Yay. The September books have landed. A few choice offerings:

State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, edited by Mark Weiland and Sean Wilsey. Fifty states. Fifty writers, including William T. Vollmann on California. Plus, a companion dvd showing at indie bookstores.

Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath by Rick Wartzman. The well-timed story of a shameful page from California’s past.

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins. Former LA Times foreign correspondent (now at the NYT) visits Los Angeles’ Central Library Sept. 18 to talk about his time in Iraq.

Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook by Charles Bukowski. City Lights and editor David Calonne unearth this new collection of stories and essays.

The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend< by Gary Andrew Pool. LA writer has a new book out today, and a new website, too.

More new releases: San Francisco Chronicle Book Editor Oscar Villalon compiles a round up of fall fiction and nonfiction.

Elsewhere: novelist Maxine Hong Kingston is feted by the National Book Awards … … Thomas Steinbeck talks about journalism and Vietnam … Mark Sarvas posts a tantalizing report from the Melbourne Writers Festival … Denise Hamilton gets annoyed with the latest remake of the LA Times Magazine (who didn’t?) … mystery writer Sunny Frazier tries to spark a literary crusade in Kings County … David Kipen tools across the country in a little red car.

Back-to-school cool: “Born to Read” tees at Diesel Books.