Washington: National Book Festival

By the book

The 2011 National Book Festival brought thousands of reading fans to the National Mall on Sept. 24.

Abby Brack / Library of Congress

The Library of Congress’ 2012 National Book Festival — an annual celebration of books, reading and literature — is set for Sept. 22-23 on the National Mall. Authors attending this year include Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Lincoln Lawyer, The Drop, and this year’s anticipated The Black Box; Jewel, celebrated musician and author of the children’s book That’s What I Do; Mario Vargas Llosa, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature and author of The Dream of the Celt; Walter Isaacson, author of this year’s bestselling biography, Steve Jobs, recounting the life and rise of the late technology pioneer; and Tom Friedman, Pulitzer Prize winning author, New York Times columnist and co-author of That Used to be Us, the captivating story of “how America fell behind in the world it invented and how we can come back.”

Details: For more information and a complete list of authors, visit www.loc.gov/bookfest.

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American Queen Steamboat Co.

River cruise line adds a second vessel to sail Pacific Northwest

The American Queen Steamboat Co., which launched steamboat cruises on the Mississippi River last spring, has bought a second riverboat that will sail the rivers of the Pacific Northwest starting in April 2014. The company, named for its Mississippi River paddle wheeler, announced Tuesday it had purchased the former Empress of the North and will rename it the American Empress. 1369169867
Gear + Gadgets

Got your backpack

Always improving its lines of luggage for the adventurous, Eagle Creek has fine-tuned its new Afar Backpack to be all business and a pleasure. About the dimensions of a standard wheel-aboard bag (12.5 inches by 20.5 inches by 8.5 inches deep), the Afar weighs in at a mere 1 pound, 11 ounces. It is equipped with a slew of great features: well-padded contoured shoulder straps, a tuck away padded hip belt, adjustable sternum straps, external compression straps and a sturdy top grab handle. A padded breathable mesh back panel makes for comfy cushioning. The back panel cleverly incorporates a zippered padded compartment for a laptop (up to 17 inches) that doesn’t broadcast your precious cargo to would-be thieves. The spacious main zippered compartment is blessedly unstructured, three roomy external mesh pouches are great for jackets, water bottles, snacks and maps, and a very well-designed zippered front organizer pocket has pouches and elastic slots for a cell phone, camera, sunglasses, pens and other essentials. Double-lock zippers, hidden slip pockets for documents, and reflective accents for nighttime visibility are smart security elements. Available in a dreamy slate blue, sunny ochre and basic black.
Travel briefs

Legoland’s new attraction, The World of Chima, will open July 3 at the Winter Haven park and recruit guests into a very wet battle among animal warriors. The centerpiece will be a water ride with water cannons, The Quest for CHI. The new “land” will also include Speedorz Arena, where players will build and race Lego Speedorz; Cragger’s Swamp, a water play area; a new 4D movie; character meet-and-greets; and of course a retail store. Cruises

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