From last week's Book Sense bestseller lists, available at booksense.com, here are the recommended titles, which are also Book Sense Picks:
Paperback
Visigoth: Stories by Gary Amdahl (Milkweed, $15.95, 1571310517). "Amdahl's collection of stories is as tight as a fist about to punch you out. Amdahl's stories are about men and violence, but not the violence men do to others as much as that which they absorb on a daily basis. It's a refreshing book, sincere and weighty."--Thomas Richardson, Dutton's Brentwood Books, Los Angeles, Calif.
Hardcover
Slipstream by Leslie Larson (Shaye Areheart/Crown, $23.95, 0307337995). "The unraveling lives of five characters, all connected to the Los Angeles airport (and each connected to the others), is at the heart of this debut novel. The twists and turns of the story and a great set of characters make this a perfect book for summer vacation, a long plane trip, or a lazy weekend at home."--Karen Maeda Allman, Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle, Wash.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin, $19.95, 0618477942). "Alison Bechdel, cartoonist/author of the long-running Dykes to Watch Out For, shares some of her own story in this graphic novel-style memoir about an icy New England family whose patriarch has a very big secret."--Karen Maeda Allman, Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle, Wash.
Children 9 to 12
The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, $16.99, 0439749182). "Nine-year-old visionary Thomas is the narrator of this remarkable novel, the child of a father who is a religious zealot filled with fear. When Thomas becomes friends with a next-door neighbor (reputed to be a 'witch'), he begins to chip away at the father's anger until it can no longer imprison anyone but the father himself."--Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins, Falmouth, Mass.
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Harcourt, $15, 0152053522). "Oh, joy! Another absurd, inventive, hilarious, spoof mystery-adventure from the inimitable M.T. Anderson. This one takes readers to a mountain summer lodge, which just happens to be hosting kids from other detective series. Echoes of Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and other sleuths of past eras amuse adult readers, while kids will be laughing out loud at curious characters."--Elizabeth Bluemle, Flying Pig Children's Books, Charlotte, Vt.
[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]
Paperback
Visigoth: Stories by Gary Amdahl (Milkweed, $15.95, 1571310517). "Amdahl's collection of stories is as tight as a fist about to punch you out. Amdahl's stories are about men and violence, but not the violence men do to others as much as that which they absorb on a daily basis. It's a refreshing book, sincere and weighty."--Thomas Richardson, Dutton's Brentwood Books, Los Angeles, Calif.
Hardcover
Slipstream by Leslie Larson (Shaye Areheart/Crown, $23.95, 0307337995). "The unraveling lives of five characters, all connected to the Los Angeles airport (and each connected to the others), is at the heart of this debut novel. The twists and turns of the story and a great set of characters make this a perfect book for summer vacation, a long plane trip, or a lazy weekend at home."--Karen Maeda Allman, Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle, Wash.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin, $19.95, 0618477942). "Alison Bechdel, cartoonist/author of the long-running Dykes to Watch Out For, shares some of her own story in this graphic novel-style memoir about an icy New England family whose patriarch has a very big secret."--Karen Maeda Allman, Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle, Wash.
Children 9 to 12
The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, $16.99, 0439749182). "Nine-year-old visionary Thomas is the narrator of this remarkable novel, the child of a father who is a religious zealot filled with fear. When Thomas becomes friends with a next-door neighbor (reputed to be a 'witch'), he begins to chip away at the father's anger until it can no longer imprison anyone but the father himself."--Carol Chittenden, Eight Cousins, Falmouth, Mass.
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Harcourt, $15, 0152053522). "Oh, joy! Another absurd, inventive, hilarious, spoof mystery-adventure from the inimitable M.T. Anderson. This one takes readers to a mountain summer lodge, which just happens to be hosting kids from other detective series. Echoes of Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, and other sleuths of past eras amuse adult readers, while kids will be laughing out loud at curious characters."--Elizabeth Bluemle, Flying Pig Children's Books, Charlotte, Vt.
[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]