LAT Festival of Books

Lee Iacocca should be a hoot this weekend when he blasts George Bush, the health care system, the nation's schools and of course the current crop of corporate leaders. Those are among the topics that come up in his new book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" He'll be introduced by LAT Publisher David Hiller on Saturday at 11:30 at Schoenberg Hall. And that's it from the world of bidness, a topic that obviously doesn't much interest the FOB's organizers. That's too bad, because there's a bunch of interesting titles worthy of discussion - but more than individual books, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to money, economics, class division, and corporate corruption. Oh well. Here's the weekend lineup.

A modest proposal: If you're wandering around the festival this weekend and looking for a little respite from all the hot air (and I'm not talking about the weather), let me suggest you check out comedy murder mystery writer Laura Levine, who will be signing at several locations. Laura is the author of the Jaine Austen mysteries (the sixth in the series is due out in June). She's also my wife - and yes, this is a shameless plug, but as noted by the NYT and many others, her books happen to be very, very funny. Anyway, here's her lineup:

Saturday
Sisters in Crime, Booth 355
(in front of Royce Hall)
2-4 P.M.

Book 'Em, Booth 441
4-5 P.M.

Sunday
Mystery Writers of America, Booth 411
Noon-1 P.M.

Mysterious Galaxy, Booth 614
(Dickson Court North)
1-2 P.M.