In the vein of Brunelleschi’s Dome and Galileo’s Daughter, DANTE IN LOVE is a geographic and spiritual re-creation of the poet’s fugitive travels and the burst of creativity that produced the greatest poem ever written, The Divine Comedy. Harriet (The Princessa) Rubin follows the same path as Dante’s—a path also followed by seekers such as Eliot, Freud and Primo Levi.

In the years since her break with the Republican Party, Arianna Huffington has become a fearless and outspoken critic of the two-party system. In FANATICS AND FOOLS: a Game Plan for Winning Back America, Huffington argues that the danger of continuing under our current administration is so great than anyone who cares about the future of our democracy cannot be divided. Call 312.781.3033 for details.

Carol Kleiman, nationally syndicated business columnist on the workplace for the Chicago Tribune, will speak on the subject of work, and the search for it in a bad economy, at Barbara’s Bookstore at UIC. Carol’s latest book is WINNING THE JOB GAME: The New Rules For Getting and Keeping The Job You Want.

Everyone has had a bad trip now and again (by trip I mean travel). Now you can share your horror story with the world as RDR’s Troubled Travel Book series and Barbara’s Bookstore invite you to write an essay and submit it for possible publication in the next I Should Have Just Stayed Home collection. Call Barbara’s at 312.413.2665 for contest guidelines and information.

What do you do when a bad job turns into a non-existent one? Do what Cara (I Do, But I Don’t) Lockwood’s funny, beleagured heroine Jane does - throw a PINK SLIP PARTY. Local author Lockwood will be on hand to sign copies of this, her latest look at why, no matter what anyone may tell you, your twenties might not be the time of your life.

THE ZENITH ANGLE is the first novel in four years from futurist Bruce Sterling, who takes a step away from science fiction and into mainstream territory. The result is a novel that will ring true to the talented, ambitious, technologically savvy workers who survived the dot.com crash, corporate scandals, plunging 401(k)s, and the current slow economy.

THE GREEN DESERT is the story of local business woman Rita Winters and the silent retreat she took into the Sonoran Desert, after leaving a twenty-four year career in advertising. "When I am not required to do anything, there is more and more I choose to do," writes Winters. This is a book that will speak to anyone who has longed for a quiet place in their overburdened lives.