Local authors offer mystery, adventure and heart

"A Long Trek Home: 4,000 Miles by Boot, Raft, and Ski" by Erin McKittrick (Mountaineers, $18.95). A former Seattleite describes the 13-month journey she and her husband, Hig, made from their Seattle home to the Aleutian Islands in 2007. McKittrick and Hig discuss the book 7 p.m. today, University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle; free (206-634-3400 or www.ubookstore.com).

"Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters, and Military Commanders To Ever Live" by Ben Thompson (Harper, $16.99). A Seattle writer and Web site operator (www.badassoftheweek.com) compiles a list of tough guys from the pages of history. Thompson reads 7 p.m. Friday, Barnes & Noble, University Village, Seattle; free (206-517-4107 or http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2573).

Seattle Times staff

For possible listing in "Local Books," send a finished copy of the book, with price and publication date, to Local Books, Seattle Times, 1120 John St., Seattle, WA 98109. No self-published or vanity-published titles, please.