The stacked boxes of books that form the 6-foot-high bunker here at Reading Central are once again overflowing. Let's move some of the nonfiction titles out so the incoming avalanche can continue.

As an FYI, we donate the books that come to us from publishing houses to the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library. The proceeds from its fundraising sales are donated in turn to the library system.

For more information: (916) 264-2920.

In a double whammy, we have the much- acclaimed nonfiction "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" by Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative biographer Robert K. Massie (Random House, $35, 656 pages); and the novelization of Catherine's early life, "The Winter Palace" by Eva Stachniak (Bantam, $26, 464 pages).

In reality, Catherine was bright and savvy beyond her years, a teenage German princess who went to Russia and became its empress through courage and will. Massie is a magician at bringing the past to life and making readers care about historical figures.

In Stachniak's novel- ization, we see Catherine's rise to power "through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne." Scandalous stuff, but oh, so fun.

• "Listomania" by various editors and contributors (Harper Design, $25.99, 288 pages): Half the fun in this informative foray into eclectic lists is the bright and compelling graphics. The other half is the data.

How about 62 rooms you might find in a house (how many can you name?). Or 12 places named after people. You can learn about 13 things that used to be valuable (salt), the 26 most-stocked library books (the Bible is No. 1), 22 banned books (would you believe "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland"?) and 17 acquired tastes (as in seal flipper pie).

• "The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting" by Rachel Shteir (Penguin, $25.95, 272 pages): There are degrees of seriousness when it comes to taking what doesn't belong to you. Stealing a kiss, for instance, is OK. Shoplifting is not.

The author offers some startling numbers, such as: Retailers are out more than $11 billion a year due to light-fingered shoppers. Those losses are passed on to consumers, costing around $400 a year per American family.

• "From Crime Scene to Courtroom" by Cyril H. Wecht and Dawna Kaufmann (Prometheus, $27, 315 pages): Forensic pathologist Wecht teamed with true-crime journalist Kaufmann to examine behind-the-scenes mysteries of prominent cases, including the deaths of Michael Jackson, Casey Anthony, Drew Peterson and Brian Jones.

• "Concrete Planet" by Robert Courland (Prometheus, $26, 396 pages): The "strange story of the world's most common man-made material" goes far beyond infrastructure to look into the lives of designers and inventors over the centuries.

• "Confessions of a Surgeon" by Paul A. Ruggieri (Berkley, $15, 272 pages): You want scary? The good doctor takes us inside the operating room for a close-up look at … . Oh, never mind. He also confronts a number of health care-related issues: insurance, malpractice, private practice and "the white-coat code of silence" that he says exists among medical specialists.

• "The Cartoon Guide to Calculus" by Larry Gonick (William Morrow, $10.99, 256 pages): The newest title in the "Cartoon Guide" series manages to humanize and (sort of) simplify a very difficult topic. Graphs, charts and humor help. Remember: "Calculus is the mathematics of change." Right.

• "Take Me to the River: Fishing, Swimming and Dreaming on the San Joaquin," edited by Joell and Coke Hallowell (Heyday, $21.95, 192 pages): This metaphoric float down a lazy river captures the history of the San Joaquin River and recalls the people who played and worked along and near its shores. Lots of reminiscing.

• "Invisible Men" by Michael E. Addis (Times Books, $27, 304 pages): Why is it so hard for men to express emotions and admit vulnerability? Research psychologist Addis links consequentially tragic results with the syndrome of silence, and offers a strategy for breaking through.

LET US KNOW

If you have information on author appearances, book sales, writing seminars, writers club meetings or other book-related special events, e-mail it to bookmarks@sacbee.com at least two weeks before the event. To read the online calendar, go to www.sacbee.com/books.

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The Bee's Allen Pierleoni can be reached at (916) 321-1128 or apierleoni@sacbee.com. Contact him with news of coming literary events that are open to the public.

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