Books

Teachers are already back in the classrooms. A new school is about to open on Red Pump Road at the north end of Bel Air. And across the river in Cecil County, where classes were supposed to have started Wednesday, there's already been an official day off, not for snow, but for the earthquake. Sharpen those pencils, fire up those computers and start the countdown to Christmas Vacation: For most kids in Harford County, school starts Monday.  For students, it's a clean slate, with each class holding the possibility of a good grade — provided the work is done.

Baltimore's Sip & Bite restaurant is one of the restaurants featured in Guy Fieri's new book, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown," in which Fieri takes readers back to some of his favorite finds from recent seasons of his long-running Food Network show. Apparently Fieri really had a good time at the Sip & Bite .  "I'm not allowed to watch the rerun of Sip & Bite because I fall off my chair laughing," Fieri writes in the new book. "These guys are some of the funniest people I've met in my Triple D travels.

Veteran Baltimore County teacher Helen Zeitzoff may have retired from her day job, but these days she keeps busy writing books that help elementary-school teachers enhance their students' reading skills. Upon her retirement, Zeitzoff, who taught third grade for 32 years, introduced a school-based tutorial program for first-graders to reinforce their developing early literacy skills. In addition, Zeitzoff started her own private tutoring practice where she has worked with children from first to sixth grade.

When Jill Smokler - more widely known as Scary Mommy - starts talking about motherhood, you'll hear a lot about sleepless nights, green snot and having kids walk into the master bedroom at the most inopportune times. Does she think her children are amazing and love them to death? Definitely. But mothering them didn't come naturally. As she says in her new book, "Motherhood Comes Naturally (and Other Vicious Lies)," what does come naturally is "Food. Sleep. Comfort. Privacy.

The Memorial Day weekend is a great time to pick up a book about the men and women who have helped preserve America's freedoms, and have fought for our country around the world. There are lots of great books on the topic, and some more personal readings such as diaries. For me, the one that resonates is a yellowed map and journal called "The Thunderbolt across Europe," which describes the route my dad's division, the 83rd Infantry, took in World War II. It led from the beaches of Normandy, across France, into Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, and into Germany.

Our bookshelf is looking a bit sad lately. So we enlisted some of the young staff at Enoch Pratt Free Library branches to give us their picks for books they're loving right now.

Rogert Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic who died today, leaves behind a rich legacy, thanks to a shelf-full of books that explore movies -- and his own life. His memoir, "Life Itself," dealt with his battle with alcoholism and the later, losing fight with thyroid cancer. He recounts, as well, his love for -- and exhaustive knowledge of -- movies. I came to admire Ebert, who worked at the Chicago Sun-Times, as he reviewed movies with fellow critic Gene Siskel on their PBS show.

Authors Bill Bryson and Doris Kearns Goodwin are among the headliners for the 2013-14 Baltimore Speakers Series, part of a lineup that is sure to delight book lovers. Bryson, whose "In a Sunburned Country" is one of my favorites, will appear Sept. 30 to start the series sponsored by Stevenson University. His humorous style has won him a loyal folllowing, and his travel books are must-reads. Among his other gems are "Neither Here Nor There" -- which is on my nightstand right now -- "A Walk in the Woods" and "A Short History of Nearly Everything.

I spent part of the day at the offices of the Maryland Humanities Council, as part of the group that selects the book for the One Maryland One Book reading program. (Is there anyything better than a good discussion about books?) The group of about a dozen bibliophiles reviewed nine books that had been winnowed down from a longer list, all built around this year's theme: courage and unity in a time of war. As my assignment, I read "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. I really enjoyed the Holocaust-era novel.

I was kidding when I said that Lance Armstrong ought to pay me back for wasting time and money on his book "It's Not About the Bike. " But others who have taken offense at Armstrong's years of lies about using performance enhancing drugs have taken the issue a step further. USA Today reports that two readers of Armstrong's book have sued him and his publishers, claiming the book is a fraud based on lies and false advertising. The suit filed in U.S. District Court in California seeks class-action status on behalf of other readers and asks for refunds and other costs.  "Defendants knew or should have known these books were works of fiction," the suit states, according to USA Today.

On paper, Lisa Scottoline is a little intimidating. She's got more than 30 million copies in print of her books, including 20 best-selling novels. She writes a weekly column, with her daughter, for The Philadelphia Inquirer. She's a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and taught a class at the latter called "Justice and Fiction. " But ask her about any connections she might have to Baltimore, where she'll be visiting May 20 as a featured author in the Baltimore Sun Book Club, and you'll quickly discover her self-deprecating sense of humor.

I suspect my children will want to see me throw myself on my husband's funeral pyre, the better to tie up all the loose ends. But I am certain they would not want me out there and available again. And frankly, the idea of revisiting all that teenage dating angst does seem like an awful lot of work. Just in time for Mother's Day, there is a new book, written by two women who watched their own mothers search for love again in widowhood, called "From Granny Panties to Thongs: The Mourning After.

Wee Chic, a children's boutique in Green Spring Station, is hosting a an event with author Jill Smokler on Wednesday, May 29, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be cocktails and "girl time" with the best-selling author who will be reading from her newly released second book " Motherhood Comes Naturally, (and other vicious lies) ," as well as signing books. Wee Chic is currently selling " Motherhood Comes Naturally, (and other vicious lies) " now through the event on May 29. Note: Smokler will be featured in The Baltimore Sun's Scene section this Sunday in honor of Mother's Day. Scroll to the very bottom of the page to leave a comment via Facebook. 

The Books For Kids Day event has a touching twist this year: It's being dedicated to Anne Smedinghoff, the 25-year-old Johns Hopkins University alum who was killed in a bombing while delivering textbooks to school children in Afghanistan. Smedinghoff, who worked in the public diplomacy section of the State Department, was killed along with three U.S. soldiers and a civilian employee of the Defense Department, according to reports in The Baltimore Sun. Those who knew her said the work illustrated her drive to help others.

Paul Dickson, a Garrett Park resident, loves the origins of words and is a compiler of word books and dictionaries. So imagine my delight and pleasure when my friend, Mary Garson, who is also fascinated with etymology, gave me a copy of Dickson's recently published book, "Words from the White House," a dictionary of presidential utterances that have become a part of the American vernacular. The next time you use "iffy," you might be surprised to learn that the word goes back to the New Deal.

Under Armour launched a new marketing plan earlier this year, touting its up-and-coming athletes and most innovative products in an intense but short burst they called “a brand holiday.” It appears to have paid off. The Baltimore-based athletic apparel maker delivered better than expected financial results for the three months ended March 31. Under Armour's income of 7 cents per share income topped analysts' consensus estimates of 3...

Is it really necessary to make new laws controlling child sex violators ("Stern sex offender laws see little use," Jan. 24)? We have the laws formed by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration which need only to be enforced! ! F.P. Cordell, Lutherville Send your comments to talkback@baltimoresun.com.

A team of fifth-graders from Dayton Oaks Elementary won the county's third annual Battle of the Books this month. The quiz show-style contest, which tests fifth-graders' knowledge of 15 books, has become somewhat of a big deal in Howard County. More than 1,500 people attended the contest at Atholton High School on April 23, up from last year's 1,000 attendees. "It's grown considerably," said Andrea Misner, publicity specialist for the Howard County Library, which sponsors the event.

Guess how I came to know that April 14-20 marks the 55th National Library Week? Before I give away the answer, you might appreciate that this observance started in the 1950s to combat Americans' growing preference for radios and televisions over books. Over half a century later, libraries are now being threatened by our growing preference for Internet and social media. I had no idea about libraries when I first stepped into one, at the ripe age of 1. My mother tells me that I was excited for story time (though not yet foreseeing my addiction for the books that would come to define my childhood)

The four-story brownstone near Washington's Lafayette Park is one of the most exclusive hotels in the world. There's a fireplace in the master bathroom, and the thread counts on the sheets is high enough to rival the Four Seasons. And only four people can get reservations to stay there right now - possibly because the coverlet bears the presidential seal, and there are accommodations for the Secret Service in the basement. The townhouse on West Jackson Place is the residence where Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and both George Bushes stay when they are in Washington on official business.