TUESDAY

Lisa Phillips is in town promoting her new book, Public Radio: Behind the Voices. It was unconfirmed at press time whether her reading would be interrupted by Kojo Nnamdi, asking for pledges. Olsson’s Books and Records, 418 7th St. NW., 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

There once was a poet named Trillin,
Who, to D.C., came all a-shillin’
He does A Heckuva Job
Tossing poetical globs
Of poo at political villains.
Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW., at 7 p.m.

THURSDAY

When a book is considered an heir to both Catch-22 and A Confederacy of Dunces, lovers of satire take notice. The book in question is Gary Shteyengart’s Absurdistan, and the author brings his sardonic wit to Arlington’s Olsson’s. Check it out for yourself before Clooney options it. 2111 Wilson Blvd., at 7 p.m.

FRIDAY

The major selling point of Fawaz Gerges’ Journey of the Jihadist (as well as his earlier The Far Enemy) is the intimate relationships he has forged with some leading members of the jihadist movement, allowing him access into the shifting sands of the militant Islamic movement, their war with the outside world, and the war with each other. Gerges holds court at Politics and Prose this evening, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

Joe West comes to town with a story for the kids: Watching the Hokies With Daddy, which is about the Virginia Tech football team, not a gaggle of castrated turkeys. We can’t wait for the chapter about Marcus Vick and the fast-food parking lot. At the Tysons Corner Barnes and Noble, 7851 L Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA, 3 p.m.

SUNDAY

While A Student of Living Things may come across as more a Graftony V is for Vendetta than V for Vendetta, this Susan Richards Shreve thriller, set in a dystopian, future D.C., is about homeland insecurity and one woman’s attempt to solve the mystery of her brother’s politically motivated assassination. A beach-read for the wiretap age. At Politics and Prose, 5 p.m.