The June 2005 Book Sense Picks and Notables Preview

May 05, 2005

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

Looking ahead, tomorrow, May 6, is the deadline for nominations for the July Book Sense Picks list. It's not too late to send nominations to Book Sense Picks Editor-in-Chief Dan Cullen at dan@booksense.com or via the convenient online nomination form at www.bookweb.org/read/6305.

1. THE HISTORIAN: A Novel, by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown, $25.95, 0316011770) "History and intrigue are the foundations of this dark and wonderful novel, a scary and beautiful story about a dark quest for Dracula. Taking the reader all over Europe, The Historian mixes history with fantasy and creates a chilling literary thriller." --Luisa Smith, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA Also available as a Time Warner Audio (Abridged CD, 1594830371)

DARK HARBOR, by David Hosp (Warner, $24.95, 044657693X) "This story is a taut, gripping mystery that grabs you from the opening and doesn't ease up. Hosp does a great job of conveying Boston and its wide variety of neighborhoods. This is a satisfying thriller in the finest tradition of the genre." --Karen Keyte, Books Etc., Falmouth, ME Also available as a Recorded Books Audio (Unabridged CD, 1419333402)

ZORRO: A Novel, by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, $25.95, 0060778970) "A swashbuckling tale of a legend as we follow our hero from California to Spain and back, learning how he became the infamous Zorro. With her usual flair, Allende takes us back in history to a time and place where intolerance and greed compete head to head with great honor and justice." --Kendra Vachon, Front Street Book Shop, Scituate Harbor, MA Also available as a Harper Audio (Unabridged CD, 006078959X)

THE THIRD SECRET: A Novel of Suspense, by Steve Berry (Ballantine, $24.95, 0345476131) "This provocative thriller -- a compelling story of Vatican intrigue, Marian apparitions, and church secrets -- is nothing short of miraculous! Only a blessed few writers could take so much factual material and spin it into a suspenseful novel. This is the next great read that fans of The Da Vinci Code have been praying for." --Joe Drabyak, Chester County Book & Music Company, West Chester, PA Also available as a Random House Audio (Abridged CD, 0739320084)

IF YOU LIVED HERE, I'D KNOW YOUR NAME: News From Small-Town Alaska, by Heather Lende (Algonquin, $23.95, 1565123166) "A sometimes sad, sometimes laugh-out-loud homage to the author's Alaskan town, this wonderful debut is filled with well-written anecdotes about daily life in a remote region. Lende's love for Haines, Alaska, and the warmth of her writing makes me want to visit!" --Jennifer Malinowski, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

FREAKONOMICS: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Morrow, $25.95, 006073132X) "Levitt delves into topics as far-reaching as how and when sumo wrestlers cheat, why drug dealers often still live at home with their moms, and how Roe v. Wade is linked to the crime drop of the 1990s. Freakonomics challenges conventional wisdom and makes for fun reading." --Will Peters, Annie Bloom's Books, Portland, OR Also available as a Harper Audio (Unabridged CD, 0060776137)

THE PRACTICE OF DECEIT: A Novel, by Elizabeth Benedict (Houghton, $23.95, 0618563717) "A smart, sexy, subtle, suburban thriller that pits a sensitive-guy psychologist against a scheming lawyer who, not coincidentally, happens to be his wife." --Joyce Gray, Mitchell Books, Fort Wayne, IN

THE NIGHT GARDEN: A Novel, by Pamela Holm (MacAdam/Cage, $23, 1596921188) "Pamela Holm weaves a truly lovely story of love and lust. Her characters struggle through the seasons of true love, single parenthood, and the therapy of working a garden. The Night Garden is heartbreakingly real." --Beth Plattner, Fishing With Your Mind, Walker, MN

COVER THE BUTTER: A Novel, by Carrie Kabak (Dutton, $23.95, 0525948767) "By turns funny and thought provoking, this is a poignant and clever tale of a woman's coming of age. As Kate Cadogan finds her own voice after 20 years of marriage, we want to embrace her as a dear friend and offer encouragement. Enjoy this original new voice!" --Connie Geverink, Chesterfield Books, Chesterfield, MI

POCKETFUL OF NAMES: A Novel, by Joe Coomer (Graywolf, $24, 1555974236) "Coomer creates characters as rough and as changing as the Maine coast itself in this novel of solitude interrupted, unexpected emotions, and intrigue. The ups and downs of the inhabitants and visitors to this island off the coast of Maine will keep the reader riveted until the last page. Perfect literary summer reading!" --Meganne Fabrega, RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH

SABBATH NIGHT IN THE CHURCH OF THE PIRANHA: New and Selected Stories, by Edward Falco (Unbridled, $13.95 paper, 1932961054) "What a bargain! Sixteen great stories for a mere $13.95. Edward Falco is a great writer who deserves some serious attention. I look forward to selling this collection, and I will be going back to read his earlier work." --Jerry Bilek, St. Olaf College Bookstore, Northfield, MN

PEOPLE I WANTED TO BE: Stories, by Gina Ochsner (Mariner, $12 paper, 0618563725) "Ochsner's stories are aching, graceful, and filled with meanings their characters misinterpret, from the lady who mistakes a city worker's 'Yield' sign for a political statement to the alcoholic, failed nun, who is unable to recognize her chance at redemption." --Dan Blask, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA

THE LITTLE GUIDE TO YOUR WELL-READ LIFE, by Steve Leveen (Levenger Press, $17.50, 1929154178) "Not so much a book about what to read as it is full of wonderful advice on how to become a passionate reader. I thank Steve Leveen for telling wanna-be readers that it's perfectly okay to give up on a book if it doesn't grab you by page 50. Goodbye, reader's guilt! Hello, book love!" --Ken Favell, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Brookfield, WI

COMPANY MAN, by Joseph Finder (St. Martin's, $24.95, 0312319169) "For Nick Conover, a good 'company man,' who only wants what's best for his family and his company, life is just beginning to descend into a nightmare. I'm going to read lots more from Joseph Finder." --Pam Headrick, A Thirsty Mind, Lakeway, TX Also an Audio Renaissance Audio (Unabridged CD, 1593975953)

ON BULLSHIT, by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton University Press, $9.95, 0691122946) "A delicate, wry, and witty treatise on a subject that, until now, has been slippery at best. From the Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton University." --Georgia Lewis, Powell's Books, Portland, OR

THE THACKERY T. LAMBSHEAD POCKET GUIDE TO ECCENTRIC & DISCREDITED DISEASES, Edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Mark Roberts (Bantam, $14 paper, 0553383396) "This is a seriously addictive and certainly insane sampling of imaginary illnesses from a collection of cutting-edge science fiction authors. Warning: Do not read this book while driving or operating heavy machinery as it may cause dangerous guffaws." --Lisa Wright, Oblong Books and Music, Millerton, NY

THEY POURED FIRE ON US FROM THE SKY: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan, by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak, with Judy Bernstein (PublicAffairs, $25, 1586482696) "The story of three of Sudan's Lost Boys and their heroic flight to escape the violence and bloodshed of their home. Driven from refugee camp to village to city, they struggled to stay alive in desparate poverty and disease. Ironically, their journey of several years brought them to America on September 11, 2001." --Jaci Hanna, That Bookstore in Danville, Danville, PA

THE BRIGHT FOREVER: A Novel, by Lee Martin (Shaye Areheart Books, $23, 1400097916) "A nine-year-old girl rides off on her bike to return a library book and disappears, setting off a series of events that involves the entire town. Martin populates his novel with people who are typically ordinary, but it is his prose and his exact attention to the nuances of the human soul that bring these folks to life. Do not miss this stunning book!" --Robert Segedy, Branch's Chapel Hill Bookshop, Chapel Hill, NC

HUNTING UNICORNS: A Novel, by Bella Pollen (Atlantic, $13 paper, 0802142087) "An American journalist goes to England to film Britain's upper classes and finds crumbling country estates and their eccentric owners. This is a sharp, funny novel about finding love and family secrets. Very enjoyable!" --Rochelle McKown, The Raven Bookstore, Lawrence, KS

A YEAR IN THE MERDE, by Stephen Clarke (Bloomsbury, $22.95, 1582345910) "This hilarious and good-natured pseudo-chronicle of the life of a Briton in France will have readers laughing out loud.  When you're not laughing with him, you're sure to be laughing at him, but rest assured, you will be laughing." --Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, RI Also an Audio Renaissance Audio (Abridged CD, 1593977557)

Fiction

BANGKOK TATTOO, by John Burdett (Knopf, $24, 1400040450)

BREATH AND BONES, by Susann Cokal (Unbridled, $23.95, 1932961062)

MARGARETTOWN: A Novel, by Gabrielle Zevin (Hyperion, $21, 1401352421)

THE NANNY MURDERS, by Merry Jones (Thomas Dunne Books, $23.95, 0312330383)

O MY DARLING, by Amity Gaige (Other Press, $22, 1590511743)

THE ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL, by Betsy Carter (Algonquin, $23.95, 1565124499)

SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE, by Kyra Davis (Red Dress Ink, $17.95, 0373895194)

TABLE FOR FIVE, by Susan Wiggs (Mira, $19.95, 0778321673)

TOKYO CANCELLED, by Rana Dasgupta (Grove/Black Cat, $13 paper, 0802170099)

THE WRITING ON THE WALL: A Novel, by Lynne Sharon Schwartz (Counterpoint, $24, 1582432996)

Nonfiction

CONFLUENCE: A River, The Environment, Politics, and the Fate of All Humanity, by Nathaniel Tripp, foreward by Howard Dean (Steerforth, $21, 1586420887)

THE FINAL FRONTIERSMAN: Heimo Korth and His Family, Alone in Alaska's Arctic Wilderness, by James Campbell (Atria, $25, 0743453131)

THE LOBSTER COAST: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier, by Colin Woodard (Penguin, $15, 0143035347)

PIANO GIRL: Lessons in Life, Music, and the Perfect Blue Hawaiian, by Robin Goldsby (Backbeat Books, $22.95, 0879308249)

SHADOW DIVERS: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II, by Robert Kurson (Random House Trade Paperbacks, $14.95 paper, 0375760989)

THIRTEEN AND A DAY: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah Across America, by Mark Oppenheimer (FSG, $23, 0374106657)

TO SEE EVERY BIRD ON EARTH: A Father, a Son, and a Lifetime Obsession, by Dan Koeppel (Hudson Street Press, $24.95, 1594630011)

Mystery and Suspense

THE LOCH, by Steve Alten (Tsunami Books, $27.95, 0976165902)

RUNNING DARK: A Woods Cop Mystery, by Joseph Heywood (Lyons Press, $19.95, 1592286178)

Cooking

GOOD DAY FOR A PICNIC: Simple Food That Travels Well, by Jeremy Jackson (Morrow Cookbooks, $22.95, 0060726806)

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