THURSDAY 1/4

Beyond the Missouri: The Story of the American West
Prolific historian Richard Etulain unpacks the dense and varied history of the West, something you might want to learn about if you're going to, you know, live here. 23rd Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd Ave, 224-5097, 7 pm

MONDAY 1/8

Jesus Land
Julia Scheeres' well-received memoir follows a pair of siblings who are sent from rural Indiana to boarding school in the Dominican Republic. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, 7:30 pm

TUESDAY 1/9

Nick Bantock
Nick Bantock is the author of the wildly popular Griffin and Sabine illustrated saga (read: picture books for grown-ups), and now he's back with Windflower, a "novel" that uses collage to tell the story of a young dancer engaged to the wrong man. Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton, 228-4651, 7 pm

Paradigm Wars
Jerry Mander (author of the hippie cult classic Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television) and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz's Paradigm Wars is a compilation of first-hand reports that document the corrosive effect globalization is having on the worlds' indigenous cultures. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, 7:30 pm

WEDNESDAY 1/10

Allan Folsom
What happens when the prophetic writings of Machiavelli are discovered by a powerful secret society? Find out in Folsom's utterly original new novel, the Da Vinc–er, the Machiavelli Covenant. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, 7:30 pm

Valentino

Achak Deng
Dave Eggers' most recent, the widely acclaimed What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, follows Valentino Achak Deng as he tries to make his way out of war-torn Sudan. Don't miss your chance to hear Deng speak in person; he has an amazing story to tell. Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak, 274-1449, 7 pm