Book Sense Announces Book of the Year Finalists

Posted on March 16, 2001

The independent booksellers with Book Sense have nominated their favorite books of 2000, and the finalists in each of the 4 categories -- Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Literature and Children's Illustrated Book -- have been announced. The winners of the Book Sense Book of the Year awards will be announced on Friday, June 1, at the Celebration of Bookselling in Chicago. The authors will be invited to BookExpo America in Chicago on June 1 for a lunch with booksellers, followed by autographing sessions, the formal announcement in front of the trade show attendees, and a press conference.

Commenting on the finalists, ABA President Neal Coonerty said, ``The work of these talented authors truly represent an abundance of riches, reflecting the high literary quality and the diversity that independent booksellers take great pride in showcasing to their customers. Throughout the year, Book Sense has helped focus consumer attention on deserving books, and these finalist titles are a wonderful capstone to a successful year.''

Book Sense, comprised of 1200 bookstore locations in 50 states, seeks to build a national identity for independent bookstores while celebrating the unique character of each store. Key components of the Book Sense program are the Book Sense Bestseller List, the Book Sense 76 Recommendations List, the Book Sense national gift certificate program, and BookSense.com. Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members -- independently-owned bookstores with retail storefront locations -- through advocacy, education, research, and information dissemination.

The finalists are listed in alphabetical order by title within each category:

Adult Fiction:

• Bee Season by Myla Goldberg (Doubleday)
  
• The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Doubleday/Nan Talese)
  
• The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Picador USA)
  
• House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (Vintage)
  
• Red Tent by Anita Diamant (Picador USA)

Adult Nonfiction:

• The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams: A Memoir by Nasdijj (Houghton Mifflin)
  
• Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King (Walker)
  
• Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain by Michael Paterniti (Dial)
  
• The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (Ballantine)
  
• Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier (Anchor)

Children's Illustrated:

• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin; illustrated by Betsy Lewin (Simon & Schuster)
  
• How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Mark Teague (Scholastic)
  
• I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose Lewis; illustrated by Jane Dyer (Little, Brown)
  
• Olivia by Ian Falconer (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
  
• Stranger in the Woods by Jean Stoik and Carl R. Sams II (Carl R. Sams II)
  

Children's Literature:

• The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (HarperTrophy)
  
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo (Candlewick)
  
• The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine)
  
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Knopf)
  
• The Wanderer by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins)