which pay homage to south Seattle's most beautiful park, Kubota Garden. (It's also Seattle's most underrated park, by the way.) Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Tuesday, January 7th: The Magical Language of Others Reading

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com, 7 pm, free.

Wednesday, January 8th: Reading Through It Book Club

The Seattle Review of Books presents a discussion of a book that just might save your life in the hellscape that will be the year 2020: Jaron Lanier's thin manifesto Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. Do you really need Facebook? I mean, really need it? Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Thursday, January 9th: Scavenge the Stars Reading

Tara Sim's gender-swapped riff on The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventurous fantasy for young readers. Tonight, she'll be in conversation with fellow YA author Margaret Owen. Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Friday, January 10th: Gazing at the Distant Lights Reading

In 1964, a young man finds himself "alone and alienated in a conservative evangelical culture he finds bizarre and repressive." Gazing at the Distant Lights asks two questions: Can he find something better? Can he find love? Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Saturday, January 11th: Task Force Baum Reading

James D. Shipman's novel is a thriller that is "based on the true story of General Patton's clandestine unauthorized raid on a World War II POW camp." That Patton! Always getting into hijinx. Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 6 pm, free.

Sunday, January 12th: Writers Read

Columbia City's library hosts its regular open mic night, which isn't at night at all but rather which happens in the afternoon. Seattle Public Library, Columbia City Branch, 4721 Rainier Ave S, 386-1908, http://spl.org, 2 pm, free.