Local offerings

New books with local ties

"Crossings: On the Ferries of Puget Sound" by Michael Diehl (Island Earth, $32.50). A handsome photo-essay on ferry travel around the Sound. Diehl has a good eye for both the bright and brooding light of our maritime environs.

"Paul of Dune" by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Tor, $27.95). The Bainbridge Island writer and his longtime collaborator deliver another novel in the "Dune" series, exploring what happened between "Dune" and "Dune Messiah," two science-fiction classics written by Herbert's father, Frank Herbert.

"My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire" by Michelle Goodman (Seal, $15.95). A Seattle writer's tips on how to achieve the near- impossible: "build a successful freelance career and beat the unemployment blues." Goodman is a frequent contributor to The Seattle Times.

"The U.S. of Eh?: How Canada Secretly Controls the United States, and Why That's OK" by Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen (Chronicle, $9.95). Two Seattle humor writers reveal "the vast, maple-leaf conspiracy" of our neighbor to the north.

"Kerplunk!" by Patrick F. McManus (Simon & Schuster, $13). New in paperback: Humorous sketches by the Spokane author, all of which first appeared in Outdoor Life.

"The Melancholy Fate of Capt. Lewis" by Michael Pritchett (Unbridled, $15.95). Paperback edition of a novel about a historian researching the life — and suicide — of Meriwether Lewis. Times reviewer Bob Simmons said the novel may lead readers "to reconsider one of our country's greatest adventure stories."

"Boo, Bunny!" by Kathryn O. Galbraith, illustrated by Jeff Mack (Harcourt, $16) and "The Pumpkin Goblin Makes Friends" by Aaron Taylor, illustrated by Gary Whitley (Emerald Book Co., $16.95). Two picture books for young children, both in a Halloween vein. Tacoma author Galbraith's is about a shy bunny who has the jitters about trick-or-treating. Vancouver writer Taylor's concerns a scary but lonely goblin.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com