Getting to know CHARLES E. BROOKS through his photographic travelogue, JOURNEY ACROSS CHINA, isn't easy. He sporadically hops through locales in the Far East, snapping images of landscapes, structures and citizens. The joy here is the unexpected, an indication that Brooks, who will sign and discuss his pictorial at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, has eclectic tastes when it comes to his subjects. One shot zeroes in on the robust reds and greens where roof and wall intersect at the Emperor's Summer Palace in Beijing. Another reflects on a young man perched amid a bike rack in Shanghai. It's a schizophrenic approach that gives an appealing overview to the 3,500 miles Brooks logged during his trip in May 2002. Brooks, who left P&G in 2001 to concentrate on photography as his late-in-life career, delves into rich dimensions with his compositions. But the crisply colored photos, a mere 85, are just too few. Perhaps Brooks would consider a return trip to the publishing world to fully satiate his Journey Across China.
513-396-8960. ... Look here! The Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) is having trouble keeping its new Cincinnati Wing in one place. You know how these wings like to take flight. (Yes, I know. That pun was painfully bad.) Actually, CAM is soaring with a couple of new book releases, culminating with a mini-bookstore tour of the Tristate. One title touches up CAM's latest masterpiece in CINCINNATI WING: THE STORY OF ART IN THE QUEEN CITY. The other details THE PRINTS OF BENJAMIN MILLER: A CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ. Supplying commentary on the books are DR. JULIE ARONSON, CAM's curator of American painting and sculpture, and DR. ALLEN BERNARD, art collector and author of Benjamin Miller. These connoisseurs of fine art will appear at Barnes & Noble at Newport on the Levee from 2-3 p.m. Saturday. They'll pair up again for a July 19 appearance at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. 859-581-2000. ... Let's hear it for over-priced cinema multiplexes! That was actually a sincere show of support, believe it or not. SHOWCASE CINEMAS SPRINGDALE is participating in BOOKWORM WEDNESDAYS, a program encouraging children to read. Kids who submit a book report will receive free admission every Wednesday at 10 a.m. through Aug. 13 for a different family-oriented flick each week. One book report per film, natch. Accompanying adults and children under 6 admitted free. Official book report forms are available at the theater or online at www.ShowcaseCinemas.com.