May 2010

Author appearances
Friday
Jennifer Novak Landers for "Creative Mindset: A Right-Brained Workbook," (Self-published, $9.95, 14 pages). International House of Pancakes, 2216 Sunrise Blvd., Rancho Cordova; 9 a.m.; (916) 638-8853.
Saturday
Kelli M. Wheeler for "Momservations - The Fine Print of Parenting," (Hawethorn Street Press, $12.95, 80 pages). Koukla Kids, 3809 J St., Sacramento; 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; (916) 254-5437.
Monica J. Griffith for "Discover Your Inner Strength," (Insight Publishing, $19.95, 344 pages). Borders Books, 2030 Douglas Blvd., Roseville; 1-4 p.m.; (916) 784-1088.
Steven P. Unger for "In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide," (World Audience, Inc., $20, 258 pages). Borders Books, 7415 Laguna Blvd., Elk Grove; 2-4 p.m.; (916) 691-1901.
Book sales
Thursday-Saturday
"The Bodacious Book Sale," with the Friends of the Orangevale Library at Divine Savior Church parish hall, 9079 Greenback Lane, Orangevale; Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; (916) 725-8288.
Saturday
Friends of the Sylvan Oaks Library, 6700 Auburn Blvd., Van Maren Lane, Citrus Heights; 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; (916) 264-2700.

For sale: Several coverless books bundled together with jute twine. They can't be opened or read, but with pages faded and foxed – as aficionados call the discoloration that comes with age – the books add an antiquarian touch to any home for $29.
"Like it or not, books really do harken back to an older time," said Donata Maggipinto, spokeswoman for the Corte Madera-based Restoration Hardware, which has sold out of its first run of antique coverless book bundles introduced this spring. A second run will be available in June.
"These add texture to a room; they add a sense of age to the room."
Is this it, the epilogue? As the Kindle, iPad and other e-readers become increasingly popular in the digital age, dog-eared books are no longer simply a tool for transporting literary works. They've become decoration.
"I guess you could say books are disposable now that we have e-books," said Henry Petroski, a Duke University professor who teaches history and civil engineering. "I understand there are interior decorators who will choose books for you – you don't have to read them, look at them o...

I spent the past ten days in New York City, a few days to work on business and several days to enjoy Book Expo America, and the Book Blogger Convention.The entire time was dizzingly busy (except for that day I took to sleep), emotional (well you know, LOST ended during that time!) and wonderful. So much happened, that I thought the best way to share some of it with you would be to condense my thoughts and feelings into 5 main points.It's All About PeopleThe highlight by far, for me, was meeting and seeing so many people I love. I was finally able to meet Beth Kephart (thought I feel like we barely got a chance to speak and my brain was scattered with exhaustion when we did.) She is every bit as wonderful as I suspected and on our panel at the Book Blogger Convention, I felt quite clumsy in all my responses compared to her wise and gracious ones!I also got to meet bloggers I have long admired, such as Angie from Angieville who is exactly as cool as you would think, Ana from the Book S...

Today's the day our country has set aside to honor those who have died in our nation's service. I haven't personally known anyone who has died while serving our country, but I sure know a lot of people who've been in the military, fought in war, and served their communities in other ways including my firefighter husband. I hope I don't ever take for granted the freedom and protection these brave men and women fight for everyday.A few years ago, Congress passed a resolution recommending that we all pause whatever we're doing at 3:00 pm (local time) and take a moment to remember Americans who've died in service to our country (the National Moment of Remembrance). I think we can also honor and pray for those who are still giving themselves in service to our country.If you know anyone who's serving our country, will you make it a point to thank them? If you know someone who's lost a loved one in war, will you pray for them today? If you're having a picnic or barbecue today, try to remember around 3pm to raise a glass in salute to those who serve our nation...

Carrie Lofty, Author
Welcome to Featured Author Carrie Lofty, author of fabulous historical romance novels, and owner of the group blog, Unusual Historicals.  Today, Carrie gives us some insight as to why her stories are so rich.
Window Characters
When I was growing up, I read as many romances set in the American West as I could find. I was deep in the throes of my obsession with the Old West—inspired by The Young Riders and culminating with my master’s thesis on the ever-changing legends of Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok. The romance market at that time obliged me!
I wondered why so many stories featured an outsider. For example, in any book about American Indians there needed to be a white perspective. A kidnapped girl. A trapper. An outlaw. What I didn’t realize was how important such characters can be to a story.

Well, it isn't the total last hurrah, later today you'll have to check back to see the Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime video grand finale. For now, though, the photo finale will be an explosive finale, kinda like the end of a fireworks show. Let it roll:At the beginning of this month, you may remember I went to see Sophie Littlefield, Brad Parks and Carla Buckley. And you may also remember that I told you they read from each other's work. Here they are, three debut authors, in all their glory:Sophie read from Carla's THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE: Brad read from Sophie's A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. He said he always hears Stella's voice with a Southern dialect, and so that's how he read it:And Carla read from Brad's

I’m probably going to come across as a cave-person, but I confess it’s only been about a year and a half since I started using a thesaurus while writing poetry. And I never used a book thesaurus – went straight to the online thesaurus. I’m pretty sure it’s made a huge difference to the speed and facility of my writing. I always know the right word as soon as I see it in a thesaurus, but I don’t always have all the available words immediately accessible in my own mind. The thesaurus brings that pool to me instantly, with almost no effort on my part. Pre-thesaurus, I suppose I must have either gone with less than optimal word choices, or waited around for time to push the right word up to the surface.
Of course, there are two issues here – one revolves around the question of using a thesaurus at all, and the other around using an online version rather than a book version. The second is obviously by far the least significant – a question not of paradigm shift but of degree of convenience.
But now I’m wondering what the the invention of the thesaurus (Roget’s, the first one, was only published in 1852) did for poetry? How many poets use a thesaurus when composing? The reason I think it’s significant ...

Today as we celebrate Memorial Day in the United States we'd like our Seekerville friends to stop for a moment to remember the men and woman who have sacrificed to give us the freedom to write, to live, to worship freely."Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time." (Wikipedia)If you are so led stop by these sites and volunteer to make a difference.A Greater FreedomThe Wounded Warrior ProjectYellow Ribbon Fund, Inc.Soldier's AngelsYou can find more resources here.Have a blessed Memorial Day, and to our troops, wherever you are in the world, please know you are

The Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group has named the winners of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The non-profit awards program was created to identify indie books that deserve to reach a wider audience.

Top Nonfiction Books

• First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize): American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture by Mary Collins (Capital Books)
  
• Second Place Winner ($750 Prize): Phlogs: Journey into the Heart of the Human Predicament by George Stranahan and Nicole Beinstein Strait (People's Press)
  
• Third Place Winner ($500 Prize): Ophelia's Oracle: Discovering the Healthy, Happy, Self-Aware and Confident Girl in the Mirror by Donna DeNomme and Tina Proctor (Inlightened Source Publishing)
  

• First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize): The Hiding Place of Thunder by Keith Remer (Enlight...

I got back from NYC last night, after having an outstanding time at BEA and all of the events associated with the Book Blogger Convention. As expected, I left both energized and overwhelmed by all of the panels, meetings, and conversations with fellow book people. I'm not sure how many BEAs I've been to - this may be my 7th - but based on what I've seen at this particular show, the era of the blogger has officially arrived. There have been bloggers at past BEAs, but never before have I seen publishers actively pursuing and catering to bloggers as I did this time.This is also the first year that my badge listed my historical fiction interests rather than my library affiliation (how did I not know that I was eligible for a free press pass before now?), and it made a huge difference. There was a lot of historical fiction at the show if you knew where to look, and the press badge helped considerably in that respect. I left the exhibit hall around 3pm Wednesday because my bag became too heavy and uncomfortable to carry; it was too full of books to lug around with me any longer. This meant, though, that I missed the late afternoon signings I'd planned to ge...

Rhymed verse is a wide netThrough which many subtleties escapeNor would I take it to capture a strong thingSuch as a whale. – from ‘Note on Rhyme’, Anna Wickham, The Contemplative Quarry, (London: The Poetry Bookshop, 1915) Submitting a poetry manuscript to a publishing house should be the culmination, not the beginning point, of your writing activities. Unless you have woken from slumber to find that you have inadvertently tapped Kubla Khan II into your iPad, your manuscript should be the end product of a long process of refinement and consultation, revision and thought. We sometimes receive manuscripts that are ‘half-baked’. More often than not, the person who has submitted it already knows this. ‘I know I could have done more,’ they tell us, but submit it hoping we will recognise the diamonds glittering in the dust. We may ask them to revise and resubmit, but just as likely, we will pass it over for something that glitters more fervently. Of course every manuscript undergoes a process of editing and revision once it is contracted. Even so, the ability to revise and refine rigorously is a quality we look for and value in our authors. When submitting a manuscript, it is important to remember that your chances of acceptance are aga...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Matter Of Character Zondervan (May 25, 2010) by Robin Lee Hatcher The third book in Robin Lee Hatcher's Sisters of Bethlehem Springs Series is a delightful read. Even though it is the third in the series about three women living in a small town in Idaho in the early 1900's, if you haven't read the previous two books, you won't miss a beat.A Matter of Character takes place in 1918 when dime novels, a kind of precursor to today's mass market paperbacks that range from romance to mysteries to stories of the wild west. Heroine Daphne McKinley, a cultured single woman, writes such novels based on the wild tales she's heard for years of a man who used to live a less than stellar life. But Daphne must keep her authorial work a secret because no dignified woman would be caught dead writing such fluff. No one knows she is D. B. Morgan, author of the Rawhide Rick series that is flying off the shelves.Enter J...

Glen Allen, Virginia: NanoMarkets, an established industry analyst and market research firm based here, has announced an expansion of the firm's coverage and is issuing a call for submissions from authors and consultants. Areas of coverage include, e-book readers, digital signage, next-generation wind turbines, water purification, water desalinization, clean coal and coal liquefaction, solar thermal markets, batteries for electric and hybrid cars, green building materials, management and monitoring systems for electric utilities, next generation biofuels, building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in Asia and Europe, and consumer medical diagnostic products. Additional details are available at the NanoMarkets website at http://www.nanomarkets.net/. Expanded focus: The new group in NanoMarkets will leverage the firm's substantial knowledge base of emerging market opportunities in advanced materials and emerging energy and electronics markets. "NanoMarkets is expanding its market research and analysis practice and leverage the marketing capabilities of the firm's upgraded website and sales and marketing channels," according to Robert Nolan, NanoMarkets co-founder. "The coverage will addres...

Today, jexbo.com, the site that helps self-published authors sell books online at www.jexbo.com, announced six, new interviews. Each week, Jill Exler, jexbo Founder, interviews different authors to discover their self-publishing secrets at www.jexbo.blogspot.com/ and the SmallBiz America channel, "jexbo – Help for Self-Published Authors" at www.smallbizamerica.com/jexbo. "If you want to self-publish and market your books, now you can learn directly from other, successful authors at no charge states Exler. "In our interview series, our guests reveal personal tips and insights on the challenges and rewards of the self-publishing process.Visit www.jexbo.blogspot.com/ now to check out the recent, self-published author interviews with:* John Hinds, author of "What's In Your Water;* Cecile Garcia, author of "In The Company of Elves* Bob Wolfe, author of "Pins and Tickles* Lisa Sims, author of "Stretching A Do...

America's children's books are contributing to the destruction of endangered rainforests in Indonesia, according to a new report released today by Rainforest Action Network (RAN). The report, entitled Turning the Page on Rainforest Destruction; Children's Books and the Future of Indonesia's Rainforests, finds that a majority of the top ten U.S. children's publishers have released at least one children's book that tested positive for paper fiber linked to the destruction of Indonesia's rainforests, including some books that describe the benefits of rainforest conservation."Considering that many publishers have already made public commitments to reduce their environmental footprint, we were surprised by the industry-wide scope of the problem," said Lafcadio Cortesi of Rainforest Action Network. "We don't think that kids and their parents want to choose between loving books and protecting the rainforest."RAN had 30 colored children's books tested for fiber associated with deforestation in Indonesia and found that 18 of the 30 books (60 percent) contained controversial fiber. RAN's tests point to a growing industry trend toward the overseas printing of children's books, as well as other glossy paper books like coffee table books and textbooks, on fibe...

Indulge your book fetish! Decadent Publishing, a romantic fiction and erotica publishing house, announces its debut on August 1st.Heather Bennett, Decadent's Executive Editor, states that "while all genres are currently being sought, we are particularly interested in submissions for our 'Late Escape' line of romances. We want to showcase the more mature generation and their wealth of intimate knowledge. This is love on a different level - less physical, more sensual and psychologically fulfilling. We welcome all authors willing to help us put the decade into decadent."For submissions information, please visit: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/

On July 4, 1845, when Henry David Thoreau moved into his cabin on the shores of Walden Pond, he was probably unaware that his abode in the woods, and the impact and influence of that endeavor, would forever echo through time. Thoreau was an uncompromising idealist; an ardent maverick who criticized his fellow man. He urged that men and women ought to live more simply, and more deliberately. “The mass of men,” he famously wrote, “lead lives of quite desperation.” Yet the scope of Thoreau’s message is much wider than social criticism. He speaks of spiritual transcendence in Nature and the unbounded potential of the individual. Thoreau is a dreamer and he speaks to dreamers. In a word, shun dogmatism and demagoguery; see beyond the immediate conventional religious explanations to reap a higher understanding. In our commodified contemporary American society, with the rise of religious intolerance and fundamentalism, materialism and mass consumerism, Thoreau’s message is needed now more than ever. Author Kenny Luck has thumbed through Thoreau’s voluminous journals, correspondences and other publications to make this the most c...

This picture more or less sums up my afternoon!And, thinking about it, it's not far off summing up my taste in novels. That's not quite true, let me rephrase - it sums up part of my taste of novels, because it comes in two very distinct categories. I like the quirky and surreal, and also the domestic and unthreatening. I especially love it when these coalesce in Barbara Comyns... more on her later in the week, of course. But this photo - well, its atmosphere, and the way it makes me feel : that's what I'm often after in books.So, this is my challenge to those of you who have blogs: can you post a picture which sums up your reading taste, or a section of it? I'm looking for a picture which doesn't include a book in it, or a character from an adaptation, or anything like that. It can be a photograph you've taken, or a painting you've seen, or anything... have fun with it!I'd love anyone and everyone to have a go, but I'm going to 'tag' a few people to start the ball rolling...

1. Becca (Oxford Reader) - whose camera took that very photo!
2. Claire (
   Source -

Declan Hughes is speaking in tongues in his new City of Lost Girls, and it's the voices that matter in this novel. There is the usual first-person narration from is Dublin detective, Ed Loy, plus third person flows of stream of consciousness from Ed's new girlfriend Anne and from the serial killer, plus occasional third-person portraits of Ed in his earlier years, in California and a couple of texts from film history books and newspaper articles. The book has numerous aspects that normally put me off: celebrity culture, the making of a movie full of Hollywood stars (and actual actors make cameo appearances, along with fictional ones), the serial killer, California flashbacks; but all of the voices in the book are compelling, whether it's Ed worrying about the two cases his old filmmaker friend presents him (some anonymous letters and some missing girls, extras on the film), Anne's worry about becoming a suburban housewife, everyone's worries about the Irish economy--even the serial killer is a more personable sort, in the horrible logic of his crimes.

Rating: 

Publisher: Amulet Books

Publish Date: May 1, 2010

Origins: Around the World Tours

Format: Paperback

Blurb:“Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”

Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.

A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tell...

Polonius: What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words.
Oh, Mr. Klinkenborg- we are on the same page.
New York Times contributor Verlyn Klinkenborg (who visited my place of work once and was overwhelmed by the “deep-keeled Minnesotan politeness that states, as a life proposition, that you should not put yourself forward, not even to the raising of a hand in class” – and used it to write an interesting piece on young women’s hesitance to claim authority as writers) reflects on reading on an iPad. And he has exactly the same reservations about the experience as I do.
“All the e-books I’ve read have been ugly,” he writes. There is no design of the words on the page, no distinction among books. They all look alike, and every at every page you feel as if you’re in the same place in the text, somewhere in the middle. It’s impossible to get a sense of how old the book is, what makes the book visually distinctive, or where you are in the text. There’s  a profusion of editions of classics and translations, bu...

Living up to being a nomad reader:
I'm back home in Albany after a whirlwind two weeks away. One of my closest friends from college got married in northeast Iowa the weekend before BEA, and Mr. Nomadreader and I drove out for the festivities. We stopped to see a close high school friend in Ohio for a couple of nights, my parents in Des Moines for one night, then spent two nights at the wedding festivities. On the way home, we spent one exhausted night in Buffalo and had sixteen hours at home to unpack, do laundry and repack for New York City. Whew!

New York City:
New York was wonderful. We rented a small studio apartment, through AirBnB, a wonderful site I discovered through the Frugal Traveler. It felt like I was living in New York again because I had an apartment where I could cook my own meals or easily order delivery. It was delightful. The downfall was that I didn't spend

BEA:
Book Expo America (BEA) was delightful, chaotic and overwhelming. I went in with a list of signings I wanted to see. I didn't make it to all of them, and I spent...

Welcome to this week's AR writing competition listing where I surf the net for poetry, non-fiction, scriptwriting and fiction writing competitions - so you don't have to! Each link is a direct link to the competition page. Have fun and remember to check all the rules and regulations before parting with any entry fees, should they be required. If you have any queries, please contact the organiser. Thank you!

Closes 20th June 2010 - Cinnamon Press

Closes 26th June 2010 - M Amann Literary Agent
In Association with Little Acorn Press
Unpublished Authors Short Story Competition - Two categories

Closes 26th June 2010 - M Amann Literary Agent
In Association with Little Acorn Press
Young Authors Short Story and Poetry Competition - Two categories

Closes 30th June ...

BEA, the annual Book Publishing Conference was this week and we are approaching the Memorial Day Weekend. So 1 + 1 = 2, with 2 being a relatively slow week of arrivals at the ‘o Stuff. Twelve (Book 1 of the Danilov Quintent) by Jasper Kent (Pyr Trade Paperback 09/01/2010) – This book received a fair amount of praise when it was published in the UK in January 2009. Mark/Hobbit read the UK version and had good things to say. "Russia, 1812It began as a last stand against Napoleon’s invading army. It would end as a fight against an enemy of mankind itself…As his face came close to mine, a sudden miasma surrounded me, the stench of his breath. I recalled years ago standing over a mass grave where the bodies of brave soldiers had been lying for many days. It was that same odour of decay and I felt th...

As we read Pride and Prejudice all of us have imagined Pemberley. Which house best represents the Pemberley you imagined?Wilton House (Interior) Chatsworth House (Exterior): Pride and Prejudice 2005Lyme Park: Pride and Prejudice 1995pollcode.com free pollsWhich house best fits the Pemberley of your imagination?Wilton House (2005) Lyme House (1995)

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." ~John 10:27 (NIV)

Our last series about knowing and doing God's will opened another door of Bible study for me on hearing God's voice. After all, if we don't hear His voice, how are we supposed to know how to live a life that pleases Him and stays in the center of His will?

My own personal issue with all of this is that while I trust God's ability to speak to me, I often mistrust my ability to hear Him correctly (which I'm convinced is yet another tactic of the enemy). So I hope you'll join me during this study of hearing God's voice and add your insights. I always learn from you.

Listening Through His Spirit
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come." ~John 16:12-13 (NIV)

Each of us believers are filled with God's Spirit. That Spirit within us is God's voice. The Spirit speaks what God speaks and tells us what is to come. The problem comes with the other voices that clamor for our attention: the world, our own sin nature, the enemy, sometimes...

This is a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.Today's Wild Card author is: Cathy Bryantand the book: Texas RoadsWordVessel Press March 1, 2010)  ABOUT THE AUTHORCathy Bryant is a proud member of FIRST and a country girl at heart. Her debut novel, Texas Roads, was a 2009 finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis competition. A Texas gal by birth, Cathy lives with her husband in a century-old Texas farmhouse, complete with picket fence, flowers, butterflies, and late summer mosquitoes the size of your fist. Visit the author's book

The Frugal Book Promoter: How to do What Your Publisher Won’t
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Star Publish
ISBN: 193299310X
Pages 283
Genre: Nonfiction: Writers/Marketing/

Reviewed by Robert J. Medak

In today’s publishing environment, the author is often responsible for promoting their book. There are ways to do this, this book lists many of them, and you may come up with some of your own after reading The Frugal Book Promoter.

It would be nice if your publisher did the promoting for you, but most authors do not have names like King, Bradbury, or Rice to name a few that might have their publishers doing more for them than the average writer. The Frugal Promoter to the rescue, in this book you will find out about press kits, and more. There is also information about how to do media releases, and ways to get publicity for you, and your book.

This reviewer believes that this book can be good for promoting anything, just replace the word “book”, with a service, product, or anything you are trying to let the public know about.

It is up to the author to have the willingness to get out and do the work. Anyone can do it, if he or she is of the mindset to get out and promote your book. Many publishers are not goin...

ARE YOU EMPOWERED?(From FundsforWriters, May 3, 2010)If you have to think about that answer, you aren't quite there. As a writer, you have empowerment at your fingertips. Empowerment coats your life. The sooner you recognize this dynamic force and embrace it, the sooner you make a difference.As the CreatorAs a writer, you determine how deep you want to dig, how intensely you edit or how remarkable you pen your prose. Ever said this? "I'll never expect to write like Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, --insert author--." My bet is that you thought something more on the line of, "I'll never BE like --insert author."We often envision these authors in terms of their success or public acclaim instead of the particulars of their writing talent. Those authors empowered themselves to write well through time, study, practice and emotional investment. When you decide that your writing development is equivalent to three meals a day or finding the perfect mate, you empower yourself to bust loose and create.As the PromoterDoes your gut burn with the desire to put your stories in every reader's hands? Do you pond...

The years have not been kind to Henry Smart, the hero and antihero of Roddy Doyle's spirited trilogy. In the verve-driven first book, A Star Called Henry, Henry, Doyle's embodiment of Ireland, was all swagger and hope, a scrappy Sein Fein lad who fought the Brits in the GPO in 1916. In Oh, Play That Thing, an older, wiser Henry lit out for America, part of the great wave of immigrants forced out after the failed Irish uprising. Doyle's new -- and final -- book of the series opens 29 years later in 1951 with Henry, a rough and rattled 49, returning to his homeland.

For those who have chosen atheism over Islam, the world is a dangerous place. Radical clerics call for our death and encourage our murder. The urgent issue is how to extinguish these threats so that we, and others, may safely believe what we wish. This is the thrust of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's new book.

Since Red Azalea, Anchee Min has populated her writing with strong-willed though sometimes cruel heroines such as Madame Mao and Empress Cixi. In her latest book, she creates a fanciful yet believable world for the Nobel laureate Pearl Buck through the voice of an imagined Chinese woman, Willow Yee, whose unwavering friendship with Buck has endured the test of turbulent times in Chinese history.

The title of Christopher Hitchens' memoir is an obvious allusion to Joseph Heller's great antiwar novel. Heller knew Hitchens; a generous blurb from him is given pride of place at the back of the book jacket. But one wonders what Heller, who died in 1999, would have thought of Hitchens' post-9/11 warmongering, especially his defiant defense of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, a tragic morass engendered by the sort of bureaucratic arrogance and stupidity Catch-22 condemns.

Every American schoolchild knows the legend of Betsy Ross, the humble Philadelphia seamstress who received a surprise visit from George Washington in the summer of 1776 when the great general and his young nation needed a new flag. But in the first full-length biography of this beloved figure from the Revolutionary era, Amherst College professor Miller shows that Ross' role in creating the original Stars and Stripes, a story handed down from generation to generation within the Ross family, is actually more complex and elusive than the standard version of events might suggest.

Ideas about history are common coin in ongoing exchanges about the character and political direction of the United States. Citizens need to be able to spot counterfeits. Jack Rakove's new book about the American Revolution helps us to do just that. Refreshingly accessible and deeply informed, Revolutionaries is just what you need when someone on the Internet or cable TV offers to give you the ideas about history now being offered by the Tea Party movement in exchange for those you got from well-trained teachers.

With every novel she writes, Briton Andrea Levy, author of the award-winning Small Island, delves deeper into her Jamaican origins. In The Long Song, she explores the violent and turbulent saga of slavery in 19th century Jamaica. Yet although it boasts an intriguing historical premise and brims with factual detail, the story doesn't quite triumph as fiction, with the tale's trajectory toward the end proving particularly disorienting.