BOOKS—If you’re looking for something fun, clever, and adventurous to read, look no further than John Scalzi, whose blockbuster-friendly sci-fi novels carry surprising emotional heft. Tonight, he reads from his acclaimed latest, The End of All Things—where, among distant stars, Scalzi finds that human (and alien) nature hasn’t changed much at all. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton, 7 pm, FREE
COMEDY—You can trust that longtime Portland stand-up showcase Funny Over Everything is going to be damn good—their track record is pristine. This month’s spotlight is on Ryan Singer, an LA comedian who pleases fellow stand-ups and audiences alike with off-the-wall character studies and a joke about his mom, a stripper pole, and Warrant’s “Cherry Pie.” COURTNEY FERGUSON
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 9:30 pm, $10