McClatchy Newspapers

"THE SCAR." By Sergey and Marina Dyachenko, translated by Elinor Huntington; Tor ($24.99)

Sergey and Marina Dyachenko, husband-and-wife authors, have written numerous science-fiction and fantasy novels in Russian -- and have racked up a mantel-ful of awards in doing so -- but they've only now made a foray into U.S. bookshelves with "The Scar."

MIAMI -- Just a couple of years ago, terms like WOD, Fran or bar-facing burpee were mostly unknown. That's ditto for Pukey the Mascot and Greg Glassman, the former gymnast who founded the intense, grueling fitness craze called CrossFit.

It's going to be a very British summer. Along with the Olympics in London, it is the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the celebration of her 60 years of monarchy.

Kicking off the celebration tonight, BBC America has a three-part documentary "The Diamond Queen," which probably will be repeated endlessly. Narrated by writer Andrew Marr, it looks at a hardworking royal whose real power lies in her immense dignity and human touch.

KANSAS CITY, MO. - Tyler Nelson is 15 years old and wears silver braces and Super Mario high-tops. He is 5 feet 2 and weighs 105 pounds even though he eats like a garbage disposal. Maybe that means a growth spurt is coming. Maybe that means he'll start shaving soon.

WASHINGTON - Congress isn't just stuck in partisan and ideological gridlock: It's broken.

Once again this month, and probably throughout this year, lawmakers are mired in stalemates over what used to be routine solutions to commonplace issues.

 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The question isn't what Manny Ramirez wants to do with the rest of his life. Manny always takes care of Manny. It's what the former Boston Red Sox slugger can do -- if anything -- for the Athletics for the remainder of their surprisingly competitive 2012 season.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Travis Pastrana is taking media members for rides in his 600-horsepower all-wheel drive Dodge Dart. He speeds into a turn that's as tight as a man who spends Memorial Day weekend with a metal detector.

Pastrana spins around an orange cone and skids beautifully until he smacks the back of the car into the chain-link fence in the zMax Dragway parking lot.

Pastrana returns to his hauler, his crew does a quick check, and he takes off again. Soon he goes skidding majestically around a cone, tires squealing and smoke rising, and with the back of the Dart pops the fence harder than the previous time.