From last week's Book Sense bestseller lists, available at BookSense.com, here are the recommended titles, which are also Book Sense Picks:
Hardcover
The Human Touch: Our Part in the Creation of a Universe by Michael Frayn (Metropolitan, $32.50, 9780805081480/0805081488). "Part of what makes Michael Frayn's fiction and plays so appealing is his philosopher's view of the world. [Here] he points out that humankind is a tiny and insignificant anomaly in the impersonal vastness of the universe. But, he asks, what would that universe be like if we were not here to say something about it? With brilliance, wit, and charm, Frayn sets out to make sense of our place in the scheme of things."--Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage, Corte Madera, Calif.
Effigies by Mary Anna Evans (Poisoned Pen, $24.95, 9781590583425/1590583426). "This latest entry in Evans' archaeology series featuring Faye Longchamp is both intelligent and satisfying. This time Faye and Joe Wolf Mantooth travel to Mississippi to study artifacts from the Choctaw Indians. Faye and Joe are asked to help an elderly congressman unearth the truth about a hate crime, but soon find themselves drawn into a murder investigation."--Linda Walonen, Bay Books, San Ramon, Calif.
Paperback
The Sweet Life by Lynn York (Plume, $14, 9780452288225/0452288223). "Few writers capture a character's thoughts as deftly as Lynn York. It's a pleasure to return to Swan's Knob in this sequel to The Piano Teacher, one of our all-time favorite novels set in North Carolina."--Kathryn Henderson, Market Street Books, Chapel Hill, N.C.
For Grades 5 to 9
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (Little, Brown, $16.99, 9780316057776/0316057770). "Dozens of gifted kids respond to a mysterious ad in the newspaper and go through several magical tests, but only four prove themselves worthy of the Mysterious Benedict Society--and become top-secret spies. Stewart's oddball characters and youth-empowering message is worthy of Roald Dahl--don't miss any of the action!"--Jill Saginario, Powell's Books, Portland, Ore.
[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]