Kids at the Beach!

Boost your child's beach-centric excitement by reading them a picture book about…the beach!!

  Plus!

• Not Your Typical Travelogue
  From Alaska to Angola, the mighty ocean to the open road, these titles will enthrall you -- and inspire you.
• Summer Love
  Captivating page-turners for the romantically inclined!
• Jay Steele: Bookseller, Webmaster...and Poet
  Left Bank Books employee Jay Steele won the BookSense.com poetry slam held in L.A. and hosted by poet Saul Williams.
• Career Success: Read All About It!
  You're sure to find inspiration here!
  
• Gardening
  These books will have you mentally and physically prepared for a spring full of sunny days spent digging, weeding, watering, and mulching!
• Mysterious Women
  Marvelous mysteries written by women, featuring women characters who are savvy, surefooted, and cannot resist the lure of a whodunit.
• Career Success: Read All About It!
  You're sure to find inspiration here!
• April is National Poetry Month!
  What better time to immerse yourself in verse than when Spring, love, and lovely words are in the air?
• Home Design: Be Inspired!
  Have you decided your abode needs a makeover?
• Women's History Month
  Read about women -- past and present -- for whom "making history" is not just an abstract concept.
• Fantastic Fantasy
  Take captivating journeys into mysterious, distant lands and strange worlds with the latest in modern fantasy.
• Black History Month for Adults and Kids!
  Read all about past and contemporary African-American culture.
• Jingle Books!
  Check out this season's best holiday-themed picture books.
  
• First Fiction
  Ever wonder how it all started for some of your favorite big-name authors?
• Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving
  We've got yet another side dish for your delectable Thanksgiving meal: a fine selection of holiday-themed books!
• Books on Film: Fall and Winter 2002
  Frodo, Harry, sentient planets, space pirates, orchid collectors, the Civil War, and more!
• National Young Reader's Day 2002
  To celebrate National Young Reader's Day, we've assembled some of our favorite books for kids and young adults!
• Food (Writing) for Thought
  Frodo, Harry, sentient planets, space pirates, orchid collectors, the Civil War, and more!
• Books on Film: Fall and Winter 2002
  Frodo, Harry, sentient planets, space pirates, orchid collectors, the Civil War, and more!
• Anthropomorphically Speaking
  In many compelling works of fiction, animals are given the powers of sentiment, speech, and reasoning...
• It's Apple Season!
  Complement your trip to the orchard with this selection of books!
• Freshman Class Advisors
  Be prepared for the first year of college!
• G Is For Graphic Novel
  Graphic novels are all the rage lately, but are there any around that are ok for children?
  
• Alphabetical Primers
  Learning the ABC can be a eye-opening experience with the latest in odd and interesting primers!
  
• Crosswords!
  What's a nine-letter word that means "equal parts joy and frustration"? Aficionados know it's crossword!
  
• Book Expo America!
  The big literary circus hit NYC, and we were smack-dab in the middle of it!
• The Literary Jesus
  A look at a few of the many appearances Jesus has made in the world of letters.
• Poetry in Translation
  A primer for the wonderful world of international poetry!
• Self-Help for the Cynical Sort
  Some solid advice for those of us who usually steer clear of self-help lit.
• Time to Plant!
  One minute it's raining, then the sun comes out. Then hailstones. So? That's not enough to stop you gardening, right?
• National Women's History Month: A Nonfiction Celebration
  A literary salute, if you will. You go, girls!
• The Seven Deadly Sins
  How many sins do you commit over the course of an average day?
• President's Day: Hail to the Chiefs!
  While you're waiting to be invited to spend a night in the Lincon bedroom, why not read one of these enthralling White House histories?
  
• When Fancies Turn to Love
  A week's worth of poetry from across the century...celebrating love.
• Gung Hay Fat Choy!
  Wishing you prosperity and wealth in the Chinese New Year!
• Cathedrals
  Here is the church, and here is the steeple. Open the doors ... and you'll find a bunch of great books!
• Super Bowl Substitutes
  Wanna sit this one out?
• Let Freedom Ring: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  Explore the legacy of the heroic leader.
• January is National Soup Month!
  Sop it up!
• The BookSense.com Holiday Feast
  Won't you join us for a little celebration?
• Books on Toys!
  Books that explore America's favorite national pastime: shopping!
• Consumer Culture: 'Tis the Season!
  Books that explore America's favorite national pastime: shopping!
• Lusty Romances to Keep You Warm This Winter
  Sometimes sweaters just don't do the trick.
• How to Avoid Your Family: A Primer
  When holiday togetherness gets you down, there's only one place to turn: the bookshelf!
• The South Pole
  Frostbitten tales of the mighty tundra.
• Day of the Dead
  Halloween isn't the only holiday at the end of October.
• New Cookbooks ... Delicious!
  Hungry?
• Non-Prescription Prose
  Fascinating writing about drug use and its effects...
• The World Epic
  The epic may be the world's oldest form of literature, but these classics are still fresh!
• Back-to-School Carpool Pleasers
  A rousing selection of timeless crowd-pleasers (on audio) to liven up your school commute!
• Books on Broadway
  Lights, song, dance, and books! Broadway's resurgence on the page and stage!
• Are You Ready for Some Football...Books?
  What to do during those T.V. timeouts? Read our list of books, and you should be occupied for the rest of the season!
• The Evolution of Evolution
  Examining biological history and how, at the most fundamental level, we're related to all living things. A great selection to bring you up to date!
• Be Bop for Kids!
  Does listening to music make kids' brains grow faster? At least reading about it might!
• International Mysteries
  A first-rate selection of thrilling mysteries with a distinctively international flavor.
• Books on the Barbie
  You've probably already fired up your grills by now, but do you have the right selection of recipes, sauces, and marinades to satisfy the most demanding of tummies?
• Booksicles: Relief From Summer Heat
  Hot enough for you? Try our selection of booksicles (admittedly our own term) to help cool you down.
• Adultery
  Books with story arcs that rely heavily on adultery, yet contain narratives that offer much more than boy cheats on girl (or any combination thereof).
• Bastille Day
  Great new books on France for the Francophile or the just curious.
• British Travel
  Whether you're going, coming back, or snugly armchair-bound in Toledo, OH, you can read all about ye olde mother country courtesy of these superb recommendations.
• The "I" of the Dog
  Recent books about being human from the perspective of our most faithful companions.
  
• Independence Day
  Look back at an era and the people who helped to shape it -- just our way of celebrating our nation's 225th birthday!
• Children of the Revolution
  Making history fun (really!) and informative for young readers, while celebrating our nation's birthday.
• Writers Writing about Writing
  Wisdom, advice, and encouragement from writers who have been there ... and made it back.
• Bookseller Becomes Mayor!
  Oxford, Miss, has a new mayor, Richard Howorth, owner of Square Books and a BookSense.com Expert! Look out in 2004 Mr. Bush!
• School's Out ... Forever!
  Books that will help newly minted graduates embark on the adventure that is life in the "real world."
• Bibliophiles, Unite! at Book Expo America
  Interesting Goings-on, award winners, author sightings, and more -- all at this year's Book Expo America in Chicago.
• Literary Explorations of Incarceration
  Life behind bars -- a fine selection of books on the topic of crime's chief punishment: incarceration.
• For Our Fathers
  Books that express the complexities of our relationships with our fathers.
• A New Dad's-Day Tradition
  Sometimes kids look over the breakfast table and wonder, "Who is that behind the newspaper?" Great books for kids to appreciate their progenitor, and vise versa.
• No More Ties!
  More great titles for dads looking for something beyond the slik patterned neck noose.
• Rock-n-Roll Biographies
  Somewhere between genuine appreciation and fanatic idolization lies the rock-n-roll biography. Go ahead, view our selection of the genre's recent best.
• Memorial Day
  More than just a three-day weekend to kick off summer, but also a time of remembrance and reflection.
• In Memoriam: Douglas Adams
  Eulogized as a humorist, visionary, polymath, and more, English writer Douglas Adams died on May 11th.
• Coming to America
  The challenges and difficulties faced by today's new immigrants contribute to the richness and diversity of America -- books for all ages.
• 2001 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
  Canadian author Alistair MacLeod receives recognition for his novel No Great Mischief.
• Coming to America
  The challenges and difficulties faced by today's new immigrants contribute to the richness and diversity of America -- books for all ages.
• Life Beyond Potter
  What to read now that you've read Harry Potter's adventures several times through? A lot more reading fun than you could possibly hope for ...
• Armed Forces Day
  In honor of the armed forces, some of the best books available on the American military, past and present.
• Through the Years
  Every year history gets that much longer. Fortunately, there's been a recent crop of books addressing the past one year at a time.
• Happy Mother's Day!
  Books about mothers, both fictional and actual, whose human appetites and weaknesses do them more justice than any sentimental greeting card ever could.
• Nebula Award Winners
  On Saturday April 28, 2001, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) presented their annual awards, the Nebula Awards.
• Arbor Day Books for Kids
  Celebrate the beauty of foliage every day of the year. Check out our National Arbor Day recommendations.
• Earth Days
  Continue celebrating our beautiful round planet every day of the year! Browse our environmentally conscious recommendations.
• 2001 Pulitzer Prizes
  Michael Chabon's Book Sense 76 pick The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay won this year's award for fiction!
• Books in Center Field
  The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, hotdogs, peanuts ... gear up for another great baseball season with our recommendations!
• 2001 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
  Congratulations to Philip Roth, winner of this year's PEN/Faulkner Award for The Human Stain!
• Why Spring Forward?
  Finding yourself a little on edge these days? Maybe it's because you lost an hour of time?
• Harry Potter Finds Defenders -- and Raises Money for Charity
  Some people want to ban the Harry Potter books, but these five girls have risen to the defense! Plus two new Harry Potter books? Can it be true?
  
• The Stephen King Dreamcatcher Keepsake Contest!
  Our readers had a chance to win a beautiful collector's facsimile of the first draft of Stephen King's latest novel, Dreamcatcher!
• Sweet Spring!
  At last, winter's over, and we've got a great bunch of books to help you get the most out of spring's bounty.
• Celebrating Women of Courage and Vision
  Revisit our celebration of Women's History Month -- with a great selection of titles recommended.
• Expect the Unexpected: Small Press Month
  Small Press Month highlights the important role independent publishers play in maintaining artistic, cutural, and intellectual diversity in the world of books.
  
• 2001 Book Sense Book of the Year Winners!
  The 2001 Book Sense Book of the Year Winners announced at Book Expo America 2001.
• Reading the Oscars
  Read the books that inspired them -- winners and losers all at the 73rd Academy Awards.
• 2000 National Book Critics Circle Award Winners Announced
  The 2000 National Book Critics Circle Award Winners were announced Monday, March 12, 2001.
• St. Patrick's Day Books
  So what do you do after corned beef and cabbage? Check out our list of recent titles celebrating everything Irish.
• 2001 Lambda Literary Award Winners!
  Almost 100 books have been nominated for the 2001 Lambda Literary Awards.
• A Painted House
  BookSense.com asks John Grisham a few questions about writing his new novel, A Painted House, his influences, and more. Excerpt included!
• Books by Booksellers
  Do former booksellers make better writers? You make the call.
  Read More!
• Celebrating Black History Month
  Celebrate the African-American experience with our extensive list of nonfiction, fiction, and children's titles.
• Presidents' Day
  The long weekend may be over, but you can still celebrate our nation's leaders in their own words.
• Writings from the Heart
  Valentines is never over -- at least for you die-hard romantics out there. From poems to psychology and letters to erotica, love is in the air ... or at least on the page.
• Gridiron Classics
  Congratulations to Greg Hathaway of Michigan, and Lauren Monchik of New York, winners of our Gridiron Classics Contest! Plus, great books about football to hold you over till next season.
• A Week In the Life
  From a 100-year-old bank building in Hardwick, VT, Galaxy Bookshop's Linda Ramsdell has been writing an online diary for Slate.
• Rediscover Authors You've Never Heard Of
  Delve into the past for more great reads by authors forgotten by time.
• The New Year's New You
  Books to help you keep your resolutions going through the year.
• Dictionaries & Encyclopedias of the Obscurely Specific
  Engaging and entertaining gift books on topics that may, admittedly, have minimal practical impact on your life.
• What's Going On?
  Relive the lows of our last presidential election. From one person, one vote, to the Electoral College, bone up on the various points of view.
• Holiday Books for Kids
  Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah -- fun and educational books for kids of all cultures the holiday season.
• Retro Pulp
  A recent spate of novels taking their point of reference from the golden era of pulp fiction to a new era of boundless creativity.
• Bold New Voices in World Literature
  A short list of some of today’s most exciting and influential authors making noise in the international literary scene.
• 2000 National Book Award Winners
  The 2000 National Book Awards were announced on November 15th, 2000, and are still available at your local independent bookstore!
• Reclaiming Our Communities
  Take your community's future into your own hands, and pick up one of these great reads to find out how you can create safe, attractive, and economically viable environments for your families, friends, and neighbors.
• Verboten Volumes, in Honor of Banned Books Week
  Each September, we celebrate books like the ones in this electic selection of verboten volumes -- they're sure to fluster any moral guardian.