It’s been 10 years since the first offbeat travel guide to the Land of Lincoln, “Oddball Illinois,” and it’s safe to say things have only gotten weirder, according to author Jerome Pohlen. He'll give a book signing and a talk Saturday night, May 26, in Tamale Hut Cafe, North Riverside.

Foodies are invited to the cafe at Whole Foods Market in Hinsdale at noon Saturday, May 19, where local Chef Paul Virant of Vie and Perennial Virant will prepare seasonal recipes to sample from his long-awaited cookbook, “Preservation Kitchen.”

Becoming a grandmother is what turned Warrenville businesswoman Mary Beth Jones of MBJ Consulting into the first-time author of a children’s picture book, “Manners Are Free.” The former Genevan says she enjoyed imparting lessons in rhyme.

It’s hard to drag Villa Park author Brian Beecher away from books. Not only is Beecher an avid reader, he has also written three books. Beecher’s most recent book, “Judas Times Seven,” definitely hits home for him, he said. Even though it is fiction, the storyline is based on events that actually happened to him in the workplace and caused him to lose his job in 2009.

Hot off the presses by co-authors Jeff King and Jeanette Hurt is “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sausage Making.” King, a Lombard resident, is the chef behind The Sausage Guys. What he loves best is making artisan brats, kielbasas and game and international sausages.

Taking a controversial stance, architectural historian, author and educator Robert Bruegmann will talk about “Sprawl in Chicagoland: Can We Stop It? Should We?” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, at Elmhurst College.

With the help of technology, author Beth (Hilsabeck) Navarro adds a magical dimension to her storytelling — the ability to connect children with their loved ones far away. The Downers Grove native is an award-winning writer.

Telling a good story with pictures is genetically programmed in Jeffery Johnson of Berwyn, who grew up in La Grange, and is a third-generation professional photographer. His new book is a nostalgic farewell to The Flame in Countryside.

Until about six years ago, investment adviser and author Jeff Martin had a completely different career plan for himself, but ended up in the finance field. His book, “Strategic Diversification: Retirement Planning that Works,” helps those wary of retirement break down their plans for the future.

Best-selling author Sara Paretsky, one of the first to write a crime novel featuring a woman detective, will speak at Elmhurst College at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26, as the highlight of the Elmhurst Public Library’s 2012 Elmhurst Reads: Mysterious Tales program.

The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park plans to unveil a restored map showing the 1st Infantry Division’s path through Iraq during Desert Storm in 1991. The map is part of a new display opening at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 3. Retired Major Gen. Robert Shadley, the map’s donor, will attend the unveiling.

Lombard’s own Jeff King and Jeanette Hurt of Milwaukee will sign copies of their latest book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sausage Making” at the DMK Burger Bar in Lombard from 6 to 8 p.m. March 28. All week, they also will participate in the restaurant’s 365 Days of Giving, helping the Autism Society.

The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park received a special donation from Army wife Starr Mortensen, who presented a unique set of books she created documenting the history of the division’s Combat Aviation Brigade during deployments to Iraq.

In Character was born in 2000, when Jenny Riddle of Elmhurst first slipped into costume and character to give dramatic book reviews. With dozens in her repertoire, she returns to the Victorian Tea by Bethel United Church of Christ Women.

A wealth of local talent has been mined for the latest class of inductees in the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame. Of the seven, two represent the Tri-Cities  — choreographer Gower Champion and painter Delbert Peterson — and just about everyone has seen the work of late actor John Qualen in “Casablanca.”

Lee Mulder, a Glen Ellyn author, is touring to promote his book titled “They Call Me Mzee: One Man’s Safari Into Brightest Africa.”

Gloria B. from Naperville is a top-four finalist in the Eagle Brand Sweet Secret Recipe Contest. With readers’ help, she can become the Grand Prize Winner of $10,000 towards a “sweet secret” wish.

In reminiscing about Davy Jones, the former member of The Monkees, who died earlier today at age 66 of an apparent heart attack, we recalled an in-depth interview he shared with one of our correspondents before a concert he headlined in 2006 in Geneva. We think his fans would enjoy hearing him in his own words.
 

After a horrifying disabling accident, Dianne Finnegan Wilson thought things were never going to get better. But that changed one day when God told her she should write a book, she said.

Sharing her secrets with writers is St. Charles novelist D.C. Brod, who will lead an Elgin Community College Writers Center Special Topics Workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. The workshop is free.