Book Sense Book of the Year Awards 2006
(September 2006)
The winners and honorees of the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards have been announced. These awards recognize the book titles that independent booksellers most enjoyed hand-selling during the past year. Titles are voted on by the owners and staff of American Booksellers Association member bookstores. Wolfner Library is pleased to be able to offer all of these books to our patrons, although some are still in the process of being recorded. We hope you will enjoy reading them.
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
Adult Fiction:
Winner:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
RC 60713.
A young American woman living with her father in Amsterdam discovers an ancient book and a cache of faded letters in his library. Pursuing family mysteries leads her to seek the truth behind the Dracula legend of Vlad the Impaler. Some violence.
Honors:
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.
RC 59914.
After teenager Kafka Tamura runs away, his father, a famous sculptor, is murdered. This crime links Kafka and an elderly illiterate man in inexplicable ways. Both journey separately to a private library where their destinies overlap. Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel. Some explicit descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language.
The March by E.L. Doctorow.
RC 60676.
This Civil War saga portrays the complex nature of General William Tecumseh Sherman as he leads Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas. Describes the carnage and destruction that occur as well as the tender feelings that arise as the soldiers proceed.
Saturday by Ian McEwan.
RC 60075.
London. Neurosurgeon Henry Perowne has a fender bender during an antiwar rally and publicly humiliates Baxter, the driver of the other car, by announcing that he has an incurable medical condition. Later Baxter and his crew show up at Perowne's family reunion to seek revenge. Strong language.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.
RC 60738.
Nineteenth-century China. A matchmaker pairs young Lily and Snow Flower in a lifelong friendship. For years they communicate using a secret code written on a fan, sharing their joys and sorrows until a misunderstanding threatens to destroy their bond. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some violence.
Adult Nonfiction:
Winner:
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
BR 16126, RC 60337.
Writer Stephen Dubner explains the offbeat issues that intrigue award-winning economist and coauthor Steven Levitt. Explores everyday riddles such as the link between legalized abortion and the crime rate, the effect of parents' income and ethnicity on naming babies, and the motivations of real estate agents. Strong language.
Honors:
The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer.
RC 61119.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist recalls finding male role models at the local bar in Manhasset, Long Island, where his uncle worked. Describes the education he received from the tavern patrons as he struggled to cope with abandonment by his father and life with his mother's dysfunctional family. Strong language.
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan.
BR 16584, RC 61561.
A columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer reminisces about the untrainable Labrador retriever that he and his wife acquired as Florida newlyweds. Recalls Marley’s hilarious escapades and his capacity for love as the Grogans become the parents of three kids.
The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr.
RC 62370.
Professor and award-winning author recounts the search for Caravaggio’s long-lost painting The Taking of Christ. Follows graduate student Francesca Cappelletti as she tracked the painting across Europe to Ireland, where clues led to the home of a Jesuit priest.
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls.
RC 61540.
Reporter for MSNBC.com looks back on her unsettled life. Describes growing up in a dysfunctional family, which was always on the move. She recalls her father’s dream of building a "glass castle," and relates how she and her siblings escaped to make lives of their own. Strong language.