Here's a look at some of the latest books by local authors or with a Maryland theme:

Janet Horn, a Baltimore doctor and former faculty member at Johns Hopkins' med school, is co-author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Staying Healthy After 50. It deals with topics ranging from fitness and nutrition to cancer. (New Harbinger/$19.95/280 pages)

Notes on Democracy by H.L. Mencken, is a reissue of The Great One's classic. Among his cutting observations are our "tendency to crowd competent and self-respecting men out of the public service" and democracy's "parade of obvious imbecilities." (Dissident Books/$14.95/204 pages)

Giraffes in the Savannah is a children's book described as a "fairy tale about harmony in nature" by Gopal Dorai, who has worked as an adjunct professor in economics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. (American Literary Press/$15.95/22 pages)  

House of Good Hope by Michael Downs, an assistant professor of English at Towson University, is part memoir and part narrative. The book follows a group of teenagers in a troubled section of Hartford, Conn., and includes Downs' own thoughts on living in the city. The book was a finalist for the 2008 Connecticut Book Award in the biography/memoir category. (Bison Books/$19.95/326 pages)