Book News

Based on the last four weeks of sales of nearly 400 independent bookstores across America.

After a month of activities in honor of National Poetry Month, Book Sense is pleased to publish Part 2 of Chapter and Verse: The Book Sense Poetry Bestseller List. (Part 1 can be found at http://news.bookweb.org/read/1297).

Thanks to all the stores that report!

Based on sales from over 365 independent booksellers across America over the last four weeks.

Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at [email protected] for reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine.

(To view previous Book Sense category bestseller lists, click here.)

The June 21 on-sale date of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is now less than two months away, and booksellers who want to make the most of this long-awaited event should take note of the approach of a deadline and two promotional opportunities.

In 1962 when Carlos Eire and his older brother, Tony, were airlifted out of Cuba to the U.S. in Operation Pedro Pan, they marveled at the force of the takeoff. Ages 11 and 14, they thought how wonderful it would be to have chewing gum again and to take their first sip of Coke in months. They relished their first panoramic view of the ocean as they flew toward a world they imagined from TV shows. And, like all the children being airlifted unaccompanied out of Cuba at the time, they believed they'd see their parents shortly, in a matter of months.

The full May/June Book Sense 76 listing, with booksellers' recommendations, is now online at http://news.bookweb.org/read/1345. The printed flier will be shipped to stores by the first week of May.

Based on the last four weeks of sales from nearly 400 independent bookstores across the United States.

Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at [email protected]for reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine.

(To view previous Book Sense category bestseller lists, click here.)

On Thursday, April 17, USA Today announced the selection of Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford (Scribner) as its next book club title.

USA Today described Jarhead as "a morally questioning soldier's story from the 1991 Gulf War that gained resonance during the new war with Iraq."

When the clock strikes midnight on June 21, ushering in the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, many booksellers will see droves of eager fans rushing through the door in a mad scramble to purchase the latest Potter adventure.

Press kits accompanying advance copies of novels sent to bookstores, reviewers, and journalists generally contain fairly predictable (if interesting) material on an author's background, along with suggested questions for interviewers.

The material so packaged with James Swain's Sucker Bet (Ballantine) has all of that -- and a few well-out-of-the-ordinary extras.

Once again, a wealth of wonderful nominations from independent booksellers nationwide has made this Book Sense 76 list a diverse and compelling collection of titles, boasting strong selections in fiction and nonfiction throughout. Many thanks to all the booksellers who took the time to share their enthusiasm and insight, and who continue to enrich the 76.

Based on the last four weeks of sales from nearly 400 independent bookstores across the United States.

It's snowing in the East, sunny in the West, and thawing in the middle. What is a gardener to do?

The answer can be found in the titles on the new Book Sense Gardening Bestseller List. Thanks to all stores that report!

Attention Media: Please contact Kristen Gilligan at [email protected] for reprint guidelines for your newspaper or magazine.

Booksellers who would like to participate in Scholastic's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Retailer Coupon Program must sign-up by April 30. A registration form is available on the Scholastic Web site at http://www.scholastic.com/custsupport/booksellers/hpv/vendors.asp. Retailers without Internet access may contact their sales representative to sign up.

The full list of the 2003 - 2004 Reading Group Suggestions Book Sense 76, with bookseller quotes, is now online at news.bookweb.org/read/1295.

Created at the suggestion of independent bookstores participating in the Book Sense program, this list of great reads should extend the reach of the 76 into backlist. It will also give bookstores a new resource to tie in the Book Sense program with efforts to market to the dedicated readers (and book buyers) in reading groups nationwide.

On Wednesday, April 2, NBC News' Today Show announced that the tenth selection of its monthly "Today Book Club" is Nine Horses, by Billy Collins (Random House). Collins' collection of poems was number six on the Spring 2003 Book Sense 76 Poetry Top Ten.

Based on the last four weeks of sales of nearly 400 independent bookstores across America.

In honor of National Poetry Month, Book Sense is publishing a poetry bestseller list at the beginning and the end of April. Thanks to all the stores that report! Please check back in four weeks to see how customers respond to poetry events all around the country. (To view previous lists, click here.)