The February 2006 Book Sense Picks and Notables Preview

Here is the full listing of the February Book Sense Picks, with booksellers' comments, as well as a preview of the February Notables. Independent booksellers in the Book Sense program will be receiving their February Picks fliers in the January Red Box. (The flier includes jacket images, bibliographic information, and bookseller quotes.)

1. THE SPACE BETWEEN US: A Novel, by Thrity Umrigar (Morrow, $24.95, 0060791551) "Compassionately written, this tale of caste and one's place in society in India is both heartbreaking and inspiring. One event in the lives of two families -- one rich, one poor -- sets in motion devastating results for both. Thrity Umrigar has crafted a true gem." --Sherri Gallentine, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA

A STRONG WEST WIND: A Memoir, by Gail Caldwell (Random House, $24.95, 1400062489) "Despite that Gail Caldwell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic for the Boston Globe, fled her home state of Texas over 30 years ago, Texas is still with her. Her memoir tells of the '50s and '60s, and how Caldwell, a victim of infant polio, a shy girl in glasses, found her way through her passionate love of reading. This is a memoir the postwar generation will read and nod at knowingly." --Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver, CO

STRIVERS ROW: A Novel, by Kevin Baker (HarperCollins, $26.95, 0060195835) "This riveting novel evokes the color and atmosphere of 1940s Harlem with a cast of characters that includes a young man later to become Malcolm X. As with the best historical novels, Baker beautifully recreates the era, from the seaminess of its dives to the religious and political turmoil of the wartime period. This book transcends the label 'historical fiction' -- it is, simply, great literature." --Matthew Lage, Iowa Book, Iowa City, IA

FRANGIPANI: A Novel, by Celestine Hitiura Vaite (Back Bay, $12.95 paper, 0316114669) "This sentimental story of a mother's love for her challenging daughter, set in Tahiti and told with spirit and humor, is sure to be a favorite among reading groups." --Carol Schneck, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS: A Novel, by Ayelet Waldman (Doubleday, $23.95, 0385515308) "In Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Ayelet Waldman has created a very real and human character in Emilia, and she gives readers the gift of experiencing Emilia's grief, pain, and the conflicts she encounters as she deals with the loss of her infant daughter. This incredible novel shows us what happens when you are forced to wake up from a daydream and try to live in the harsh light of reality and daily life." --Kathleen Caldwell, A Great Good Place for Books, Oakland, CA

A FAMILY DAUGHTER: A Novel, by Maile Meloy (Scribner, $24, 074327766X) "Readers of Meloy's Liars and Saints will be delighted, and those not familiar with her finely-crafted writing will have a double treat as she brings the Santerre family back in her new novel. Abby is a daughter who discovers that affairs, secrets, death, and extended family reveal, define, and explain the feelings associated with home." --Barbara Theroux, Fact & Fiction, Missoula, MT

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: A Novel, by Katrina Kittle (Morrow, $24.95, 0060564741) "The Kindness of Strangers grabs hold of you from the first page and won't let go. While dealing with difficult issues, Katrina Kittle draws you into the struggles of Sarah Laden, a young widow and mother of two, and helps you discover the power of love. Definitely not a novel to be missed!" --Sonya Brooks, Reader's Choice Bookstore, Centerville, OH

WHALE SEASON: A Novel, by N.M. Kelby (Shaye Areheart Books, $23, 0307336778) "I'm trying so hard not to say something like 'this is a whale of a story,' but it's so dang tough, especially with a campy, funny, and smart story like this, although it's not without its serious moments. This story of the arrival in Whale Harbor, Florida, of a man who thinks he's Jesus reads like a cross between Carl Hiaasen and Flannery O'Connor." --Lyn Roberts, Square Books, Oxford, MS

THE THRALL'S TALE, by Judith Lindbergh (Viking, $25.95, 0670034649) "This gritty, epic tale set in Viking Greenland will thrill any fan of historical fiction. The theme of good versus evil looms large." --Laura Huemer, Goldfinch Books, Maplewood, NJ

CARVED IN BONE: A Body Farm Novel, by Jefferson Bass (Morrow, $24.95, 006075981X) "The 'Body Farm' is a section of ground on the campus of the University of Tennessee where human corpses are left to decay for the sake of science and the cause of justice, and Carved in Bone goes into the detail of forensic science to help solve the murder of a young woman. This is a great story that really holds your interest." --Donna Thoman, Family Book Shop, Deland, FL

THE GHOST ORCHID: A Novel, by Carol Goodman (Ballantine, $24.95, 0345462130) "Half ghost story, half historical novel, The Ghost Orchard tells the story of a series of tragic events at a storied artists' retreat, and it features an eccentric group of artists and writers. There are mediums and tricksters and mischievous children that just won't rest in peace. This is a perfect book to curl up with on a dark and stormy night." --Terry Lucas, The Open Book, West Hampton Beach, NY

SHE GOT UP OFF THE COUCH: And Other Heroic Acts From Mooreland, Indiana, by Haven Kimmel (Free Press, $24, 0743284992) "Zippy is back and she's more charming than ever! The quirky Jarvis family of Mooreland, Indiana, is forever changed when Zippy's mom, Delonda, applies for college, buys an ancient VW Beetle, and drives away into her future. As poignant as it is funny, this book will delight you." --Molly Beck, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

SKINNER'S DRIFT: A Novel, by Lisa Fugard (Scribner, $25, 0743272994) "After 10 years of self-imposed exile, Eva is returning to Skinner's Drift, her former home in South Africa, to visit her dying father, with whom she has a very turbulent and complicated relationship. Told from the point of view of many of the characters, secrets and terrors within the family and the country slowly reveal themselves in this atmospheric work." --Carol Stoltz, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA

RATTLED: A Novel, by Debra Galant (St. Martin's, $21.95, 0312349319) "I enjoyed Rattled from beginning to end -- from Heather, the suburban wife, who wants everything (including being class mom), to Harlan, the organic egg farmer, to Agnes, the protector of the endangered New Jersey rattlesnake. It's clever, suspenseful, funny, and, in the end, touching." --Pat Carstenen, Bear Pond Books of Montpelier, Montpelier, VT

WHITE GHOST GIRLS, by Alice Greenway (Grove, $13 paper, 0802170188) "White Ghost Girls is the story of Frankie and Kate, two American sisters, the daughters of a photojournalist who is covering the Vietnam War. Living with their mother in Hong Kong, they watch not only the war unfold in Vietnam, but, also, the Maoist Cultural Revolution. Greenway's descriptions of places, of feelings and emotions, of all family members are captivating." --Susan Weaver, Broad Street Books, Portsmouth, VA

HOLMES ON THE RANGE: A Mystery, by Steve Hockensmith (St. Martin's Minotaur, $22.95, 0312347804) "I wasn't sure whether a cowboy detective novel was going to work for me, but I'm mighty glad I began Holmes on the Range. Hockensmith's first novel, about a pair of cowboy sleuths inspired by Sherlock Holmes, is smart and funny, with engaging characters and snappy dialogue. Oh, and the plot's pretty darn good, too." --Billie Bloebaum, Powell's Books at PDX, Portland, OR

EVERYTHING I'M CRACKED UP TO BE: A Rock & Roll Fairy Tale, by Jen Trynin (Harcourt, $23, 0151011486) "Jen Trynin's memoir about her rock and roll ups and downs has it all -- love, sex, sleaze, and glamour. She chronicles her journey from the Next Big Thing to has-been with a refreshing lack of self-pity and plenty of offbeat asides that poke holes in inflated egos. Kudos to Jen for making it through with her soul intact and with a hell of a story to tell!" --Susan Taylor, Wellesley Booksmith, Wellesley, MA

PURSUIT: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery, by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza (Holt, $24, 0805074392) "Inspector Espinosa knows Rio de Janeiro from the top down. In this mystery, he searches for the missing daughter of a troubled psychiatrist. The middle-class Rio of apartments, corrupt police, and kidnapping fears is a vibrant backdrop to a gripping story." --Mary Muller, Market Block Books, Troy, NY

THE NIGHT JOURNAL: A Novel, by Elizabeth Crook (Viking, $24.95, 0670034770) "By weaving the tracks of the railroad during its expansion in the West through the story, Crook exquisitely brings together the risk takers involved in settling Northeastern New Mexico, whether born into the Spanish families or having ventured from the East. Secrets and passions and family legacies fulfilled and betrayed make for a saga spanning generations. A great novel to warm up with on a cold winter night." --Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books, Wichita, KS

WASHINGTON'S CROSSING, by David Hackett Fischer (Oxford, $17.95 paper, 019518159X) "This is a fascinating account by one of our most respected historians of the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware River to surprise the British troops at Trenton, New Jersey. A volume in Oxford University Press' Pivotal Moments in American History series, it won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2005." --Carole Horne, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

FICTION

THE ALCHEMIST'S DAUGHTER, by Katharine McMahon (Crown, $23.95, 0307238512)
BORROWED TIME, by Robert Goddard (Delta, $12 paper, 0385339224)
COMPANY, by Max Barry (Doubleday, $22.95, 0385514395)
DWELLING PLACES: A Novel, by Vinita Hampton Wright (Harper San Francisco, $23.95, 0060790806)
EAST VILLAGE TETRALOGY: Four Plays, by Arthur Nersesian (Akashic, $14.95 paper, 1888451858)
THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS, by Kiran Desai (Atlantic, $24, 0871139294)
MARCH, by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin, $14 paper, 0143036661)
MY LUCKY STAR, by Joe Keenan (Little, Brown, $24.95, 0316060194)
PASSAROLA RISING, by Azhar Abidi (Viking, $21.95, 0670034657)
RADICAL PRUNINGS: A Novel of Officious Advice From the Contessa of Compost, by Bonnie Thomas Abbott (Emmis, $14.95 paper, 1578602033)
THE SISTERS MORTLAND, by Sally Beauman (Warner, $24.95, 0446578193)
TIMOTHY OR, NOTES OF AN ABJECT REPTILE, by Verlyn Klinkenborg (Knopf, $16.95, 0679407286)
THE WIDOW'S WAR, by Sally Gunning (Morrow, $24.95, 0060791578)

NONFICTION

INCENDIARY CIRCUMSTANCES: A Chronicle of the Turmoil of Our Times, by Amitav Ghosh (Houghton Mifflin, $25, 0618378065)
IVAN'S WAR: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945, by Catherine Merridale (Metropolitan Books, $30, 0805074554)
PHYSICAL: An American Checkup, by James McManus (FSG, $24, 0374232024)

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

DEAD SIMPLE, by Peter James (Carroll & Graf, $25, 078671641X)
A MEAL TO DIE FOR: A Culinary Novel of Crime, by Joseph R. Gannascoli, with Allen C. Kupfer (Forge, $22.95, 0765314444)
SPURRED AMBITION, by Twist Phelan (Poisoned Pen, $24.95, 1590581474)
THE WITNESS, by Dee Henderson (Tyndale, $13.99 paper, 1414308124)