MONDAY:
Peter J. Gomes, pastor of Harvard’s Memorial Church, will be at Politics and Prose to read from his book The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus. Gomes believes Christians should be heeding the messages of Jesus, not objectifying the man. 7 p.m.

TUESDAY:
Washington Post literary critic Michael Dirda wants you to know it's OK to love Fowler's Modern English Usage. How else would you learn that the "n" in damning, when it means "fatally conclusive," was formerly pronounced but rarely heard these days? Actually, Dirda's new book, Classics for Pleasure, is about appreciating almost 90 of the world's most entertaining books. He'll be at Politics and Prose to talk about them. 7 p.m.

Actor, writer and all-around funny guy Steve Martin will be at GW's Lisner Auditorium to read from his new memoir Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life. The event is sold out, but you could always buy the book and read it aloud while wearing an arrow through your head. 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY:
Presidency scholar and political science commentator Martha Joynt Kumar will be at Nathan's Q&A Café in Georgetown to discuss her book Managing the President's Message, a look inside the White House press room and its denizens. Noon.

Renowned civil rights activist Mary Elizabeth King will be at the Busboys and Poets in D.C. to discuss and sign her new book A Quiet Revolution: The First Palestinian Intifada and Nonviolent Resistance. 6 p.m.

THURSDAY:
Local writer Goodloe Byron will be at 14U Cafe to read from The Abstract, which will be available for free at the event. We don't know what The Abstract is about, but how can you resist a free book and a good cup o' joe? 8 p.m.

Los Angeles Times reporter and political commentator Ron Brownstein will be at the Olsson's in Penn Quarter to read from and discuss his latest, The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America. To that, we reply "no, it hasn't" and "I know you are, but what am I?" 7 p.m.