Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: on the tacks of the Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
In ten words or less: Theroux travels across Europe, Asia, and discovers political and social change.

Review: Thirty years after Paul Theroux traveled across Europe and Asia--and chronicled his exploits in "The Great Railway Bazaar"--he attempted to recreate his journey.

Many things have changed in the world since his first trip. The Soviet Union dissolved, and China has risen to a powerful economic force. Vietnam is united, and Iraq and Afghanistan are now engaged in wars.

Theroux travels by rail, with a minimum of baggage, and isn't shy about asking locals what they think about the United States. He describes both the kind and generous people who are happy to share a meal and conversation, and the madams who peddle child prostitutes to tourists.

Why bother? Even if you haven't read Theroux's "Great Railway Bazaar," you're in for a fascinating trip across two continents. His descriptions will make you laugh, or move you to anger, and will make you want to know more about places most people will never visit. Theroux is opinionated and brash, but never boring.

SATURDAY AT THE FARMERS' MARKET

Today is the last week for the farmers' market. Here's a recipe to dress up some winter squash--not that it really needs it.

HONEYED SQUASH

2 cups water
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup butter
2 Tlb. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tlb. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper

Cook squash in water until squash is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain.

Mash squash; add remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until heated through--about five minutes.

Hanging Curve: a Mickey Rawlings mystery by Troy Soos

In ten words or less: Did Klan lynch pitcher? Ballplayer Mickey investigates.

Review: A utility infielder for the St. Louis Browns, Mickey Rawlings hopes he'll finally get to play on a championship team. When a former teammate asks Mickey to play in an exhibition game against a black semi-pro team, he agrees. He hasn't gotten much playing time lately, and he's heard about how good some of those black players are. So good, in fact, that their pitcher, Slip Crawford, strikes Mickey out every times he comes to the plate.

The Klu Klux Klan, in robes and hoods, are in attendance at the game. A few days later Slip Crawford is found lynched. Was the Klan involved? Mickey joins forces with a black civil rights lawyer and a white journalist to investigate.

Why bother? Soos combines a fine mystery with a chilling background. He's evoked the feeling of 1922, with race riots and Jim Crow laws, in a style that is convincing and disturbing. For fans of baseball and historical mysteries.

Satch, Dizzy and Rapid Robert: the Wild Saga of Interracial Baseball Before Jackie Robinson by Timothy M. Gay

In ten words or less: Before integration, baseball legends Paige, Dean and Feller barnstorm across America.

Review: Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball in 1947, but in decades before that, black and white players competed against each other in barnstorming exhibition games. Hastily assembled teams of all stars played in towns across America to crowed who had only read about the feats of such legends as Satchel Paige, Dizzy Dean, and Bob Feller. Players could make more barnstorming than during the regular season.
Why bother? Jim Crow laws kept talented black players from competing in the majors, along with the racist attitudes of club owners and the commissioner. Author Timothy Gay tells a fine story of these legends of baseball--what they were like on and off the field. He examines the casual racism of the times, and how the military experiences of many of the players helped to change major league baseball.

September's Books

A fan of the "Little House on the Prairie" books, "The Wilder Life" author Wendy McClure travels to the sites of Laura Ingalls Wilder's homes in the midwest. She churns butter, grinds wheat by hand, and compares the books to the television series. Was Laura's life really like the books and was Pa anything like Michael Landon? A fun read for Little House fans.

Formatting and submitting your manuscript by Cynthia Laufenberg
Ninety days to your novel by Sarah Domet
The Wilder life: my adventures in the lost world of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure
How to keep your Volkswagen alive by Christopher Boucher
Wicked River: the Mississippi when it last ran wild by Lee Sandlin
Thick as thieves by Peter Spiegelman
Killer profile: Criminal Minds by Max Allan Collins
Wicked autumn by G.M Malliet
The second mouse by Archer Mayor