The July 2005 Book Sense Picks and Notables Preview

Here is the full listing of the July Book Sense Picks, with booksellers' comments, as well as a preview of July Book Sense Notables. Independent booksellers in the Book Sense program will be receiving their Picks fliers in the June Red Box.

Looking ahead, June 10, is the deadline for nominations for the August Book Sense Picks list. Nominations may be sent to Book Sense Picks Editor-in-Chief Dan Cullen at [email protected] or via the convenient online nomination form at www.bookweb.org/read/6305.

1. SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN: A Novel, by Lisa See (Random House, $21.95, 1400060281) "Lisa See's new book -- which takes place in 19th-century China -- is wildly imaginative, and completely, spectacularly mesmerizing. Her two primary characters are each wonderful, each flawed, and each has a singular voice that nevertheless serves as voice for millions of women for centuries." --Melissa Mytinger, Cody's Books, Berkeley, CA Also a Random House Audio (Abridged CD, 0739319817)

THE TRAVELER: A Novel, by John Twelve Hawks (Doubleday, $24.95, 038551428X) "The Traveler is a fascinating blend of mysticism, conspiracy theory, and martial arts. I loved it! Fans of The Da Vinci Code and The Matrix won't be able to put this one down. I read the novel in one sitting, staying up past midnight to finish. I can't wait for the sequel!" --Linda Barrett Knopp, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC Also a Random House Audio (Unabridged CD, 0739320467)

AS LONG AS THE MOON SHALL RISE, by Ellen Moore Anderson (Ed.) (Holy Cow! Press, $24.95, 0930100948) "This visually and intellectually satisfying book is a compilation of art and observations about the moon. Editor Ellen Moore Anderson has brought together sources as varied as children's nursery rhymes to observations by astronauts, poets, and philosophers. Each section is illustrated by beautiful art collected from all around the world." --Linda Walonen, Bay Books, San Ramon, CA

THE DEVIL'S TEETH: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks, by Susan Casey (Holt, $25, 080507581X) "What other creature than a great white shark can inspire such a mix of awe, fascination, and primeval fear? Casey thrusts you into the world of shark researchers fighting nature, bureaucracy, and tourism profiteers to advance our knowledge of these largely unknown creatures." --Rosemary Pugliese, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC Also a Random House Audio (Abridged CD, 0739320440)

TO THE POWER OF THREE, by Laura Lippman (Morrow, $24.95, 0060506725) "Gripping from start to finish, Lippman mesmerizes the reader with her disturbingly sharp portrayal of the competitive and cruel world of middle and high school, the haves and the have nots, and the unexpected consequences of our actions." --Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, RI Also a Harper Audio (Abridged CD, 006078492X)

FREDDY AND FREDERICKA: A Novel, by Mark Helprin (Penguin Press, $27.95, 1594200548) "Freddy, Prince of Wales, is so intelligent, educated, and undeniably 'royal' that his every action is hapless. Sent on a quest to reclaim the American colonies for the Crown, this intrepid conqueror and his wife, Fredericka, learn what it means to rule and to serve in Helprin's truly hilarious satire." --Joe Foster, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, CO Also a Recorded Books Audio (Unabridged CD, 141933591X)

MORE BOOK LUST: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason, by Nancy Pearl (Sasquatch Books, $16.95 paper, 1570614350) "In a sequel to Book Lust, Nancy Pearl gives us more compulsive reading! Now I have even more books on my pile!" --Jo Ann VanReenen, Nonesuch Books & Cards, Saco, ME

LOCKED ROOMS: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, by Laurie R. King (Bantam, $24, 055380197X) "Another winner from Laurie King. This time Sherlock gets equal billing with Mary Russell as they visit San Francisco to delve into the secrets of Mary's past. This series just keeps on getting better!" --Karen Beem, Newtown Bookshop, Newtown, PA Also a Recorded Books Audio (Unabridged CD, 1419335154)

PERFECTLY REASONABLE DEVIATIONS FROM THE BEATEN TRACK: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman, edited by Michelle Feynman, foreword by Timothy Ferris (Basic, $26, 0738206369) "This collection of letters written by the eminent physicist Richard P. Feynman is warm, funny, and very human. I got a much different view of the man than I had from previous books, as he becomes a much more human figure." --Mark Hough, Browsing Bison Books, Deer Lodge, MT Also a Recorded Books Audio (Abridged CD, 141934322X)

HIDE AND SEEK: A Novel, by Clare Sambrook (Canongate, $21, 1841956538) "Sambrook's novel is a heartwrenching view of the loss of a sibling and its debilitating effects on family. Told with clarity, this is a beautiful narrative." --Meaghan Leenaarts, Island Bookstore, Corolla, NC

THE ICON: A Novel, by Neil Olson (HarperCollins, $24.95, 0060748389) "How caught up in our religious beliefs we are! Were the icon's powers real or just the old man's superstitions? The reader follows the icon through war, different countries, and generations, witnessing miracle healings and strange deaths, all in the wake of attempts to possess it. A great read!" --Rita Ryan, Armchair Books, Pendleton, OR Also a Harper Audio (Abridged CD, 0060766883)

ALIBI: A Novel, by Joseph Kanon (Holt, $26, 080507886X) "When Adam Miller visits his widowed mother in Venice in 1946, he finds her on the brink of what he concludes will be a disastrous marriage. His suspicions trap Adam, and the woman with whom he falls in love, in a vicious web of murder and deceit. The story is as breathtaking as the setting of post-World War II Venice. Not to be missed." --Barbara Hoagland, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT Also an Audio Renaissance Audio (Abridged CD, 159397759X)

BLOOD ATONEMENT: A Dahlgren Wallace Mystery, by Jim Tenuto (Lyons Press, $21.95, 1592286135) "Dahlgren Wallace is a fly-fishing guide near Bozeman, Montana, who works for a media mogul landowner. He gets in deep water when a Mormon businessman is killed while Wallace has him out for an afternoon of fly-fishing. Stir in an FBI agent, a local militia gang, and the cattlemen's association and you have a rollicking good yarn." --George Rishel, The Sly Fox, Virden, IL

LORD BYRON'S NOVEL: The Evening Land, by John Crowley (Morrow, $25.95, 0060556587) "How do I describe this story within a story within a story? The Byronic novel that Crowley creates is delicious in itself, and he has wrapped around it the story of two fathers and two daughters from two different time periods -- their estrangements and reconciliations (of sorts). It's a fabulous creation." --Lois Powers, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH

TENNEY'S LANDING: Stories, by Catherine Tudish (Scribners, $24, 0743267672) "Tudish's collection of stories about life in a small village in Virginia is skillfully balanced, giving the reader the feeling that she is reading about old friends. This chronicle of the lives of a delightful cast of characters is a book that begs to be discussed in your book club." --Andra Tracey, Out Word Bound, Indianapolis, IN

OH PURE AND RADIANT HEART, by Lydia Millet (Soft Skull, $25, 1932360859) "Three atom bomb pioneers are yanked from the desert while they're watching the first deadly mushroom cloud bloom and are deposited in contemporary Santa Fe. They are discovered by Ann, a librarian who defies her own sense of reality to help the thermonuclear trio confront their collective legacy. This is at once a big-idea novel as well as a surprisingly intimate and compelling portrait of human beings wrestling with conflicts both global and personal." --Bob Gray, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

HOW EVAN BROKE HIS HEAD AND OTHER SECRETS: A Novel, by Garth Stein (Soho, $25, 1569473900) "Meet Evan: Former guitar player for a one-hit-wonder rock band, he lives life from one seizure to the next until he endeavors to raise the 14-year-old son he meets for only the second time at the funeral of his high school love. I couldn't put this book down." --Colin Rea, University of Oregon Bookstore, Eugene, OR

BASEBALL ... THE PERFECT GAME: An All-Star Anthology Celebrating the Game's Great Players, Teams, And Moments, by Josh Leventhal (ed.) (Voyageur Press, $29.95, 0896586685) "With a stellar list of contributors, this book covers the history of the game and some of its notable stars. This compilation of writing and photos is sure to please any fan." --Peg Predergast, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ

I RIGHT THE WRONGS: A Misdemeanor Man Novel, by Dylan Schaffer (Bloomsbury, $23.95, 1582345066) "Gordon Seegerman is the front man for the greatest Barry Manilow cover band in the world. Now, just as they are about to hit it big -- playing in Las Vegas for The Man himself -- Gordon's been assigned a case that looks like it might derail his plans." --Megan O'Bryan, Scott's Bookstore, Mount Vernon, WA

NIGHT SWIMMING: A Novel, by Robin Schwarz (Warner, $13.95 paper, 0446694584) "If you've ever wanted to be someone else, you'll love following this weight-challenged bank employee as she robs her boss and leaves Gorham, New Hampshire, for Hollywood and a succulent, juicy life that has nothing to do with endless Magnum P.I. reruns or gorging on chocolate." --Holly Doering, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, WA

Fiction

THE ATHENA FACTOR, by W. Michael Gear (Forge, $24.95, 0765311666)
BROKEN VERSES, by Kamila Shamsie (Harvest, $14 paper, 0156030535)
IDIOTS: Five Fairy Tales and Other Stories, by Jakob Arjouni, Anthea Bell (Other Press, $19, 1590511573)
LIGHT OF DAY, by Jamie M. Saul (Morrow, $24.95, 0060747528)
ME AND ORSON WELLES, by Robert Kaplow (Penguin, $13 paper, 0143035223)
MOTHERS AND OTHER MONSTERS, by Maureen McHugh (Small Beer Press, $24, 1931520135)
MOUNTING DESIRE, by Nina Killham (Bloomsbury, $22.95, 1582345015)
NOVEL, by George Singleton (Harcourt, $24, 0151011281)
THE POET OF LOCH NESS, by Brian Jay Corrigan (Thomas Dunne Books, $23.95, 0312329318)
THE SUMMER WE GOT SAVED, by Pat Cunningham Devoto (Warner, $23.95, 0446576964)
THE WONDER SPOT, by Melissa Bank (Viking, $24.95, 0670034118)

Nonfiction

DECADE OF THE WOLF: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone, by Douglas W. Smith, Gary Ferguson (Lyons Press, $23.95, 159228700X)
THE LADY AND THE PANDA: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China's Most Exotic Animal, by Vicki Croke (Random House, $25.95, 0375507833)
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, by Blair Tindall (Atlantic, $24, 0871138905)
MY MOTHER'S EYES: Holocaust Memories of a Young Girl, by Anna Ornstein, Stewart Goldman (Emmis, $20, 1578601452)RATS: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants, by Robert Sullivan (Bloomsbury, $14.95 paper, 1582344779)

Mystery/Suspense

DANCE OF DEATH, by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Warner, $25.95, 0446576972)
HOUR OF THE CAT, by Peter Quinn (Overlook, $25.95, 1585675970)
ONE SHOT, by Lee Child (Delacorte, $25, 0385336683)
STEALING WITH STYLE, by Emyl Jenkins (Algonquin, $22.95, 1565124456)