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March/April
2002 Book Sense 76 Picks
Here are the 76 most
noteworthy new and recent books, as compiled from hundreds of recommendations
by independent booksellers across America. One bookseller's quote has been
chosen to represent each of these top vote-getters.
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| New Fiction in Paperback |
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 Afterimage
by Humphreys, Helen
(Picador, $13.00, 0312420641) "Amazing, beautiful, incredible; I can't say
enough about this novel. Humphreys has included all the things I loved about Jane
Eyre and put a twist on it, making this novel come alive, again and again.
" - Kathy Crockett, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
 Boy
Still Missing
by Searles,
John
(Perennial, $12.95, 006000780X) "It has been so long since I cared about
a character so quickly, so devotedly, so dearly. The main character will stay
with you, along with the likes of Scout and Jo and Holden, making you grin,
wince, and cheer. " - Joan Barberich, Food for Thought Books, Amherst,
MA
The
Cloud Sketcher
by Rayner, Richard
(Perennial, $14.95, 0060956135)
"From the war-torn Finnish landscape to the jazz din of 1920s New York City, a boy dreaming of skyscrapers grows into the architect that can make that vision a reality. Sweeping panoramas, twists of fate, and historical references come together to create an unforgettable reading experience. " - Tula Patterson, The Children's Corner Bookshop, Spokane, WA
 The
Diagnosis
by Lightman, Alan
(Vintage, $14.00, 0375725504) "A must read for the new millennium. Do you
feel like your life is on a treadmill and that time is an ever-dwindling commodity?
This book, if you can slow down to read it, will help you redefine what's really
important. " - Lugene Ammentorp, Village Bookstore, Menomonee Falls,
WI
 Esther
Stories
by Orner, Peter
(Mariner, $12.00, 0618128735) "Like eating a great meal or drinking a complex
wine, these stories unfold in stages. The stories are short, some only two pages,
but Orner's language and understanding reach much deeper and stay much longer.
This book reads like the beginning of a long writing career and this is the ground
floor. " - Gabriel Haman, Longfellow Books, Portland, ME
 The
Funeral Party
by Ulitskaya, Ludmila
(Schocken, $11.00, 0805211322) "In the middle of this charmingly elegant
novel is a scene that could either be the beginning of a joke or a morality tale:
A priest and a rabbi are summoned to a dying man's bed. Yet in Ulitskaya's astute
and heartfelt hand, this scene, and those surrounding it, executes deeply keen
observations into human feeling and folly with just the right sense of humor throughout.
" - Robert Sindelar, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
 Gob's
Grief
by Adrian, Chris
(Vintage, $13.95, 0375726241) "A great read. Almost all of the characters
have lost someone in the Civil War, and the portrayal of Walt Whitman is particularly
human, showing a great man from a personal standpoint. The story was compelling,
keeping me guessing at the ending right to the last page. " - Buster
Keenan, Boulder Book Store, Boulder, CO
In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden
by Cambor, Kathleen
(Perennial, $12.95, 0060007575)
"This beautifully wrought novel follows a group of characters living in the path of the great Johnstown Flood, and Cambor captures a moment in time before their lives are forever changed. " - Daniel Goldin, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Milwaukee, WI
 Kissing
the Virgin's Mouth
by Gershten, Donna
(Perennial, $11.95, 0060933585) "When Barbara Kingsolver endorses a novel
with her first Bellwether Prize for Fiction, expectations peak. Gersten delivers,
in the person of Magda Vasquez, cheeky, wise, generous survivor of a seaside barrio.
The words are kissed with a touch of magical realism. What a joy to welcome this
new writer, and to anticipate more from her! " - Cheryl McKeon, Third
Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
Lick Creek
by Kessler, Brad
(Scribner, $14.00, 0743217756)
"It is impossible not to speak of electricity when writing about this depiction of the people and landscape of 1920s West Virginia coal country. Whether the author is writing of the high-tension towers being constructed by men who wield electricity like a weapon, like magic, or of the emotions of the mountain people, powerless in so many ways, there are intense, emotional currents of love, hatred, grief, and courage running through this book. " - Bob Gray, The Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT
 Miss
Garnet's Angel
by Vickers, Sally
(Plume, $13.00, 0452282977) "Vickers manages the inconceivable: she takes
a tired theme (old teacher goes to Venice to find happiness) and makes it scintillate
with freshness and beauty. " - Will Balk, Bay Street Trading Company,
Beaufort, SC
Observatory Mansions
by Carey, Ed
(Vintage, $14.00, 0375709231)
"This brilliantly imaginative first novel is set in a grand old London mansion that has become a rooming house inhabited by a handful of eccentrics. Several strands plait themselves into Carey's amazing story. It has a strange artfulness, making it an extraordinarily satisfying hand-sell. " - Paul Ingram, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, IA
 The
Old American
by Hebert, Ernest
(University of New England Press, $15.95, 1584652136) "Set during the French
and Indian Wars, this book tells the story of a self-styled king who returns from
an Iroquois raiding party with an English captive. The weaving of the tale of
their relationship is a brilliant story. An absolutely wonderful read!" "
- Colleen Moore, 20-Mile Book Stop, Parker, CO
 Out
of the Night That Covers Me
by Devoto, Pat Cunningham
(Warner, $13.95, 0446678023) "This was my pick of the year for 2001 in hardcover.
If only Oprah would pick this! It is a magnificent story of overcoming and hope,
and there is no one who will not fall in love with this 7-year old boy. The elements
of racism, ignorance & poverty are beautifully intertwined with this brave little
boy's saga. " - Liz Murphy, The Learned Owl, Hudson, OH
 Singing
Boy
by McFarland,
Dennis
(Picador, $14.00, 0312420625) "A fascinating contemporary story about a
random act of violence. McFarland is skilled at descriptive prose, and takes
his readers on a very believable and compassionate journey into the minds and
souls of his characters. " - Lee Duffus, Bookworks, Aptos, CA
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