Seattle booksellers met Norton author Manil Suri for dinner December 5, helping to launch his novel The Age of Shiva (Norton, $24.95, 9780393065695/0393065693), due in February. It has been seven years since the bestselling The Death of Vishnu appeared, and the writer and mathematics professor fit a few bi-coastal dinners in around his teaching schedule in order to meet some old friends and make some new. 
A few of the happy diners: (from l.) Bill Rusin, Norton trade sales director; Dan Christaens, Northwest sales rep; Marilyn Dahl, Shelf book review editor; Manil Suri; Hilary Vonckx, Queen Anne Avenue Books; Stesha Brandon, events coordinator for University Book Store; Rick Simonson, head buyer at Elliott Bay Book Company.