The November 2005 Book Sense Picks & Notables Preview

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

There are two significant deadlines approaching for the Book Sense Picks lists.

• Tomorrow, October 7, is the deadline for the December Book Sense Picks List, and
• October 14 is the deadline for the Winter Children's Book Sense List.

Both of these lists have the potential of influencing a great number of consumers during the key holiday season, but, to ensure that we can again offer a strong Book Sense offering, we really need to hear from you.

Nominations may be e-mailed to Book Sense Picks Editor-in-Chief Dan Cullen at [email protected], or they may be sent via an online nomination form at www.bookweb.org/read/6305.

Past Book Sense Picks and Notables, including the October Book Sense Notables flier and shelf-talkers, are available on BookWeb.org.

The November 2005 Book Sense Picks

1. Marley & Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog, by John Grogan (Morrow, $21.95, 0060817089) "Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Grogan tells the wonderful, heartfelt story of Marley, a dog for the ages. I laughed, I cried -- but mostly I laughed!" --Jerry Bilek, St. Olaf College Bookstore, Northfield, MN Also a Harper Audio (Abridged CD, 006082994X)

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard (Doubleday, $26, 0385507968) "This incredible and riveting account of Roosevelt's 1914 journey through the Amazon left me in awe of how much punishment a man can take and still come through a winner." --Jim Peloquin, Buckhill Bookshop, Lititz, PA Also a Random House Audio (Abridged CD, 0739323032)

The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook: Featuring More Than 1,200 Everyday Recipes From America's Most Trusted Kitchen, by the Editors at America's Test Kitchen (America's Test Kitchen, $34.95 ringbound, 0936184876) "This new cookbook is sure to become an American classic. It is a vast collection of recipes, techniques, and tip boxes. It is user-friendly and lavishly illustrated. I love it!" --Elizabeth Rainbow, Goerings Book Store, Gainesville, FL

The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr (Random House, $24.95, 0375508015) "Jonathan Harr tells the fascinating story of how Caravaggio's painting The Taking of Christ, missing for hundreds of years, was found, restored, and authenticated. I couldn't put it down!" --Carol Schneck, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI Also a Random House Audio (Unabridged CD, 0739313940)

All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: An American Misfit in India, by Rachel Manija Brown (Rodale, $23.95, 1594861390) "Rachel Manija Brown's memoir of leaving California at age seven with her parents to live in an ashram in India is a funny, tragic, unforgettable book." --Janet Brown, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA

Angel and Apostle, by Deborah Noyes (Unbridled, $24.95, 1932961100) "In this convincing sequel to The Scarlet Letter, Noyes imagines the life of Hester Prynne's illegitimate daughter, Pearl. Spooky and charged with emotion and intelligence, this novel is both old-fashioned and modern. I enjoyed it immensely." --Karen M. Frank, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

The Oxford Murders: A Mystery, by Guillermo Martinez (MacAdam/Cage, $23, 1596921501) "An Argentinean mathematician arrives in Oxford for advanced study and is enmeshed in a puzzling series of murders. Elegant and finely-tuned construction, plus intriguing mathematical clues make this an impressive debut." --Mary Muller, Market Block Books, Troy, NY

The Planets, by Dava Sobel (Viking, $24.95, 0670034460) "Sobel (author of Longitude) continues to educate, enlighten, and inspire with her latest book, a fascinating and thrilling work about the Earth and the universe around us. With the aid of mythology, Shakespeare, poetry, the Bible, astrology, music theory, cartography, and personal anecdote, she tells the story of our solar system and those who looked beyond our own world to explore it." --Herman Fong, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA Also a Random House Audio (Unabridged CD, 0739322869)

Two Lives: A Memoir, by Vikram Seth (HarperCollins, $27.95, 0060599669) "What begins as memoir segues into an unforgettable dual biography of Seth's German aunt Henny and her husband, 'Shanti Uncle.' As Seth gets to know this unforgettable London couple, his narrative branches into twin tales of two fascinating lives lived before, during, and after WWII in India, Germany, and London. A work of astonishing scope and originality." --Betsy Burton, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT Also a Harper Audio (Abridged CD, 0060878940)

Between Two Worlds: Escape From Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam, by Zainab Salbi and Laurie Becklund (Gotham, $26, 1592401562) "Zainab Salbi has written a moving story of her life within Saddam Hussein's chosen circle, her escape to an arranged but disastrous marriage in America, and her forging of a new life in the founding of the nonprofit organization, Women for Women International." --Jan Owens, Millrace Books, Farmington, CT Also A Tantor Media Audio (Unabridged CD, 1400101808)

The Arms of God: A Novel, by Lynne Hinton (St. Martin's, $24.95, 0312347952) "Why would a mother abandon her four-year-old daughter, only to reappear 30 years later, three weeks before her own death? Hinton's latest novel relates the complex story of Olivia Jacobs. The turbulent times and well-developed characters create a story that touches the heart." --Linda Walonen, Bay Books, San Ramon, CA

Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Global Videogame Revolution, by Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby (Algonquin Books, $24.95, 1565123468) "Chaplin and Ruby offer a rousing history of videogames and a fascinating look at how videogames and human life interweave, from the U.S. military's use of videogames for recruitment to Sims creator Will Wright's musings on the future of thinking machines." --Dan Blask, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA

Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke, by Peter Guralnick (Little, Brown, $27.95, 0316377945) "Following his two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Peter Guralnick has written another magnificent book about a rock 'n' roll legend. Guralnick captures Sam Cooke and his times, along with a fascinating array of personalities who parade through this masterpiece of a biography." --John Barton, BookPeople, Austin, TX

Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar, by Edvard Radzinsky, Antonina Bouis (Trans.) (Free Press, $35, 074327332X) "Filled with fascinating information about the intellectual and political life of the Russian Empire in the late 19th century, this biography pulls together all the strands of Russian history that led, just 30 years after Alexander's assassination, to the end of the empire." --Karen Keyte, Books Etc., Falmouth, ME

A Wedding in December: A Novel, by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown, $25.95, 0316738999) "Anita Shreve's latest novel is an expertly crafted story of high school friends reunited for a wedding weekend that is full of passion, sorrow, and surprises. This fabulous novel is impossible to put down until the last page has been turned!" --Dawn C. Donovan, Armchair Bookstore, Dennis, MA Also a Time Warner Audio (Unabridged CD, 159483086X)

The Amphora Project, by William Kotzwinkle (Grove, $23, 0802118038) "The desire to live forever seems to be pretty common, especially among the rich and powerful of any sentient species. There are lots of sentient species in this wildly cinematic comic space opera, along with the usual assortment of lovable rogues, evil villains, aliens, heroes, sirens, robots, and bugs. Kotzwinkle's understanding of the universality of human foibles powers his very successful and very funny novel." --Russ Harvey, Cody's Books, Berkeley, CA

Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, by Laila Lalami (Algonquin, $21.95, 1565124936) "Everyone should read this book. Laila Lalami has forced me to look into the eyes of each of her characters -- four Moroccans illegally crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in an inflatable boat headed for Spain, trying to get to what they believe is a better life." --Lois Powers, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH

Son of a Witch: A Novel, by Gregory Maguire (Regan Books, $26.95, 0060548932) "Wicked fans rejoice! Gregory Maguire is back with a great novel that answers a lot of those burning questions we had after finishing Wicked. Just like its predecessor, Son of a Witch looks at story you thought you knew and makes it new and original." --Kathleen E. Raymond, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Memphis, TN Also a Regan Books Audio (Unabridged CD, 0060829206)

Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, by Joshua Wolf Shenk (Houghton, $25, 0618551166) "This is one of the most thought-provoking books of the season. Shenk invites us to reflect on how Lincoln's dark thoughts gave him great personal strengths, strengths he may not have enjoyed in today's Prozac'ed nation." --Steven Fidel, Powell's City of Books, Portland, OR Also a Highbridge Audio (Unabridged CD, 1598870041)

Fondling Your Muse: Infallible Advice from a Published Author to the Writerly Aspirant, by John Warner (F&W Publications, $19.99, 1582973482) "This is by far the best book about writing I have ever read! John Warner is a true genius and should receive every award (and then some), and lots of money, too." --Stacy LaVres, Northern Lights Books & Gifts, Duluth, MN

The November Book Sense Notables Preview

Fiction

THE COLOR OF LAW: A Novel, by Mark Gimenez (Doubleday, $19.95, 0385516738)

EVE GREEN: A Novel, by Susan Fletcher (Norton, $13.95 paper, 0393327981)

FLEDGLING: A Novel, by Octavia E. Butler (Seven Stories, $24.95, 1583226907)

THE GOLD OF THE SUNBEAMS: And Other Stories, by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay (Arcade, $23, 1559707771)

THE GREAT STINK, by Clare Clark (Harcourt, $25, 0151011613)

MISSION TO AMERICA: A Novel, by Walter Kirn (Doubleday, $23.95, 038550764X)

MUSIC THROUGH THE FLOOR: Stories, by Eric Puchner (Scribner, $24, 0743270460)

SEVEN LIES: A Novel, by James Lasdun (Norton, $23.95, 0393057542)

SHANTARAM: A Novel, by Gregory David Roberts (Griffin, $14.95 paper, 0312330537)

SLOW MAN: A Novel, by J.M. Coetzee (Viking, $24.95, 0670034592)

Nonfiction

BEETHOVEN: The Universal Composer, by Edmund Morris (Eminent Lives/HarperCollins, $21.95, 0060759747)

CURSE OF THE NARROWS: The Halifax Disaster of 1917, by Laura M. Mac Donald (Walker, $26, 0802714587)

I REMEMBER RUNNING: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted -- and ALS, by Darcy Wakefield (Marlowe & Company, $21, 1569243530)

I, WABENZI: A Souvenir, by Rafi Zabor (FSG, $26, 0865475830)

LENNON REVEALED, by Larry Kane (Running Press, $29.95, 0762423641)

TIME WAS SOFT THERE: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co., by Jeremy Mercer (St. Martin's, $23.95, 0312347391)

THE TWELVE LITTLE CAKES: A Memoir, by Dominika Dery (Riverhead, $15 paper, 1594481393)

Mystery and Suspense

EVIL INTENT, by Kate Charles (Poisoned Pen, $24.95, 1590582004)

Cooking

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME: Culinary Catastrophes From the World's Greatest Chefs, edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman (Bloomsbury, $24.95, 1596910704)

SOME LIKE IT HOT: Spicy Favorites From the World's Hot Zones, by Clifford A. Wright (Harvard Common Press, $18.95 paper, 1558322698)