Book Sense Reading Room at BEA to Feature Auster, DiCamillo, Erdrich, and Malone

ABA has announced the lineup for the 2002 Book Sense Reading Room, to be held at BookExpo America on Saturday, May 4, from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The annual event, long a bookseller favorite, features four talented writers reading in a relaxed, intimate setting. In the past, such authors as Raymond Carver, Richard Ford, Alice McDermott, and Ann Patchett have appeared at the Reading Room. There is no charge for the Reading Room, and the event is open to all badged attendees.

This year, the Reading Room authors are:

Paul Auster	Kate DiCamillo	Louise Erdrich	Michael Malone

• Paul Auster, editor of I Thought My Father Was God: And Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project published by Holt, which was a Book Sense 76 Pick from September/October 2001. In nominating the title, Shelley Dyer of Book & Game Company, Lewiston, Idaho, said, "Auster has done a masterful job of editing these submissions. There are heartwarming, funny, sad, and quirky stories from across the nation."

• Kate DiCamillo, author of The Tiger Rising, published by Candlewick, which was a Book Sense 76 Pick from March/April 2001. DiCamillo is also the author of Because Of Winn Dixie, a winner of the 2001 Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature, a Book Sense 76 Pick from May/June 2000 in hardcover, and a selection in paperback on the Children's 76 List for Winter 2001. Collette Morgan of Wild Rumpus, in Minneapolis, was among those booksellers nominating The Tiger Rising for the 76 list. She wrote: "Kate's done it again, turning seemingly small characters into larger-than-life personalities. When confronted by a caged tiger, the two main characters' perceptions of freedom and happiness are transformed. After a dizzying sequence of events, their individual passions are granted wings -- and stripes -- and their lives are forever altered. Unforgettable."

• Louise Erdrich, author of The Last Report On The Miracles At Little No Horse, published by HarperCollins, which was the number-one Book Sense 76 Pick from the May/June 2001 List. Kathy Westover of The Bookworm of Edwards, in Edwards, Colorado, noted in her 76 nomination that "this is the best book I've read this year. Erdrich is one of my favorites, but she has gone beyond beautiful writing and social consciousness. The story is compelling and wondrous. I portioned out the pages, as I never wanted it to end."

• Michael Malone, author of First Lady, published by Sourcebooks Landmark, which was a Book Sense 76 Pick from September/October 2001. He is also the author of Handling Sin and Uncivil Seasons, both of which appeared on the Book Sense 76 List from November/December 2001. Handling Sin is a finalist for this year's Book Sense Book of the Year Rediscovery Award. In nominating First Lady for the 76, Barbara Hoagland of The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, wrote, "Two of the best characters ever created in mystery fiction return in Malone's long-awaited addition to the saga begun in Uncivil Seasons. Mix together an Irish rock star, the governor of North Carolina, and assorted media and lawyer types, and you have a first-rate mystery from one of the true masters."