Military Points From a West Pointer

Publishers Weekly says novelist and journalist Lucian Truscott is a “one-man literary crusader against moral and social abuses in the Army he would like to respect and the country he loves.”

Truscott, a third-generation West Pointer, will sign and read from his new military thriller, “Full Dress Gray,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Barnes & Noble in Metro Pointe, 901 South Coast Drive, Costa Mesa.

The new novel, a sequel to Truscott’s 1978 bestseller, “Dress Gray,” provides insight into the modern Army, women in the armed forces and how West Point’s honor code can be abused.

Also This Week

* Poets Rick Lupert, Brenden Constantine and June Melby will read at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Gypsy Den Cafe and Reading Room in the Lab mall, 2930 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

* Poet Lawrence Schulz will read at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Alta Coffee House & Roasting Co., 506 31st St., Newport Beach.

* Restaurant writer Doris Crandall, author of “Doris Crandall’s Dining Guide,” will sign at 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble, 13712 Jamboree Road, Irvine.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before event to: Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Life & Style, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.