Book Sense

For Carla Ketner, an offhand comment from a friend started it all. Ketner, owner of Chapters Books & Gifts in Seward, Nebraska, never intended to own a business. That changed a few years ago, on a shopping excursion to Nebraska City, about 90 minutes from Seward. "We were in The Book Clinic and my friend said, 'You should open a bookstore in Seward.' I said, 'Yeah, right. I don't want to work that hard.'"

Here is the full listing of April Book Sense Picks, with booksellers' comments, as well as a preview of the month's Notables. Independent booksellers in the Book Sense program will be receiving their April Picks fliers in the March Red Box.

Before The Book and Cranny opened on Main Street in Statesboro, Georgia, last April, "there was one used bookstore, the university bookstore, and a Christian bookstore, and that was it," said Deborah Campbell.

Based on sales in independent bookstores nationwide for the eight-week period ending Wednesday, March 5, 2008. 1. Dreams From My Father Barack Obama, Three Rivers, $14.95, 9781400082773 2.

The deadline for nominations for the 2008 Book Sense Reading Group Picks list is Friday, March 7.

The March 2008 Book Sense Notables flier is now available in a downloadable PDF on BookWeb.org. The flier includes jacket images, bibliographic information, and bookseller quotes. In addition, all 20 Notables titles are featured in an electronic file of shelf-talkers for in-store use.

This Friday, February 29, and next Friday, March 7, are deadlines for nominations to two important Picks lists: the May Book Sense Picks and the Spring Reading Group list, respectively.

Seven years ago, Jeanne Regentin began her career in bookselling at Between the Covers, a general independent bookstore, which has been serving readers in Harbor Springs, Michigan, for close to 25 years. "I did what everyone who wants to work at a bookstore does," Regentin explained about her entree to the book industry. "I thought someone would pay me to read.

The Spring 2008 Book Sense Children's Picks List is available now for preview. The list will be arriving at independent bookstores with Book Sense by the end of this month. Additional copies of the Spring Kids' Picks may be requested via e-mail to lindaf@bookweb.org.

For the eight-week period ending February 19, 2008, and based on sales in hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide. Romance 1.