Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," will be the keynote speaker at this year's Twin Cities Jewish Book Fair. Kushner will speak at the opening reception at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The fair continues into February, with eight events sprinkled over the next four months.

Other authors include Gregory Levey, Yale Strom, Lucy Rose Fischer, Gal Beckerman, Daniel Levin, Jennifer Gilmore and Sue Fishkoff.

All events are open to the public and will be held at the St. Paul Jewish Community Center, 1375 St. Paul Av. Tickets are available for $6-$15, or a series pass for $45-$65. For more information, go to www.stpauljcc.org.

Also ...

• "The Bizarre Truth: Culinary Misadventures Around the Globe" by Andrew Zimmern is now available in paperback. Zimmern, host of the Food Channel's "Bizarre Foods," lives in Minneapolis.

• "The Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill, Life in the Shadow of the Empire Builder, James J. Hill" by Biloine W. Young and Eileen R. McCormack has been published by the Ramsey County Historical Society. The biography examines the life of James J. Hill's second son, who took over the estate after his father's death. A publication party will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 13 at Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul. It is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Send an e-mail to info@rchs.com or call 651-222-0701.

• "The Cousins," a short story by Charles Baxter, has been chosen for "The Best American Short Stories 2010." Baxter's story first appeared in Tin House. Baxter, author of "The Feast of Love," lives in Minneapolis and teaches at the University of Minnesota.

• "A House Is a Machine to Live In" by J.C. Hallman has been chosen for "The Best American Travel Writing 2010." Hallman, author of "The Hospital for Bad Poets," lives in the Twin Cities. His piece first appeared in the Believer.

• Twin Cities writer Vince Flynn has another thriller -- "American Assassin" has been published by Atria Books.

• Nodin Press has published "The Lindsay Whalen Story" by R.S. Oatman.