Hey, guys, it's true we have a bad rap for being insensitive, emotionally distant and allergic to housework. Hold your heads high, brothers, here's something for us. Sort of ...

"The Man's Book" by Thomas Fink: (Little, Brown, $23.99, 240 pages; on sale May 6): This "essential guide for the modern man" is a compendium of stuff we guys ought to know in order to be credible. Such as: how to get a serious workout at home; rules of popular drinking games; essential shirts for the closet; knife-sharpening and meat-carving skills; and how to quantify beauty in women.

"What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" by Tina Seeling (HarperOne, $22.99, 208 pages): True, it's written by a woman (a Stanford University professor, no less), but this "crash course in making your way in the world" is full of realistic tips that help put things into perspective. Like, "Quitting is actually incredibly empowering. It's a reminder that you control the situation." And, "It really is important not to burn bridges."

"The Broken American Male and How To Fix Him" by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (St. Martin's, $15.95, 304 pages): OK, we're big enough to take criticism and face our problems, right? The author of "Kosher Sex" contends that our culture of "soulless capitalism" has led us to a sense of failure, which results in collateral damage to our loved ones. Then advises on how to perceive things differently and become better men. But, bottom line: It wasn't our fault in the first place, was it?

"Roadside Baseball" by Chris Epting (Santa Monica, $16.95, 312 pages): Let's lighten up and go with this dude from Huntington Beach, our guide to "the locations of America's baseball landmarks." How about a road trip to Anaheim to see the bronze statue of former Angels owner Gene Autry? If not, be content with the book's many photographs.

And, finally, here's a recommendation to take our minds off the slings and arrows: the thriller "Fault Line" (Ballantine, $25, 320 pages) by former covert CIA operative Barry Eisler, whose unrelated John Rain series is a must. In "Fault Line," two brothers – one in a high-tech law firm, the other an undercover agent – put aside their differences to recover a stolen "encryption application" that could mean world disaster if the bad guys figure out how to use it. Adding spin is a woman desired by one brother, mistrusted by the other. An international playing field keeps the action moving.

On the calendar

Upcoming author appearances include:

• Andrew Sean Greer for "The Story of a Marriage" (Picador, $14, 208 pages): San Francisco-based author Greer has another winner (after "The Confessions of Max Tivoli"). Set in 1953, Pearlie Cook's world is turned upside down – as is the reader's – when long-held truths are revealed as falsehoods and vice versa.

Event: California Lectures has partnered with California State University, Sacramento, to present the free event at 1 p.m. next Monday at the University Union Ballroom. Information: California Lectures at (916) 737-1300 or www. californialectures.org; or CSUS News Services at (916) 278-4016.

• Cecilia Chiang for "The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco" (Ten Speed, $35, 256 pages): Recipes, cultural stories and personal memories dominate this cookbook-memoir by the former owner of San Francisco's landmark Mandarin restaurant. Her son Paul Chiang is co-founder of the P.F. Chang's China Bistro restaurant chain.

Event: 5:30 p.m. April 24 at Holiday Villa restaurant, 7007 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento. Cost is $25; send a check to the Chinese American Council of Sacramento, P.O. Box 60267, Sacramento, 95860. No check, no reservation.

Information: (916) 591-8181.

• The Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime will host two authors at the Rancho Cordova Library, 9845 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova; (916) 264-2770.

Events: Danny Carnahan for "A Jig Before Dying" (Xlibris, $19.99, 200 pages): After a year in Ireland, Niall Sweeney is back in San Francisco, where he divides his time between working in a bank and fiddling at an Irish pub. A murder occurs, and the finger points at him. 1 p.m. Saturday.

• Nadia Gordon for "Lethal Vintage" (Chronicle Books, $23.95, 272 pages): The new entry in the Sunny McCoskey mystery series, set in the Napa Valley, centers on a murder among the super-wealthy. 1 p.m. May 16.

Welcome back, Mosley

Walter Mosley brought Los Angeles-based PI Easy Rawlins into the world in 1990, and took him out of it in 2007 in the series' 10th title, "Blonde Faith."

Now Mosley has created a new character for a new series – Leonid McGill of New York City, a former boxer and all-around bad guy turned PI and iffy good guy. The first entry is "The Long Fall" (Riverhead, $25.95, 320 pages). To view an online interview with the author, go to "Barnes & Noble Tagged" at www.bn.com/tagged.

Spring book sale

The Sacramento SPCA will host its annual spring book sale from Saturday through April 26 at Birdcage Marketplace, 6187 Sunrise Blvd., Citrus Heights.

The sale will offer bargains on more than 100,000 new and used books in 40 categories of fiction and nonfiction, including rare books.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

For more information: (916) 383-7387, ext. 9103.

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