In Spirit of Place / Baltimore’s Favorite Spaces by Sarah Achenbach and Bill McAllen (Charm City Publishing / 132 pages / $29.95) Baltimoreans describe their favorite places in the city. The feelings of Greg Otto, Laura Lippman, Bill Struever and others are captured in essays and in McAllen’s photographs. 

Toni Morrison's A Mercy,  (Knopf / 176 pages / $23.95)  shows that kind acts may have unforeseen consequences. This is the story of a Maryland slave who gives up her daughter to a humane northern adventurer.

Tom Jones, the Baltimore-born former astronaut, has co-authored Planetology: Unlocking the Secrets of the Solar System (National Geographic / 224 pages / $35). He and planetary geologist Ellen Stofan pair images of Earth with scenes from NASA’s robotic probes.

The Stranger Comes at Sundown by Jane Kriete Awalt (Rio Grande Books / 202 pages / $17.95), chronicles the trials in handling her husband Bob's worsening Parkinson's Disease. Awalt, who lives at Oak Crest in Baltimore County, wrote a journal about the end of his life; the book also contains resources for families. Proceeds go to the Johns Hopkins Parkinson's Desease and Movement Disorders Center.