 |
September/October
2001 Book Sense 76 Picks
Unique and provocative selections from a great diversity of voices...all personally recommended by the independent booksellers of America.
|
|
| The Top Ten Vote-Getters |
|
Peace Like a River
by Enger, Leif
(Atlantic Monthly, $24.00, 087113795X)
"What a book! I was captivated from page one. His pitch-perfect prose is a pleasure to read, and his imaginative storytelling took me through the whole range of human emotion. Peace Like a River deserves a huge audience, it's that good. I eagerly look forward to its arrival so we can begin the delightful task of finding a readership for this really extraordinary (and really fun) novel." - Mark LaFramboise, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC
American
Gods
by Gaiman,
Neil
 (William
Morrow, $26.00, 0380973650) "Gaiman's new book is spectacular. He updates
ancient myths into perfectly reasonable modern incarnations. His take on the
question of what happens to gods when their followers no longer believe in them
is fascinating, and the ending is so, so right. Gaiman has finally come into
his own in what may well be one of the best books this year, fantasy or otherwise."
- Peggy Hailey, Book People Bookstore, Austin, TX
Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems
by Collins, Billy
(Random House, $22.00, 0375503803)
"I was at the end my rope on a really ratty day when I opened up this book, read the first part, and smiled and said 'Thank you.' This is poetry that rolls up its sleeves and does the job it's supposed to do, which is, namely, to make me feel better and give me hope and, above all, to 'fill the saucer of my heart with milky admiration.'" - Andy Lacher, BookStacks, Bucksport, ME
Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
by Brooks, Geraldine
(Viking, $25.95, 067091021X)
"What a stunning book. The fascinating story of a small town in England in 1666 that gets hit with The Plague is beautifully told by one of the women of the town who has lost her whole family. Now, with the help of the rector's wife, she helps to care for the town's dying people. I haven't read a novel this good in a long time." - Sue Boucher, Lake Forest Books, Lake Forest, IL
 Ava's
Man
by Bragg,
Rick
(Knopf, $25.00, 0375410627) "Bragg does it again! This book made me want
to write my own family history, but the emotions I felt while reading Ava's
Man made me realize that Rick Bragg has already written every family's story,
no matter what generation or circumstance you come from. A perfect follow-up
to All Over but the Shoutin' and an absolutely amazing read."
- Candy Ailstock, Hawley-Cooke Booksellers, Louisville, KY
About the Author
by Colapinto, John
(HarperCollins, $25.00, 0060194170)
"This mystery about a 'borrowed' manuscript, a lie and the cover-up, and the price of fame is a roller coaster ride! Just when you think you've reached the last curve there's another dip that takes the breathe out of your lungs and puts a knot in your stomach." - Donna Kane, Powell's Books, Portland, OR
 Blue
Diary
by Hoffman, Alice
(Putnam, $24.95, 0399148027)
"Beginning with how well can you really know another person and, then, how well do you know yourself, this is the tale of a tragedy and the array of emotions that ensue. It is a compelling read and although I found it somewhat sad and sinister, it is ultimately uplifting and very life-affirming." - Carrie Sutherland, J.W. Beecroft Books and Coffee, Superior, WI
Corrections,
The
by Franzen,
Jonathan
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.00, 0374129983) "Both a poignant family saga
and a harshly funny omnibus of contemporary culture, Franzen's new novel chronicles
the declining fortunes of the Lamberts with great sophistication and compassion.
A powerful story of generational conflict and the messy humanity of those on
both sides." - Sacha Arnold, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
 Noonday
Demon, The: An Atlas of Depression
by Solomon,
Andrew
(Scribner, $28.00, 068485466X) "A dynamite book. Hugely important and long
overdue! Thank you, Andrew Solomon, for tackling this subject. It has made a
difference to me and will for many others." - Debra Grady, Micawber
Books, Princeton, NJ
Grand
Complication, The
by Kurzweil,
Allen
(Hyperion, $24.95, 0786866039) "I loved the library jargon and the assembly
of characters who spouted therewith. I loved Jesson's fussy anal-neuroticism
combined with his lovely control-freak qualities. I loved each and every pun.
(I was particularly fond of 'out-of-cite-out-of-mind.') Sixty chapters in 360
pages. How cool." - Doug Dutton, Dutton's Brentwood Books, Los Angeles,
CA
|
|
Top