Books
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BOOKS THAT INFLUENCE In his book “Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word To Stir the World” (HarperCollins), Nicholas Basbanes explores the writings that have “nudged the course of history.” His subjects include John Locke, Sir Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, the Marquis de Sade, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, and Harold Bloom. Mr. Basbanes discusses and signs his book at an event at the Strand. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.
WRONGDOING John Weir reads from his new novel, “What I Did Wrong” (Viking), which follows up on his 1989 debut novel, “The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket,” one of the first novels to deal with the AIDS epidemic. In the new novel, the 42-year-old protagonist is a professor in Queens who has lost many of his friends to the disease. Tonight, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Chelsea, 675 Sixth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-727-1227, free.
LIFE STORIES A former editor at Esquire, Marilyn Johnson,reads from and signs her book “The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasure of Obituaries” (Harper-Collins), an ode to the appeal of a wellcrafted obituary. Tonight, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Upper West Side, 2289 Broadway at 82nd Street, 212-362-8835, free.
ON THE TRAIL OF CRIMINALS A former district attorney, Lisa Scottoline , discusses and signs her new book, “Dirty Blonde” (Harper-Collins). It follows a reckless young judge who has to track down a murderer to protect her reputation. Like the rest of her novels, Ms. Scottoline’s latest is set in Philadelphia. Tonight, 7 p.m., Partners and Crime, 44 Greenwich Ave. at Charles Street, 212-243-0440, free.
