The June 2006 Book Sense Picks & Notables Preview

May 04, 2006

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

May Notables fliers and shelf-talkers, featuring booksellers' comments, are now also available in PDF format on BookWeb's Picks page.

1. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS: A Novel, by Sara Gruen (Algonquin, $23.95, 1565124995) "For her latest novel, Sara Gruen has chosen a wonderfully captivating setting, the gritty and complex life of a 1930s traveling circus. She creates a balance of unforgettable characters and a compelling storyline that engages both imagination and emotion. This is a unique and enjoyable book that will stay with you for a long time." --Hilary Vonckx, Queen Anne Books, Seattle, WA

THE WHISTLING SEASON: A Novel, by Ivan Doig (Harcourt, $25, 0151012377) "Doig has given us a wonderful novel of a widowed father and his three sons living on the Montana frontier in 1909 who hire a housekeeper from Minnesota. Memorable characters and a vivid portrayal of how a one-room schoolhouse unifies a rural community are just some of the facets of this flawlessly crafted novel." --Stephen Grutzmacher, Passtimes Books, Sister Bay, WI

CITY OF SHADOWS: A Novel of Suspense, by Ariana Franklin (Morrow, $24.95, 0060817267) "Germany after World War I was a country of strong emotions and beliefs, where many were caught in the crossfire. Franklin's story conveys fear, passion, and greed, and includes a tantalizing Russian thread, a scam, and a serial killer woven into the plot. Gripping." --Becky Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA

STUART: A Life Backwards, by Alexander Masters (Delacorte, $20, 0385340001) "Alexander Masters discovers a homeless man named Stuart parked on the fringe of society. Over the course of many encounters, Stuart reveals his life story in a deeply disturbing, lucid, and profound way. Often funny, at times painful, this is ultimately a revelation about how it feels to be lost and found."  -- Geoffrey B. Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS

THE GOOD GOOD PIG: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood, by Sy Montgomery (Ballantine, $21.95, 0345481372) "Sy Montgomery's heartfelt story of Christopher Hogwood -- the black-and-white pig she and her husband raised from a runt to a 750-pound adult -- made me feel as if Chris was a friend of mine, too. His loving, joyful legacy will live on in the memories of everyone who reads this book." --Sandy Johnson, The Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, VT

CROWS OVER THE WHEATFIELD: A Novel, by Adam Braver (Morrow, $24.95, 0060782323) "From the tragic opening scene of an accident on a New England road to the uncovering of Van Gogh's secrets in Auvers, France, this is a haunting novel about truth, morality, and art, full of suspense and artful design. It's a story you will find impossible to put down -- and impossible to forget." --Sue Woodman, A Novel Idea, Bristol, RI

LOVE IN THE PRESENT TENSE: A Novel, by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Flying Dolphin Press, $21.95, 0385518005) "This novel is told in alternating voices of single, teenage mother Pearl; her young son, Leonard; and their neighbor Mitch. Pearl loves her son fiercely and does all in her power to protect him. However, one day she doesn't return home, and, as Mitch's and Leonard's lives unfold together, we are moved by their stories and their capacity to triumph over adversity." --Julie Borgan, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

BACK TO WANDO PASSO: A Novel, by David Payne (Morrow, $24.95, 0060851899) "Back to Wando Passo is a trip to the past and a haunting love story set during the Civil War era of slavery. At the same time, another love story is playing to the tunes of rock 'n' roll in the present. You won't forget this novel's characters or setting." --Karen Briggs, Great Northern Books and Hobbies, Oscoda, MI

FUN HOME: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel (Houghton, $19.95, 0618477942) "Alison Bechdel, cartoonist/author of the long-running Dykes to Watch Out For shares some of her own story in this graphic novel-style memoir about an icy New England family whose patriarch has a very big secret." --Karen Maeda Allman, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA

THE WHOLE WORLD OVER: A Novel, by Julia Glass (Pantheon, $25.95, 0375422749) "If we are lucky, a novel will resonate with our minds and, possibly, even with our souls -- and, if we are really lucky, with the entirety of the human condition. This is such a book, a fiercely character-driven novel with the contrasting settings of New York, Northern California, Maine, and New Mexico, and with quite a few kitchens and even more meals prepared throughout. Julia Glass has created characters you will have no choice but to fall in love with as they gracefully intertwine with tension, strength, and fallibility." --Calvin Crosby, Books Inc., San Francisco, CA

THE KING OF LIES: A Novel, by John Hart (St. Martin's Minotaur, $22.95, 031234161X) "Jackson Workman Pickens is a down-and-out defense attorney marking time in a profession chosen for him by an overbearing and successful father, who has since disappeared. When 'Work' becomes a suspect in that disappearance, he is hesitant to clear himself since doing so would leave his sister in the law's crosshairs. A riveting and wrenching mystery." --Betsy Burton, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT

THE PALE BLUE EYE: A Novel, by Louis Bayard (HarperCollins, $24.95, 0060733977) "A retired investigator is called in to investigate the death and grisly mutilation of a cadet at West Point. When he chooses as his assistant the cadet Edgar Allan Poe, both of them uncover secrets that could lead to their undoing -- or death. A beautiful, suspenseful, and surprising work of art!" --Carol Schneck, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

WIDDERSHINS, by Charles de Lint (Tor, $27.95, 0765312859) "Bits of song, folklore, and history are wound in with fresh and timely storylines and characters in Widdershins, de Lint's latest offering, in which a 'broken girl' and her musician friends struggle against foes from other realities and from their own past." --Eric Robbins, Apple Valley Books, Winthrop, ME

MOCKINGBIRD: A Portrait of Harper Lee, by Charles J. Shields (Holt, $25, 080507919X) "Readers have been waiting decades for this respectful, in-depth look at the author of the most widely read American novel of the 20th century. Six hundred interviews, years of research, and Shields' straightforward writing have brought us the biography of the year." --Jake Reiss, The Alabama Booksmith, Birmingham, AL

THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL, by Amy Hempel (Scribner, $27.50, 0743289463) "Amy Hempel's snippets of life are clean, direct, insightful, and simple, with a cutting honesty that is simultaneously piercing and reassuring. This new volume compiles nearly three decades of work and solidifies her status as a master of contemporary American fiction." --Kelly Heese, Village Books, Bellingham, WA

LET ME FINISH, by Roger Angell (Harcourt, $25, 0151013500) "In this moving series of autobiographical essays, Angell reflects on a rich, full life and looks back on his long career at The New Yorker, as well as the careers of his mother and stepfather, Katherine and E.B. White, at that same magazine. He also provides enchanting accounts of growing up in New York during the 1930s, his military career in World War II, and his love of baseball, movies, reptiles(!), and martinis. An undeniably witty and charming work." --Joe Murphy, Olsson's Books & Records, Washington, DC

MAYFLOWER: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking, $29.95, 0670037605) "This is a wonderfully written account of the Pilgrim's first years, moving from England, to Holland, to America. With careful research and his amazing ability to weave a good story, Nathaniel Philbrick brings the Pilgrims' story to life." --Vicky Uminowicz, Titcomb's Bookshop, East Sandwich, MA

THE HAIKU APPRENTICE: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan, by Abigail Friedman (Stone Bridge, $14.95 paper, 193333004X) "Abigail Friedman weaves a journey of self-discovery with the art of haiku. Wrapped in images of plum blossoms, fragrant baths, calligraphy brush strokes, and silence, her story struggles with the mysterious subtleties of both life and 'the poem.' She inspires the reader to embark on the solo trip, 'down that narrow road, to the interior' and to wake up to life. Hurrah!" --Amy Carlson, A Book for All Seasons, Leavenworth, WA

SONG OF THE CROW: A Novel, by Layne Maheu (Unbridled, $23.95, 1932961186) "This is the story of Noah, from a crow's point of view. Maheu's debut novel is full of richness and flavor -- I felt as if I had been turned into a crow for an all-too-brief amount of time." --Ellen Perry, Browsing Bison Books, Deer Lodge, MT

THE SECRET RIVER, by Kate Grenville (Canongate, $24, 1841957976) "This novel is a perceptive and masterful portrayal of the lives of some of Australia's earliest European settlers, and their gradual acclimation to the great strangeness of this new land and its original people. The clash between the old and new worlds is elegantly conveyed, as is that between the native Australians and the settlers." --Georgiana Blomberg, Magnolia's Bookstore, Seattle, WA

Fiction

APATHY AND OTHER SMALL VICTORIES, by Paul Neilan (St. Martin's, $17.95, 0312351747)
DON'T I KNOW YOU?, by Karen Shepard (Morrow, $23.95, 0060782374)
A LONG WAY DOWN, by Nick Hornby (Riverhead, $14 paper, 1594481938)
MY LATEST GRIEVANCE, by Elinor Lipman (Houghton, $24, 0618644652)
NOW IS THE HOUR, by Tom Spanbauer (Houghton, $26, 0618584218)
SLIPSTREAM, by Leslie Larson (Shaye Areheart, $23.95, 0307337995)
TELEGRAPH DAYS, by Larry McMurtry (Simon & Schuster, $25, 0743250788)
VISIGOTH: Stories, by Gary Amdahl (Milkweed, $15.95 paper, 1571310517)

Nonfiction

CANCER MADE ME A SHALLOWER PERSON: A Memoir in Comics, by Miriam Engelberg (Harper Paperbacks, $14.95 paper, 0060789735)
CASTING WITH A FRAGILE THREAD: A Story of Sisters and Africa, by Wendy Kann (Holt, $23, 0805079564)
FLAVOR OF THE MONTH: Why Smart People Fall for Fads, by Joel Best (University of California Press, $19.95, 0520246268)
FLOOR SAMPLE: A Creative Memoir, by Julia Cameron (Tarcher/Penguin, $24.95, 1585424943)
HEAT: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, by Bill Buford (Knopf, $25.95, 1400041201)
AN INFINITY OF LITTLE HOURS: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order, by Nancy Klein Maguire (Public Affairs, $26, 1586483277)
PENNSYLVANIA WILDS: Images From the Allegheny National Forest, by Ed Bernik (Photos), Lisa Gensheimer (Story) (Forest Press, $39.95, 0977065707)
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS: True Stories, by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin's, $23.95, 0312315961)
ROUGH CROSSINGS: Britain, the Slaves, and the American Revolution, by Simon Schama (Ecco, $29.95, 006053916X)
TIGER FORCE: A True Story of Men and War, by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss (Little, Brown, $25.95, 0316159972)

Mystery/ Suspense

MANHATTAN NOIR, edited by Lawrence Block (Akashic, $14.95 paper, 1888451955)
NICOTINE KISS: An Amos Walker Novel, by Loren D. Estleman (Forge, $23.95, 0765312239)

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