Wed, Sept 9
Jonathan Franzen
The National Book Award winning author behind The Corrections and Freedom turns his luddite gaze on the digital world for his fifth novel, Purity. The story explores gender politics and the omnipresent Internet as it follows a girl who becomes entangled with German peace activists while searching for her origins. Great Hall, $5

Wed, Sept 9
Andy Daly
Andy Daly found the perfect comedic outlet in the form of Review’s life reviewer Forrest MacNeil. Guided by an optimistic spirit, a steadfast commitment to the reviews, and his idiotic naivete, things don’t just go wrong for Forrest, they go spectacularly, horrifically (and hilariously) wrong. For his Neptune show, Daly brings his internal cast of oddball characters (that he’s developed over the years on Comedy Bang! Bang! and other outlets) to the stage. The Neptune Theatre, $16–$19

Thur, Sept 10
Pony Time: ‘Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True’ Release Show with Colleen Green
While Pony Time’s new album title/cover art may be a delicious joke (Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True), when it comes to actually playing the tunes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more no nonsense rock group in Seattle. The duo of Luke Beetham and Stacy Peck deliver unrelenting and wonderfully dirty bass and drum ditties that get to the frickin’ point. The group releases Rumours 2 on the world with a gig at the Lo-Fi which will be headlined by Hardly Art stoner pop queen Colleen Green. Lo-Fi, $10–$12

Sept 11–27
Washington State Fair 
As far as one-stop entertainment destinations go, it’s still hard to top the Washington State Fair. Where else can families strap into thrill rides, pet farm animals, attend a rodeo, catch a concert, and munch on sugary treats that will have the kids running around like maniacs? Wait, maybe that isn’t such a good idea… Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup, $13

Sat, Sept 12
Jonathan Evison
In The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, West of Here, and All About Lulu, local novelist Jonathan Evison displays a knack for deftly blending empathy, humor, and kernels of wisdom. His latest work, This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, finds a 79-year-old widow setting sail on an Alaskan cruise only to discover that she has unknowingly been living most of her life under false pretenses. Queen Anne Book Company, Free