A labor of love and of scholarship, "The Linden and the Oak," the first novel by Mark Wansa, traces two Eastern European families through the early 20th century. The book, published by the World Academy of Rusyn Culture, is a saga of two families during World War I and beyond. Rusyns are an Eastern European ethnic group in western Ukraine and Slovakia. Many of them lived as peasants until the war, when they escaped to the United States and Canada.

Wansa's big book addresses familiar big themes of the first half of the 20th century: communism, war and emigration. Wansa, the son of a Carpatho-Rusyn immigrant, grew up in California and now lives in New Mexico. He will be in the Twin Cities on book tour this week. He'll be interviewed on Write-On! Radio (KFAI-FM 90.3) at 11 a.m. Thursday, and will sign books at 7:30 p.m. the same day at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Av. S.

Also ...

•"Edmund Fitzgerald: The Legendary Great Lakes Shipwreck," by Elle Andra-Warner, has been published by North Shore Press of Grand Marais. The history of the ship, its crew and the storm that sent it to the bottom of the lake is illustrated with historic photos. The book is available from www.northshorepress.com.

•"Food Will Win the War: Minnesota Crops, Cooks and Conservation During World War I," by Rae Katherine Eighmey, has been published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. The book looks at the war effort to conserve food and cook simpler meals. It's illustrated with historic photos and patriotic posters and banners. Oh, and recipes. Lots of recipes: corn relish, and piccalilli, and meat cakes (the recipe calls for "any kind of cold meat") and mmm yum macaroni and peanuts.

•"I'm Sorry You Feel That Way," a memoir by Diana Joseph, has been released in paperback by Berkley. Joseph, who teaches at Minnesota State University in Mankato, will have a launch party at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Barnes & Noble, 1850 Dam St., Mankato.

•"Keeping Watch: 30 Sheep, 24 Rabbits, 2 Llamas, 1 Alpaca, and a Shepherdess With a Day Job," by Kathy Sletto, will be published in March by Borealis Books. Sletto (the shepherdess of the title) lives near Alexandria (with all of the animals in the title).