Book Sense

At the October meeting of the American Booksellers Association Board of Directors in Santa Cruz, California, the Book Sense budget for fiscal 2002 was approved. This new budget includes a price increase for BookSense.com, reflecting, in part, the product's increased functionality since its introduction.

I know you can barely bear to think about 2002 right now, but I do hope you can take one moment in this hectic holiday season and get a little re-energized by the thought of a lot of gems coming first thing in the New Year! Great midlist for us to sell!

In fact, it's the highest number of books I can recall coming out in the first two weeks of the 76 time span in question, and I apologize in advance. I kept them to a minimum, AND a few publishers moved up shipping schedules for us to get them out earlier.

-Carl

From December 12 through December 27, BookSense.com will host "The Dog Stories Contest." Visitors to the Book Sense.com site will have the chance to win a $200 Doggie Prize Pack-treats, toys, note cards, dog food, and signed copies of three outstanding dog books. The books are: Zen Dog, photographs by Toni Tucker with concept by Judith Adler (Clarkson Potter Publishers); Dog, photographs by Deborah Samuels (Chronicle Books); and Rover Saves Christmas, by Roddy Doyle, illustrated by Brian Ajhar (Scholastic Books).

The current series of Book Sense spots on the National Public Radio (NPR) shows All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition wraps up this week.

Jill Johnson, owner of Beagle Books

Beagle Books owner Jill Johnson spent most of her adult career in the medical field, so when she found the 1937 former medical clinic, she felt sure it was the right place to open a bookstore.

Keep watch for the December white box mailing, which should start arriving at stores by mid-week. Among the goodies:

Rohinton Mistry's novel, A Fine Balance, was recently announced as the latest pick in the Oprah book club--and it continues a fine tradition of Book Sense 76 selections making the Oprah list. A Fine Balance was a March/April 2000 Book Sense 76 Pick, and is available from Vintage.

November 21, 2001

Dear Book Sense Members:

This is a letter of unabashed gratitude.

At the front end of autumn Grove/Atlantic published my first solo novel, Peace Like a River. Publication alone would've been thrilling; already acquainted with the crush of novels that are produced and promoted any given year, I dared only hope the book would do respectably well--that it wouldn't embarrass anyone, especially my publishers, who had put so much stock in it.

Muhammed Ali may seem an unlikely likeness for the author of Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, a novel about Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt's dying sister that has been lauded for its sensitivity and delicacy. But Daniel Simon, publisher of Seven Stories Press, compares Harriet Scott Chessman to the heavyweight champion, explaining, "In her subtle way, Harriet hits you at several different angles ...

To be in stores for January 2002:

The idea for this 76 Top Ten came together over the last few weeks while going through all of your e-mails for the January/February 76. There were also many nominations in this area over the last year, and, in looking back, we found we had a good message to send out about looking forward. Thank you for your continuing efforts to help people find answers.

Again, this is--like the full 76--a compilation of most recommended books, not necessarily bestsellers … though many are, and now can be again.