Book Sense

This year's finalists for the Book Sense Book of the Year Award in the adult fiction category include two debut novels and stories that take place in settings as diverse as the turbulent Pacific Ocean and a placid, custom-made heaven. Plots weave through backdrops of the Civil Rights Act, acts of world war, and acts of depravity. In addition to their excellence, these five novels share youthful protagonists, all under the age of 20. The enormous range of their experiences make each book uniquely compelling.

Still Time to Send Photos for May 5 Book Sense Insert in The New Yorker

The May 5 issue of The New Yorker, on sale April 28, will include a special insert highlighting titles selected by independent booksellers for the May/June Book Sense 76. Books that make great gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation will be featured. To complement the story, the magazine is seeking photographs of bookstores with Book Sense. All Book Sense stores are encouraged to send photographs of their stores, especially good exterior shots.

Two top ten March/April Book Sense 76 picks are recommended to consumers by booksellers with Book Sense in upcoming ads in national magazines.

In the March 31 issue of The New Yorker, on sale March 24, Jeff Azbill of Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Jackson, Tennessee, recommends The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday).

The Final Confession of Mabel Stark by Robert Hough (Atlantic Monthly) is the recommendation of Alissa Haslam of Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon, in an ad in the May issue of The Atlantic Monthly.

Someday soon, Steve Stephenson will hand over the keys to his 55-year-old store, Steve's Books & Magazines, to his daughter-in-law, Joanie Stephenson. When he does, it will mark an end of sorts, and a new beginning, for a store that has become a Tulsa, Oklahoma, landmark -- a store that opened soon after World War II and is still thriving today.

The American Booksellers Association has announced the finalists for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards. The finalists in six categories -- Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Literature, Children's Illustrated, Rediscovery, and Paperback -- are all Book Sense 76 titles nominated by ABA bookseller members as their handselling favorites. The awards will be announced at the Celebration of Bookselling, on Friday, May 30, during this year's BookExpo America, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.

1. WHAT DO WE KNOW, by Mary Oliver (Da Capo, $15 paper, 0306812061; March '03) "Oliver again turns her luminous eye to the natural world, invoking its mysteries, its darkness and beauty. These are poems of wonder and praise for the sea, the seasons, the mockingbird, the clam -- and for the human spirit that watches and listens." -- Diana Sabot, The Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, VT

By Carl Lennertz

Recent 76 Mentions in Publisher's Own Ads

In an effort to keep members up-to-date on the latest news and changes as BookSense.com evolves, BTW is introducing a new monthly feature from BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos, "BookSense.com On the Move…"

In Irvine, California, the purchase of an incorrectly marked $10 gift certificate might end up costing a bookseller a lot of money -- that is, if attorney Michael Geller has his way. He recently informed Irvine Sci-Tech Books in Irvine, California, of his intent to file suit because a $10 gift certificate that he purchased for his wife had an expiration date, which is illegal in California.

1. THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson (Crown, $25.95, 0609608444; Feb. '03) "Larsen tells the parallel stories of two men racing to meet their destinies: one creating the 1893 Chicago World's Fair against incredible odds, and one becoming America's first real serial killer. The otherworldly beauty and utopian vision of the fair make a stark contrast to the harsh realities of life just a few blocks away where on dark, dirty streets young women were disappearing by the dozens.

Once again, Book Sense is working with The New Yorker to put together a special spring insert featuring titles selected by independent booksellers. The latest New Yorker Book Sense appearance is set for the May 5 issue, and the emphasis will be on books that make great gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation. To complement the story, the magazine is seeking photographs of bookstores with Book Sense. All Book Sense stores are encouraged to send photographs of their stores, especially good exterior shots.

The March/April Book Sense 76 -- with booksellers' recommendations -- has been posted at http://news.bookweb.org/read/1144. The printed flier will be shipped to stores beginning the first week of March.

These titles were selected from thousands of nominations from independent booksellers across the country. To access an online nomination form and deadlines for future 76s, go to www.bookweb.org/read/2330.

By Carl Lennertz

Three books to watch, thanks to the almost 400 stores who reported last week! Are YOU one of the stores contributing to this wealth of knowledge?

As it turns out, all of these are also on at least one Regional Bestseller List:

Based on the last four weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Today is the last day to submit nominations for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards (BSBY) via fax or online form. Ballots returned via mail had to be postmarked no later than Friday, February 7.

Every current ABA-member bookstore is entitled to nominate five books in each category: Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Literature, Illustrated Children's, Rediscovery, and Paperback Book of the Year.