November 13, 2003 Book Sense 76 Picks Chosen As 2003 National Book Awards Finalists FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kristen Gilligan 914-591-2665, x 1286 Email: [email protected] Book Sense 76 Picks Chosen As 2003 National Book Awards Finalists ~ Independent booksellers with Book Sense know what's good ~ November 13, 2003, Tarrytown, NY--Underscoring the collective strength of independent booksellers to consumers, one quarter of the recently announced 2003 National Book Awards finalists had already been selected as great books by independent booksellers with Book Sense across the country. The Book Sense 76 Picks are unique and intriguing book choices from a great diversity of voices in the independent bookselling community. These are the books independent booksellers are passionate about handselling, and are now National Book Award Finalists. (The winners of the National Book Awards will be announced on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 in New York City.) Each of these titles has made significant appearances on the Book Sense Bestseller Lists. FICTION � T.C. Boyle, Drop City (Viking/Penguin USA), a March/April 2003 Book Sense 76 Pick � Edward P. Jones, The Known World (Amistad Press/HarperCollins), a September/October 2003 Book Sense 76 Pick "Top Ten" selection � Marianne Wiggins, Evidence of Things Unseen (S&S), a July/August 2003 Book Sense 76 Pick NONFICTION � Carlos Eire, Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy (Free Press/S&S), a March/April 2003 Book Sense 76 Pick � Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (Crown/Random House), a March/April 2003 Book Sense 76 Pick YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE � Richard Peck, The River Between Us (Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin USA) an Autumn 2003 Children's 76 Pick About Book Sense A wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Booksellers Association, BSI administers the Book Sense integrated marketing and branding campaign. Book Sense, comprised of 1,200 bookstore locations in 50 states, seeks to build a national identity for independent bookstores while celebrating the unique character of each store; to create awareness of independent booksellers across the country; and to underscore the collective strength of independent booksellers to consumers. Book Sense includes the Book Sense 76, the Book Sense Bestseller Lists, a national gift card/certificate program, and www.BookSense.com. ###