In these days of streaming video and mobile devices, is it possible to hold a child’s interest with a physical book that has no illustrations? B.J. Novak seems to think so. Maybe he knows that parents in their 30s, who fondly remember his work on The Office, are the ones buying and reading the books to their attention-deficient kids. He’s packed his latest literary work, the aptly named Book With No Pictures, with plenty of silly words and jokes that should make eager listeners of little ones, even if the tome lacks Caldecott-level pictures of princesses and dragons. Read more >>> B.J. Novak reads at 6:30 p.m. at the Maret School Auditorium, 3000 Cathedral Ave. NW. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Caroline Jones)
EAT THIS
The fourth location of Ted’s Bulletin opens today in Fairfax’s Mosaic District. The American eatery will be pretty similar to the others with all-day breakfast, boozy shakes, a peanut butter bacon burger, and of course, homemade pop-tarts. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant also serves entrees like beer-battered cod with tater tots, meatloaf, and buttermilk country fried steak. The restaurant will have daily specials, including Monday pasta nights and TV-dinner meals on Thursdays. The 1930s-inspired decor includes a projection screen playing old cartoons and family shows inside the dining room and another to watch them outside. The dining room accommodates 125 diners, while an outdoor patio seats an additional 24. Ted’s Bulletin, 2910 District Ave., Fairfax. (703) 417-2702. tedsbulletin.com. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
Scena Theatre and the Royal Norwegian Embassy present a staged reading of Jon Fosse‘s Someone Is Going to Come, a thrilling play about a couple that anticipates visitors even after moving to a remote home in the country, at Woolly Mammoth. 7 p.m. at 641 D St. NW. $15.
Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile begins a two-night stint at the Barns at Wolf Trap with backing musicians Tim and Phil Hanseroth. 8 p.m. at 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. $75–$80.
Local alt-rock act Spirit Plots performs at Arlington’s Galaxy Hut with D.C.-based quartet Warm Sun. Find more details on Facebook. 8:30 p.m. at 2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $5.
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