Book News

First off, this is no knock on Harry, Mary, Junie B., Judy B., Lyra, or our friends at Redwall. Ellen Mager at Booktenders Children's Bookstore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, asked for a list of individual best-selling paperback fiction not in a series.

The result is a nice mix of favorites and classics, with recent releases. I'm sure you know all these, but you might spot an old favorite that deserves new attention, or a new book you may not have read yet. (Sorry I can't separate by age groups, but you know 'em.)

Based on the last eight weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Despite last tasting gin at the age of five -- when she immediately threw it up after drinking from an unattended gin and tonic at her parents' cocktail party -- Jessica Warner long knew there was a good book to be written about the craze for drinking gin in 18th century England.

By Carl Lennertz

IMPORTANT! Before the deluge, please get me your January/February 76 nominations by Friday, November 22. Thanks!!!

Winter Kids' 76 boo-books:
I was on deadline for the Winter Kids' 76 and made too many mistakes; sorry!

Based on the last eight weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Thanks to all the stores that report, the new expanded electronic reporting options, and the software our team here has built to sort and slice a ton of data according to BISAC categories, this is the latest of many subject category lists to run in BTW each week. These are intended as inventory checking tools for booksellers, alerts to publishers as to what's selling, and lists that the media can run.

On Friday, November 1, NBC News' Today Show announced that the fifth selection of its monthly "Today Book Club" is The Clothes They Stood Up In and The Lady in the Van, by Alan Bennett (Random House paperback). Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones's Diary, chose this month's selection. Both Bennett and Fielding were guests on the morning show.

The full Winter 2002 - 2003 Children's Book Sense 76 -- with booksellers' recommendations -- has been posted at http://news.bookweb.org/read/922. The printed flier will be included in the November white box.

By Carl Lennertz

No surprise: Snicket #9 goes to #1 for us, and Bad Beginning jumps to #2. All Snicket titles in-between are in the top 50; check stock … or stacks.

Secret History, in mass market and trade, is moving up on the national list and some local lists. Mass market is 0804111359; trade is 0449911519.

Tolkein mania about to heat up; books two and three taking off again.

Sleepers to watch:

Based on the last four weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Thanks to all the stores that report, the new expanded electronic reporting options, and the software our team here has built to sort and slice a ton of data according to BISAC categories, this is the latest of many subject category lists to run in BTW each week.

These are intended as inventory checking tools for booksellers, alerts to publishers as to what’s selling, and lists that the media can run.

During the month of October, the following newspapers joined the growing list of media outlets publishing the Book Sense Bestseller lists.

The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, IA (National list)
Ravalli News, Hamilton, MT (Pacific Northwest list)
Shelbyville News, Shelbyville, IN (National list)

The fliers are on press now; 100's will go out in the November white box, and additional quantities, as in the past, will mail from the printer.

Thank you for the great recommendations!!

Carl
[email protected]

1. A HOUSE CALLED AWFUL END: Book One of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy, by Philip Ardagh; illus. by David Roberts (Holt, $14.95, 0805068287) Ages 9-12.

Based on the last eight weeks of sales from over 350 independent bookstores across America.

Thanks to all the stores that report, the new expanded electronic reporting options, and the software our team here has built to sort and slice a ton of data according to BISAC categories, this is the latest of many subject category lists to run in BTW each week. These are intended as inventory checking tools for booksellers, alerts to publishers as to what's selling, and lists that the media can run.

Andro Linklater, English author of Measuring America: How the Greatest Land Sale in History Shaped the United States (Walker), a November/December Book Sense 76 pick, is continuing a long and worthy tradition, going back at least as far as de Toucqueville, of Europeans showing their American cousins the truth and relevance of what's under their very noses.

Or, in this case, beneath our feet.

Silas House grew up in a family of storytellers. The most gifted among them was Dave Sizemore, his great-uncle. Sizemore died in 1997, and with his death, House suddenly realized that a rich and wonderful history had gone with him.

That's when House, who had had writing aspirations since childhood, finally decided to seriously pursue his own brand of storytelling.