The Full May/June 2003 Book Sense 76

1. SIXPENCE HOUSE: Lost in a Town of Books, by Paul Collins (Bloomsbury, $23.95, 1582342849) "Alternately cuddly and curmudgeonly, Collins takes us on a picaresque tour of Hay-on-Wye, the celebrated 'Town of Books' on the Welsh border. He indulges in discourses and inspired rants on books, bookselling, writing, and myriad differences between Britain and America, and he's always entertaining." --Joe Pilla, Paperbacks Plus, Bronx, NY

2. A KISS FROM MADDALENA: A Novel, by Christopher Castellani (Algonquin Books, $23.95, 1565123891) "This is a touching story of love and war. Castellani's description of the small Italian towns makes me want to go there even more. The story brings the reader into the lives of those just trying to survive the war and illustrates how hard it was not knowing what was happening to their loved ones. Can Vito and Maddalena's love overcome war and tradition? It will keep you guessing until the end." --Dina Matson, Book Garden, Lake City, MN

3. GETTING MOTHER'S BODY: A Novel, by Suzan-Lori Parks (Random House, $23.95, 1400060222) "Getting Mother's Body has at its center the wild and beautiful Willa Mae Beede. Her dying wish was to be buried with her big diamond ring and her long string of pearls, and, now that the ground where Willa Mae rests is about to be turned into a supermarket, a whole gaggle of family members, and others, are making the journey to Arizona to dig her up and claim the jewels as their own. The novel is told from the points of view of nearly a dozen characters, each as quirky as you'd want them to be." --Linda Urban, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA Also a Random House Audio (Unabridged CD, 0739302973)

4. CRESCENT: A Novel, by Diana Abu-Jaber (Norton, $24.95, 039305747X) "Combining the mystery and exoticism of The God of Small Things with the poetic nuance of Garcia Marquez, Crescent is delicately sensuous and gripping from beginning to end. It's a multidimensional love story infused with the aromatic scents of the Middle East. This is a novel that will please even those who don't think they like love stories. There is a rare sense of effervescence about the writing -- Abu-Jaber's prose is exquisite." --Steven Fidel, Powell's City of Books, Portland, OR Also a HighBridge Audio (Abridged cassette, 1565117735)

5. FATAL FLAW, by William Lashner (Morrow, $24.95, 0060508167) "This book grabs you from the very first page. Suspenseful to the end -- a real page-turner! I am recommending this to everyone who enjoys Grisham, Meltzer, or Coben. I know that my customers will enjoy this book as much as I did." --Lee Musgjerd, Lee's Book Emporium, Glasgow, MT Also a HarperAudio (Abridged cassette, 0060556447)

6. THE TRUE ACCOUNT: A Novel of the Lewis & Clark & Kinneson Expeditions, by Howard Frank Mosher (Houghton, $24, 0618197214, June) "Mosher's very American tall tale chronicles the quixotic adventurer True Teague Kinneson's epic race to beat Lewis and Clark to the Pacific. Full of flamboyant characters and outrageous deeds, The True Account honors Cervantes and Twain in spirit and style, minting a fresh folk hero from the vein that produced Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. The True Account is humorous, heroic, and expansive of horizon and heart." --Jean Matthews, Chapter One Book Store, Hamilton, MT

7. NO SECOND CHANCE, by Harlan Coben (Dutton, $24.95, 0525947299) "I thought I could read just a chapter or two before bed, but, no, I stayed up all night to finish the book. How does he do it? As always, his book is gripping and smart." --Elizabeth Cook, Emerson and Cook Book Co., Old Saybrook, CT Also a Penguin Audio (Unabridged cassette, 014280018X)

8. SIGNAL & NOISE: A Novel, by John Griesemer (Picador, $26, 0312300824) "This is a good, dense historical novel with extraordinary characters. The laying of the transatlantic cable in the 1850s and 1860s provides an interesting story, which is only part of the pleasure of reading this book. There's a lot going on and Griesemer is a terrific writer to tell the story." --Susan Porter, Maine Coast Book Shop, Damariscotta, ME

9. EAT CAKE: A Novel, by Jeanne Ray (Crown, $19.95, 060961004X, May 27) "Eat Cake presents, with warmth and clarity, a snapshot of you and your neighbors -- lives pulled between elderly parents and sullen teens, bills, and midlife searching. You will laugh out loud, and you'll pass this book on to everyone you know in this same boat. The 'cake' Ray whips up is warm, and a comfort food for what ails us!" --Jenn Fontaine, Book Rack and Children's Pages, Essex Junction, VT Also a Brilliance Audio (Unabridged cassette, 1590860845)

10. SHUTTER ISLAND: A Novel, by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow, $25.95, 0688163173) "Lehane follows up his break-through novel, Mystic River, with his first work set completely in the past. It is 1954, and two U.S. marshals are summoned to Ashcliffe Hospital on Shutter Island to track down an escaped patient. The deeper the investigation moves, the more horrific the revelations about the nature of treatments at Ashcliffe. A frightening window on the darkness always threatening to seep from the human soul." --Todd Morgan, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Oakland, CA Also a HarperAudio (Unabridged cassette, 0060554142)

CUP OF COFFEE: The Very Short Careers of Eighteen Major League Pitchers, by Rob Trucks (Smallmouth Press, $18 paper, 1588480399) "The title is the expression to signify a major league player who was only in the spotlight long enough to grab a quick cup. Rob Trucks interviewed and wrote about 18 major league pitchers with very short careers. A neat gift for Father's day or graduation." --Michael Davis, The Alabama Booksmith, Birmingham, AL

THE ROAD TO COOPERSTOWN: A Father, Two Sons, and the Journey of a Lifetime, by Tom Stanton (Thomas Dunne Books, $24.95, 0312303505, June) "Stanton explains the history of Cooperstown in a fascinating manner and describes the heroes of baseball with so much passion that one can't help but be swept up in the enjoyment of the game. An excellent choice for Father's Day!" -- Connie Geverink, Chesterfield Books, Chesterfield, MI

CLUBLAND: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture, by Frank Owen (St. Martin's, $24.95, 0312287666) "The depths of depravity depicted in this book were horrifying, yet utterly fascinating. I was astounded by the abandonment of morals not only by the trendy club kids and their thuggish backers, but also by law enforcement. A frightening and fantastic world I was unable to turn away from." --Julia Willis, Vista Book Gallery, Boise, ID Also available from Audio Renaissance (Abridged cassette, 1559278749)

GEARHEADS: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports by Brad Stone (Simon & Schuster, $14 paper, 0743229517) "This is a great description of the personalities behind robotic combat events. I don't know if I should put this book in my history, business, humor, biography, or science section. It has all of these wrapped up in several incredible tales." --Scott Yanke, Scott's Books, Delano, MN

IN THE WAKE OF MADNESS: The Murderous Voyage of the Whaleship Sharon, by Joan Druett (Algonquin, $24.95, 1565123476) "Even men inured to abuse have their limits. Three crewmen on a whaling voyage, left aboard with their vicious captain while the rest of their shipmates are off chasing whales, attack and dismember him. Two of the ship's officers, as disgruntled as their underlings, document this unsettling tale as it unfolds, keeping track of the captain's latest victims in their journals and logs and in letters to their families. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this is a fascinating and compelling read." --Kathy Ashton, The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT Also a HighBridge Audio (Unabridged cassette, 156511762X)

KRAKATOA: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883, by Simon Winchester (HarperCollins, $25.95, 0066212855) "What a story! The second Big Bang (the explosion was heard 2,968 miles away) meets its perfect storyteller. The result is a compulsively readable mix of history, geology, religion, and earth-shattering goings-on." --Tom Campbell, The Regulator Bookshop and Café, Durham, NC Also a HarperAudio (Unabridged cassette, 0060530669)

REEFER MADNESS: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market, by Eric Schlosser, (Houghton Mifflin, $23, 0618334661) "In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser got people to see what many had thought but had not been able to articulate. He does this again, and more, in Reefer Madness -- digging deep and making compelling connections as to how the seldom-measured underground economy really works. Schlosser shows more fully, by numbers and by personal stories, how the larger economy -- and this country -- really work. Bravo -- again!" --Rick Simonson, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA Also a Simon & Schuster Audio (Unabridged cassette, 0743530195)

A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, by James Frey (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $22.95, 0385507755) "A Million Little Pieces, James Frey's unflinching memoir of drug and alcohol addiction and recovery, is one of the most gripping and effective personal memoirs ever written on the subject. A deep reflection of a dark and uncertain time that deserves to be read." --Russ Harvey, Cody's Books, Berkeley, CA Also a HighBridge Audio (Abridged cassette, 1565117786)

A ROUND-HEELED WOMAN: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance, by Jane Juska (Villard, $23.95, 1400060117) "Just reading the personal ad on the cover of this memoir will intrigue you, I'm sure. But this book is so much more than a romp for an older woman -- it's a touching portrait of her evolution as a woman and a thoughtful reflection on relationships and love. I'm 32, and I found this to be truly engaging. It's an ageless issue." --Amanda Tobier, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA

IN THE SHADOW OF MEMORY, by Floyd Skloot (Univ. of Nebraska Press, $26.95, 0803242972) "In 1988, Floyd Skloot, essayist, poet, and fiction writer, was stricken with a brain virus, which took much of his memory, his sense of balance, and his ability to use numbers. He was left with the job of constructing a new personality. In the Shadow of Memory is his collection of essays written since the 'insult.' Fortunately, the virus did nothing to his prose and nothing to his sense of self as a writer, which makes his harrowing, joyful transformation a pleasure to read." --Paul Ingram, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, IA

METRO STOP DOSTOEVSKY: Travels in Russian Time, by Ingrid Bengis (North Point, $24, 0865476721) "This witty memoir of Bengis' five extended trips to Russia between 1991 and 1995 has the personable charm and spontaneity of letters from a friend. Her discovery of Dostoyevsky's city accompanies the end of a relationship, major surgery, and, finally, closes a family circle when she brings her failing mother back to the country she fled long before." --Laurie Greer, Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C.

PERSEPOLIS: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon, $17.95, 0375422307) "A unique memoir of a riotous young girl in 1980s Iran. The bittersweet illustrations, consuming dialogue, and historically enlightening narration all reveal a childhood that was ordinary and tumultuous at once. Satrapi dots her story with a beautiful childlike whimsy while making her readers acutely aware of her unquenchable thirst for Iran's freedom, peace, and justice." -- Mary Martiniak, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: A Memoir in Books, by Azar Nafisi (Random House, $23.95, 0375504907) "This is a stunning book of a group of women in Tehran who meet secretly to read works of Western literature during the reign of Khomeni. Jane Austen, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald become their escape from a government that treats them as meaningless and, at times, evil beings. All concerned women should read this book. You'll never be quite the same again." --Marianne Pardoe, Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough, NH

ALL HONEST MEN: The Story of J. Willis Newton and America's Most Successful Outlaw Gang by Claude Stanush and Michele Stanush (Permanent Pr., $28, 1579620841) "J. Willis Newton and his three brothers were fascinating characters who came of age in the sharecroppers world of early 20th century Texas and went on to steal more money from banks and trains than Jesse James, the Daltons, and Butch Cassidy put together, including the biggest train robbery in U.S. history -- a $3 million heist. All Honest Men is a picture of the times and the portrait of a colorful, if lawless, family whose endearing qualities of loyalty, hard work, love, and humor cannot be overlooked." --Susanna Nawrocki, The Twig Book Shop, San Antonio, TX

ANOMALIES: A Novel, by Joey Goebel (MacAdam/Cage, $22, 193156129X) "A story of five very quirky characters -- from an eight-year-old troubled child to an 80-year-old sex-crazed grandma and a sexy Satan worshiper who is in a wheel chair. Or is she? Joey Goebel has created a story that is just what every nonconformist and closet nonconformist needs to read!" --Beth Plattner, Fishing With Your Mind, Walker, MN

BAY OF SOULS: A Novel, by Robert Stone (Houghton Mifflin, $25, 0395963494) "Robert Stone's Bay of Souls probes intensely into the psychological depth of the reader's mind and consciousness. Reading with a thriller-like pace, the spirits of the words beat with a wildness that captures the reader's imagination -- almost to the point of hallucination. Through character, language, and plot, Robert Stone's drums beat a breath of life that's trying to find sanity." --John Evans, Lemuria Bookstore, Jackson, MS

THE BOBBY GOLD STORIES, by Anthony Bourdain (Bloomsbury USA, $19.95, 1582342334) "This book harkens back to those '40s noir stories, but it has an edge. Enjoyable and scary." --Cledra White, Chapter 11, Atlanta, GA

THE BOOK OF DEAD BIRDS: A Novel, by Gayle Brandeis (HarperCollins, $23.95, 0060528036) "A beautifully written story of strong women told with humor and sympathy. In an attempt to become closer to her mother, Ava Sing Lo joins a rescue effort to save birds in the Salton Sea. This is a unique story that shows the universal emotions between women and the bonds of mothers and daughters across cultures and generations." --Luisa Smith, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

THE BOOK OF SALT: A Novel, by Monique Truong (Houghton, $24, 0618304002) "This extraordinary, utterly original novel is narrated by a young, gay Vietnamese man who is banished from his homeland and who ends up in Paris in the 1920s, taking a job as a cook in the famous literary household of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Suffused with intelligence, wit, and sensuality, this is a novel to be savored -- every sentence contains a treasure." --Mary Benham, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

BRILLIANT: A Novel, by Marne Davis Kellogg (St. Martin's, $24.95, 0312303475) "Brilliant! What a sexy, luscious novel. Enter the world of people remaking themselves into what they want to be, and popping up in an established auction house in England. Who is what they appear to be? With the elegant descriptions of the wine, the food, and the jewels, you'll want to curl up with this luxurious read until the climax." --Mary Burns, The BookWorks, Marysville, WA

CREATION: A Novel, by Katherine Govier (Overlook Press, $24.95, 1585674109) "A thoughtful novel about an undocumented period in the life of John James Audubon. On a specimen-gathering voyage from Newfoundland to Labrador in the summer of 1833, Audubon meets a British naval officer, Captain Henry Wolsey Bayfield. Each man is engrossed in his life's work of creation, and their relationship and the wild coast allow Govier to explore various themes, in a seafaring adventure for the thinking reader." --Alice Wygant, Midsummer Books, Galveston, TX

THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB: A Novel, by Alisa Valdés-Rodriquéz (St. Martin's $24.95, 0312313810) "This is a spicy menudo of Latina life. Readers share the lives of a group of girlfriends, their confidences, joys, and sorrows. With far more depth than most 'chick novels,' Dirty Girls offers a clear view of a culture, well-drawn characters, and lots of fun. Highly recommended." --Rita Moran, Apple Valley Books, Winthrop, ME Also available from Audio Renaissance (Abridged cassette, 1559278773)

ELEANOR AND ABEL: A Romance, by Annette Sanford (Counterpoint, $22, 1582432732) "This is a wonderful, charming story about spinster Eleanor Bannister, a retired teacher quite set in her ways and happy to live alone, until she meets a traveling man, Abel Brown, who fixes her leaky roof and changes her life. I just loved the idea of finding love when you thought it had passed you by." --DeDe Teeters, Armchair Books, Port Orchard, WA

HEART, YOU BULLY, YOU PUNK: A Novel, by Leah Hager Cohen (Viking, $23.95, 0670031674) "Leah Hager Cohen has that rare ability to describe a thing, a person, a situation in such a jolting and true way that it will make you wish that your mind crystallized the world as hers does. That's just one of the joys of Heart, You Bully, You Punk -- you'll have to discover the rest for yourself!" --Jen Reynolds, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH

THE HOUSE IN MOROCCO: A Novel, by Rosalind Brackenbury (Toby Press, $19.95, 1902881761) "I found myself engrossed in the story of Sarah, an American journalist who travels to Morocco, in part, to sleuth out facts of an earlier visit by her mother that ended in mysterious disgrace. Brackenbury allows a foreign culture to reveal itself to us as it does so to Sarah." --J.L. Thoma, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA

HUNGER: A Novel, by Elise Blackwell (Little, Brown, $16.95, 0316738956) "This slender, spare novel shows the horrible moral dilemmas confronted by those struggling to survive. During the siege of Leningrad, a group of scientists pledge to protect, no matter what the human cost, a collection of rare seeds. As famine spreads, one scientist explores the heartbreaking consequences." --Tripp Ryder, Carleton College Bookstore, Northfield, MN

THE KITE RUNNER: A Novel, by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, $24.95, 1573222453, May 29) "A beautifully written and powerful personal story blended with the cultural riches of Afghan society and the crushing effects of the Soviets and the Taliban rule." -- Danielle Freeman, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, CO Also a Simon & Schuster Audio (Unabridged cassette, 0743530233)

THE LIGHT OF DAY: A Novel, by Graham Swift (Knopf, $24, 0375415491) "Few authors have the ability to juggle so impressively elements of philosophy, suspense, history, narrative, and crises of the heart as does Graham Swift. The central character is a private investigator who waits for the woman he loves to be released from prison. This is, in essence, a metaphysical detective story, where the crime, the victims, and the consequences are frozen and suspended, viewed as if through a prism by the story's most artful sleuth -- its author." --Jamie Kornegay, Square Books, Oxford, MS Also a HighBridge Audio (Unabridged cassette, 1565117662)

LONG FOR THIS WORLD: A Novel, by Michael Byers (Houghton Mifflin, $24, 039589171X) "This first novel takes a rare and heartbreaking childhood disease and shows us how life is both fragile and brimming with promise. What could have been a serviceable medical thriller becomes, in this talented writer's hands, a moving elegy to family and humanity." --Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

MONKEY HUNTING: A Novel, by Cristina Garcia (Knopf, $23, 0375410562) "Monkey Hunting is the story of a Chinese man who emigrates to the New World. Chen Pan signs a contract to work, not in the American West, but in Cuba, where he finds himself enslaved in the sugarcane fields. The book tells of his eventual rise as a successful businessman, and of the stories of two of his descendants, a granddaughter living in Maoist China and an American great-grandson fighting in Vietnam. A richly engaging novel." --Karen Robertson, Twenty-Third Avenue Books, Portland, OR

ON THE NATURE OF HUMAN ROMANTIC INTERACTION: Stories, by Karl Iagnemma (Dial, $22.95, 0385335938) "This award-winning collection of short stories is overflowing with imagination, wisdom, and literary talent. I cannot stop rereading (four times now) the story 'The Phrenologist's Dream,' a provocative story set in the 19th century telling of how a young con-woman beats a phrenologist at his own game by stealing his heads as well as his heart." --Timothy Huggins, Newtonville Books, Newton, MA

SLEEP TOWARD HEAVEN: A Novel, by Amanda Eyre Ward (MacAdam/Cage, $24, 1931561230) "This is a book that grabbed me from the get-go. Amanda Eyre Ward wraps her tale around the lives of three very different women who converge, by different paths, on death row. The characters and their stories create a composite that unflinchingly views the magnitude of the effects the death penalty spreads. While in a sense a crime novel, this deep character study really belongs in fiction." --Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, AZ

STAR OF THE SEA: A Novel, by Joseph O'Connor (Harcourt, $25, 0151009082) "This is the ginsu knife of sea fiction, and a great tale of the sea. But, wait, there's more! It's a satisfying romance that was just meant to be. But, wait, order now and get the who-dunit thrown in absolutely free! Joseph O'Connor proves his worth in a well-written adventure tale. Operators are standing by." --Dave Kaverman, The Million Story Book Company, Fort Wayne, IN

SWEETWATER: A Novel, by Roxana Robinson (Random House, $24.95, 037550916X) "Robinson weaves timely environmental issues and fascinating facts about nature into the story of a widow trying marriage again. Her complex and realistic characters captivated me, and I appreciated being reminded with subtlety the ways in which we unconsciously hurt our planet and its inhabitants." --Katrina Denza, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC

TROUBLE WITH GIRLS: Stories, by Marshall Boswell (Algonquin, $22.95, 1565123441) "Boswell's Bildungsroman is quintessentially American and his protagonist, beginning at age 14, is one of the most charming characters one is likely to meet in contemporary fiction. This novel-made-of-stories is a little Fitzgerald, a little Salinger, and a little Updike, all seasoned with a Southern sensibility that is unique and totally satisfying." --Corey Mesler, Burke's Book Store, Memphis, TN

TWELVE TIMES BLESSED: A Novel, by Jacquelyn Mitchard (HarperCollins, $25.95, 0066214750) "This tale of widowed entrepreneur True Dickinson rings with relevance, from her angst at reaching her 43rd birthday to her passion for a much younger man, from family issues with her preteen son and her embittered mother to the ups and downs of her business and company associates. In the end, True's perseverance leads us to raise a gallant cheer." --Jeanne Anderson, Dark Horse Books, Driggs, ID Also a HarperAudio (Unabridged cassette, 0060534710)

A VISIBLE DARKNESS, by Jonathon King (Dutton, $23.95, 0525947140) "A Visible Darkness was awesome. I couldn't put it down! I loved the characters and setting. It's as good as Thomas Perry, James Lee Burke, and Kathy Reichs. This is a great read!" --Jonathan Platt, Nonesuch Books & Cards, South Portland, ME

MONKEEWRENCH, by P.J. Tracy (Putnam, $23.95, 0399149783) "This is one of the best, most exciting thrillers I've read in a very long time. It features likeable (but odd) computer geeks, a small town sheriff and his deputy, and a big city police force. With an excellent plot, this book grabs you from the first word!" --Susan Wasson, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM

SUCKER BET, by James Swain (Ballantine, $21.95, 0345461754) "Tony Valentine, former Atlantic City cop, now catches crooks for the casinos. He's a professional consultant the casinos hire to find hustlers, and to keep the problems from happening again. When he's hired by a casino in Florida with a problem at its blackjack tables, Tony finds the case exploding around him, dealers end up dead, gators (live) are stuffed in his car, and a ukulele-playing primate with a really bad temper keeps Tony on his toes." --Megan Scott O'Bryan, Scott's Bookstore, Mt. Vernon, WA Also a Random House Audio (Abridged cassette, 0739303716)

DRIFT: A Novel, by Manuel Luis Martinez (Picador, $14, 0312309953) "What a rush! On the surface of the page, obscenities and menacing escapades of teenage excess meant to hold back the pain, and, laying beneath the words, a torrent of 'anger, anguish and love' of a 16-year-old Mexican-American boy struggling to put his broken family and life back together. Here is the triumph of transforming pain into hope." --Nooy Bunnell, Wellesley Booksmith, Wellesley, MA

THE GRASSHOPPER KING: A Novel, by Jordan Ellenberg (Coffee House Press, $14, 1566891396)"A very funny, laugh-out-loud funny at times, novel that has a very serious point to make as well as an interesting, complex storyline. I love fictional poets, and fictional Eastern European countries, so a fictional Eastern European poet, especially a hilariously grumpy, hostile, and untalented one, was just my cup of tea." --Caleb Wilson, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Nashville, TN

NAÏVE. SUPER: A Novel, by Erlend Loe (Tor Ketil Solberg, trans.) (Canongate, $13, 1841952516) "This novel is a phenomenon. A 25-year-old Norwegian man gives up everything he owns and decides to figure out the meaning of it all while house sitting for his brother. I am now convinced that I know what it felt like for the lucky generation that read Catcher in the Rye right when it first hit the bookstores." --Jules Morstein III, BookPeople, Austin, TX

SOMEBODY'S KNOCKING AT MY DOOR: A Novel, by Francis Ray (Griffin, $13.95, 0312307349) "The main characters in this novel, Rafe and Kristen, were presented in an earlier book, The Turning Point. Now, they take center stage in a tempestuous relationship that keeps us alternately rooting for them and wondering what can possibly bring them back together." --Donna Cressman, Maxwell Books, De Soto, TX

SOUTHLAND: A Novel, by Nina Revoyr (Akashic Books, $15.95, 1888451416) "A young woman trying to fulfill her late grandfather's request discovers some hard truths about her family in this superb mystery novel. Set partly during the Watts Riots, Southland skillfully portrays a once thriving community torn apart by economic decline and violence." --Karen Maeda Allman, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA

BY THE LAKE: A Novel, by John McGahern (Vintage Books, $14, 0679744029) "We experience a year in the everyday lives of the Ruttledges, Kate and Joe, who have moved back from London, from advertising to farming. An elegiac novel, reflective of an Ireland that is fast disappearing, for good or for bad. " --Carla Cohen, Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C.

THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION: A Novel, by Peter Cameron (Plume, $14, 0452284309) "Cameron's writing is elegant and economical, and this tale of how we avoid or confront life's choices may be his best yet. Please try this!" --Hester Jeswald, Sarasota News & Books, Sarasota, FL

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED: A Novel, by Jonathan Safran Foer (HarperPerennial, $13.95, 0060529709) "Foer's writing displays not only bold invention, but also a freshness and an honest humor that seems rare to me in contemporary fiction. There's something of Pynchon here, but more intimate, a hint of Philip Roth's strength of voice, but more lighthearted. Foer creates tension between kinds of moods as easily as he does between the distinct narrative courses of this novel." --Michael F. Russo, St. Mark's Bookshop, New York, NY

MY LIFE IN HEAVY METAL: Stories, by Steve Almond (Grove, $12, 0802140130) "'Run Away, My Pale Love' is one of the strongest short stories I've ever read. My Life in Heavy Metal reads much like a great rock album plays: Almond is solid from cover to cover." --Mike Larrivee, Burke's Book Store, Memphis, TN

OXYGEN: A Novel, by Andrew Miller (Harvest, $14, 0156027402, June) "Two brothers with much to resolve come together due to the impending death of their mother. Read it with someone in the room, as you will want to share passages out loud. Writing as intoxicating as pure oxygen." --Terry Whittaker, Viewpoint Books, Columbus, IN

PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES: A Novel, by Alison Clement (Washington Square Press, $13, 0743453522) "Lucy is young, pretty, newly married to a rich farmer … and obsessed with handsome Billy, new guy in town with no future. She's also bright, funny, and mean, and there's snappy writing about good ol' boys, strange family members, and bigotry. An outstanding first novel." --Cheryl Maze, OSU Bookstore, Corvalis, OR

RIVER THIEVES: A Novel, by Michael Crummey (Mariner, $13, 0618340718) "A tightly drawn plot, strong characters precisely located in a distinct place and time, worthy themes of justice and good intentions where civilizations clash. All of which might mean little if it weren't for the terrific writing: page after page of fresh images worthy of a poet author." --Terry Flynn, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA

THE SOLACE OF LEAVING EARLY: A Novel, by Haven Kimmel (Anchor, $13, 1400033349) "This novel is terrific. I love these characters for having absorbed literature and philosophy, and then remembering it as they tried to make sense of their lives and others. Flawed as they were, so many of the characters were so good and lovable." --Diane Leslie, Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA

THE SPEED OF LIGHT: A Novel, by Elizabeth Rosner (Ballantine, $12.95, 0345442253) "Rosner's writing is poetic and haunting. Told from the points of view of three characters, who are both wounded and as quirky, their stories of love, loss, and survival are beautifully woven. I thought about this book constantly; in fact, I still am. The story stays with you." --Kelsey Hammond, Kepler's Books, Menlo Park, CA

THREE JUNES: A Novel, by Julia Glass (Anchor, $14, 0385721420) "The characters are so real and wonderful, I miss Fenno and Fern, and the children, the brothers, and the wives. I loved how the author captured each individual voice and gave them life."--Calvin Crosby, Books Inc., San Francisco, CA

UNDRESSING THE MOON: A Novel, by Tammy Greenwood (Griffin, $13.95, 0312303270) "Piper was abandoned by her mother at 14, and, now, at 30, is dealing with breast cancer. Sounds like the ingredients for a sentimental bath of a novel, right? Wrong! This is a lyrical and poetic work about regret and realization; sad, yes, but it's an engrossing and ultimately satisfying reading experience from a novelist who is one of our favorites." --Donna Urey, White Birch Books, North Conway, NH

UNLESS: A Novel, by Carol Shields (Fourth Estate, $13.95, 0007154615) "Carol Shields has done it again, with unconventional structure, fine writing, and captivating characters. This novel about a woman's struggle for identity in a male-dominated world is perfect for fans of vintage Atwood and Piercy." --Nancy Quinn, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Milwaukee, WI

COMPLICATIONS: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande (Picador, $13 paper, 0312421702) "Atul Gawande, a surgical resident and staff writer for The New Yorker, has turned out an honest, objective, and incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking book on the 'imperfect science' of medicine. Way more than a book for the doctor or to-be, Complications lays out the humble world of medicine that we rely on -- and perhaps, too often, forget is a world of humans -- warts and all." --Jenny Lawton, Just Books, Greenwich, CT

HAMLET'S DRESSER: A Memoir, by Bob Smith (Scribner, $14 paper, 0684852705) "Ultimately, Bob Smith's memoir is about how seemingly insignificant characters and events in Shakespeare's plays resurrect precious remembrances of people and events in real life, and how these memories bring joy and surprise to those remembering moments lived long ago." --Roxanne Coady, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT

PAGAN BABIES: And Other Catholic Memories, by Gina Cascone (Washington Square Press, $12 paper, 0743453271) "Cascone's book is really funny, blending a child's 'innocent-eye' view of her experiences in a Catholic girls' school with an adult's wry evaluation of the unintentional absurdities to which fervor gives rise. A good read at the right time." --Katherine Kearns, Depot Bookstore & Cafe, Mill Valley, CA

THINGS YOU GET FOR FREE, by Michael McGirr (Grove, $13 paper, 0802140009) "A Jesuit priest and his mother leave Australia for a European holiday. Warm, witty, wise, and wonderful are these musings on faith, family, friends, and assorted strangers. A charming tale of trials and travels." --Margaret Poppe, Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL

WATCHING MOVIES: The Biggest Names in Cinema Talk About the Films That Matter Most, by Rick Lyman (Times Books, $14 paper, 0805070982) "Why not ask eminent film people to watch any movie of their choice and to record their comments as they're watching? The fascinating results include Steven Soderbergh on All the President's Men and Woody Allen on Shane (surprised you) is worth the price of admission all by itself." --Lansing Sexton, Olsson's Books & Records-Metro Center, Washington, D.C.