Vincent Orange, fighting Kwame Brown for Gray’s seat, went with a smaller Cadillac SUV than his competitor. What, he couldn’t afford an orange paint job?

Christmas and Hanukkah both drop on 12/25 this year, and as we get closer to that date, retailers of fine books begin to put their energy behind that last big sales push of the year. This means a dearth of author events until we clear Epiphany. All the same, we got the hook-up with what’s out there.

MONDAY
There are those that say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Yet most of the people who say this evince very little knowledge other than the pithy wielding of the saying itself. So, get a life: read a book, maybe. Meet somebody. Have a conversation. Here’s a topic you might enjoy! Three Nights in August—being discussed by Tony La Russa and Buzz Bissinger. Sponsored by Olsson’s, they’ll be at Lisner Auditorium: George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. at 7 p.m. $25. To reserve a spot and help detoxify your brain, call (202) 252-0012. And it’s left to right…left to right. Can’t stress that enough.

TUESDAY
The history and beauty of the area aren’t confined to the urban grid. In his coffee table book Our Potomac, Roy Sewall captures the personality of the river from roiling rapids to its placid embrace of the city’s waterfront. Sewall will be discussing his book at the Silver Spring Borders, 8518 Fenton Street, at 7 p.m. Great gift idea, by the way!

WEDNESDAY
While the reign of Louis XIV the band may have lasted all of twenty minutes and impacted American culture by raising awareness of all the girls they wanted to bone, the reign of Louis XIV the king of France left an indelible cultural footprint in the culture of the modern world. Politics and Prose take a field trip to the Embassy of France’s La Maison Française to learn firsthand from historian Joan DeJean, author of The Essence of Style. 4101 Reservoir Road, 6:30 p.m. Reserve a spot by email: culture@ambafrance-us.org.

THURSDAY
Food network hottie Rachael Ray’s got buzz, with critics calling her a next-generation Martha Stewart. But if you want to pay abeisance or simply gawk, you’re gonna have to get your ass to Kensington’s Borders to see Ray and get your copy of 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners signed. 11301 Rockville Pike, 6 p.m.

Filed Under: A Year, books, christmas, coffee, culture, events, Fenton Street, food, george washington, george washington university, Hanukkah, history, kensington, La Maison, La Maison Fran, lamaisonfran, lisner auditorium, Louis XIV, Martha Stewart, people, politics, Rachael Ray, Reservoir Road, rockville pike, silver spring, spring, Stewart, style, the city, Tony La Russa, university, washington, Washington University, waterfront,