Publishers Weekly articles from April 2003

Publishers Weekly archives from April 2003

Chain sales rose 3.5% in 2002, to $7.80 billion: poor fourth quarter drags down sales for the year. (News).(bookstores)(Industry Overview)
April 7, 2003... TOTAL BOOKSTORE SALES from the nation's three largest chains increased 3.5%, to $7.80 billion, for the year ended February 2, 2003. The increase is only slightly lower than the 3.7% increase recorded in the previous year. As in fiscal...

Sales down, forecast lower at Borders. (Bad News).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... With sales in "all business segments" at Borders Group below plan, the company has lowered its sales and earnings estimates for the first quarter, it announced last Thursday. CEO Greg Josefowicz noted, "Traffic and sales have slowed as the...

Bookstore sales up 3% in January. (Retailing).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... BOOKSTORE SALES ROSE 3% in January, to $2.25 billion, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, stopping a three-month sales slide. Sales for the entire retail segment rose 5.8% in January.

Scores of Random authors headed to Penguin. (The New Old List).
April 7, 2003... ANN GODOFF has finalized her debut list at Penguin, which features the results of an "unprecedenteci acquisition" of 13 authors, many of whom were tinder contract with Random House. The company also revealed that Godoff's imprint will be called...

Soft funding leads to staff reductions at WRC Media. (Market Conditions).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... TOTAL REVENUE AT supplementary educational publisher WRC Media fell 9.3% in 2002, to $210 million, and EBITDA dipped 5.8% to $53 million. The net loss increased from $48.5 million in 2001 to $95.4 million due in part to one-time charges....

AAP Sales Report.(bookstores)(Illustration)(Industry Overview)
April 7, 2003... AAP Sales Report February Trade Sales Down % CHANGE % CHANGE CATEGORY FEBRUARY YTD Adult Hardcover -23.4 -23.5 Adult Paperback -6.3 ...

Musicland on the block. (Wrong Note).(by Best Buy Co.)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS after acquiring Musicland for $685 million, Best Buy Co. has put the retailer up for sale. Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson said the decision to divest Musicland came after a strategic review by Best Buy executives determined...

Jimmy Carter, novelist. (Hot Deals).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The former president and Nobel Peace Prize--winner has already written several books for Simon & Schuster, including his memorable An Hour Before Daylight, and now he is turning his hand to fiction. A novel, believed to be the first ever...

MacDonald, Steele back at HC. (Hot Deals).(AnnMarie MacDonald, Shelby Steele)(HarperCollins)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Executive editor Terry Karten at HarperCollins has signed Canadian bestselling author and actress AnnMarie MacDonald (Fall on Your Knees) for a new novel, The Way the Crow Flies, which she will publish in the fall. Karten describes it as a...

Preempt for British TV writer. (Hot Deals).(two David Wolstencroft books to be published by E.P. Dutton )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Dutton president Carole Baron preempted a first thriller by a highly popular writer for BBC-TV as part of a two-book deal, taking hard/soft North American rights. The first of the two books by David Wolstencroft, author of the hit TV drama...

Two by Hedges for Free Press. (Hot Deals).(Free Press to publish next two books by Chris Hedges)
April 7, 2003... Pulitzer Prize -- winning author Chris Hedges, author of the NBCC finalist War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, has signed with the Free Press's Dominic Anfuso for two more books, the first of them a very timely paperback to be published as...

Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on a Life's Journey. (Short Takes).(Muhammad Ali book to be published by Simon and Schuster)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Baker, John F. Muhammad Ali is writing a book, with his daughter Hana, about his spiritual journey from world boxing champ to peace activist, and Bob Bender at S&S signed it for a high six figures, North American rights, from agent Susan...

Kensington publisher Walter Zacharius has written a first novel. (Short Takes).(book about a refugee from the Warsaw ghetto)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Kensington publisher Walter Zacharius has written a first novel at 76--he's always, he noted, ready to try something new--and Judith Curr has bought it for Atria for world English rights. The untitled book is about a refugee from the Warsaw...

Baseball's Pete Rose. (Short Takes).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Baseball's Pete Rose has signed with Rodale executive editor Jeremy Katz to do a book with sportswriter Rick Hill. No details yet about what it will cover, but it was a world rights deal, for publication next March, signed with Scott Waxman and...

Res Life: Coming of Age on America's College Campuses. (Short Takes).(book to be published by John Wiley and Sons)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Veteran Time magazine correspondent Barrett Seaman is doing a book for Wiley's Tom Miller covering the day-to-day life of American college students as they deal with the pressures of competition and the lures of drugs and sex. It's Res Life:...

Golf's Greatest Season: Bobby Jones and the 1930 Grand Slam. (Short Takes).(John Wiley and Sons to publish 'Golf's Greatest Season: Bobby Jones and the 1930 Grand Slam')(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... A golf book about one of the alltime greats, Golf's Greatest Season: Bobby Jones and the 1930 Grand Slam by award-winning Chicago sports columnist Ron Rapoport, was commissioned by Wiley's Stephen S. Power, and he has world rights; the book...

Rizzoli focus on publishing. (Strategy).(new senior management)
April 7, 2003... APPROACHING ITS 40TH anniversary in the U.S. in 2004, Rizzoli USA is looking to refocus on its core publishing business after essentially withdrawing from the U.S. book retailing market. The Milan-based illustrated book publisher has brought in...

Varsity moves into the black. (Results 2002).(Varsity Group)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Jim Milliot VARSITY GROUP, which began operations in 1998 as Varsity Books, turned its first annual profit in 2002, recording net income of $661,000 on revenue of $16.6 million. In 2001, Varsity had a net loss of $2.2 million on sales of...

Strange Happenings at S&S Children's. (Advertisement).(Simon and Schuster to publish 'The Spiderwick Chronicles')(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDREN'S Publishing continues to experience systems glitches in their New York offices. S&S employees speculate that the problems are linked to the upcoming publication of The Spiderwick Chronicles (Tony DiTerlizzi/Holly...

Vertical offers Japanese lit hits in English. (Start-Up).
April 7, 2003... AFTER SEVERAL YEARS researching the American book market, Hiroki Sakai, former book editor of the Japanese business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun, is about to launch the inaugural list for Vertical, a New York City-based publishing house...

Cuts in jobs, costs shrink losses at B&N.com. (Notes from the 10-K).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... A LEANER STAFF and significant reductions in operating expenses were the main factors driving down Barnes & Noble.com's operating loss in 2002, the company reported in its year-end filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier...

NBA winner boosts Copper Canyon Press. (Small Press).(National Book Award winner Ruth Stone is published by Copper Canyon Press )
April 7, 2003... ITS FIRST NATIONAL Book Award last November capped several years of rapid growth at Copper Canyon Press and raised the profile of the Port Townsend, Wash.-based nonprofit publisher. "The day after the awards were announced, we had about...

Red Wheel joins Bookpeople. (Strategy).
April 7, 2003... BOSTON-BASED PUBLISHER Red Wheel/Weiser has joined the Oakland, Calif., wholesaler Bookpeople's Featured Publisher Program. Mike Kerber, president of Red Wheel, said the Bookpeople program will augment his company's own sales efforts,...

Market Watch.(publishing industry stocks: statistics)(Illustration)
April 7, 2003... Market Watch Industry Stocks: March Performances Winners COMPANY FEBRUARY 28 MARCH 31 % CHANGE Amazon.com 22.01 26.03 18.3% Scholastic 23.46 ...

AMS will close Aspen unit. (Distribution).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... ADVANCED MARKETING Services will be closing its U.K--based Aspen Book Marketing unit later this year after Aspen failed to renew its distribution agreement with the supermarket chain Safeway Stores plc. Safeway, now in the process of looking...

Canadian channel features all books, all the time. (Distribution).(Booktelevision)
April 7, 2003... BOOKTELEVISION, which claims to be the world's first and only 24-hour station devoted to literary concerns, is continuing its second season exploring the evolution of reading and literacy. Owned by Learning & Skills Television of Alberta, with...

Borders Group takes minority stake in Echo. (Partnering).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... BORDERS GROUP HAS acquired a stake in Echo, the joint venture of six music retailers that was formed in January. Based in Los Angeles, Echo aims to work with music recording companies to build a platform for digital delivery of music to...

Thirty and counting. (News).(John Baker celebrates 30 years with Publishers Weekly)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... PW editor-in-chief Nora Rawlinson and Newmarket Press founder Eather Margolis help PW editorial director John Baker celebrate his 30 years with the magazine at a recent party in New York City.

The producer. (News).(Tim McGure retires from Simon and Schuster)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Simon & Schuster president Jack Romanos presents Tim McGure with some "custom published artwork" at a ceremony marking McGure's retirement v-p production McGure served (I) book production for 33 years, the fast 14 with S&S.

More cuts at North-South. (Downsizing).(North-South Books)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... AFTER ELIMINATING FOUR of its 15 positions in February (News, Mar. 3), the struggling children's book publisher North-South Books has eliminated another five jobs. The publisher is now down to a core group of six headed by managing director...

Fiction trades up. (Behind the Bestsellers).(works of fiction are dominating the trade paperback bestseller list)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The mass market paperback list has been dominated by fiction for decades and usually gives up only one of the top 15 slots to a rack-sized nonfiction book. In most cases, the only category that can compete on this list is a diet book (Dr....

Spaces trades is up. (Behind the Bestsellers).('Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes: Including Decorating Tips and Tricks')(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Meredith Books has a mega-hit on its hands--Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes: Including Decorating Tips and Tricks. Fans of cable TV's Trading Spaces are not surprised--the Learning Channel show has been doing astoundingly well; finishing its...

West buys Andrews Publication. (Acquisition).(West Publishing)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... WEST, THE LEGAL publishing division of Thomson Corp., has acquired Andrews Publications from Haights Cross Communications. Andrews is a publisher of litigation reports, newsletters, special reports and online services. Andrews will remain based...

Obituary. (Acquisition).(literary agent Toni Mendez-Shapiro)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 7, 2003... MENDEZ-SHAPIRO TONI MENDEZ-SHAPIRO, former Rockette and longtime literary agent, died at her home in Manhattan on March 9. She was 94. Mendez-Shapiro began her career in book publishing in 1950. She initially represented a number of...

Correction. (Acquisition).
April 7, 2003... It was incorrectly noted in the March 24 issue that Jill Nelson's new novel is her first book since Volunteer Slavery was published in 1993. She has published two books since then.

Battle of the biographies: second Rove bio to hit the market comes first in sales.(marketing two biographies of Karl Rove: 'Boy Genius,' and 'Bush' Brain')
April 7, 2003... Conventional wisdom suggests that when two biographies go head to head, the first book to market has the edge. But a recent battle between portrayals of Karl Rove, George W. Bush's senior presidential advisor, proves otherwise. PublicAffairs'...

The war and the words: booksellers discuss how the war is affecting customers, sales and the books they read. (Bookselling).
April 7, 2003... A little over a week into the war against Iraq, booksellers reported fewer customers coming through the door, but during the first weekend of military action, sales picked up. Shoppers wanting to know more about the conflict are looking for...

Sex, Lies and book sales. (Partners in Crime).(three myster writers: Libby Fischer Hellmann, Deborah Donnelly, Roberta Isleib form a joint book tour)
April 7, 2003... When three female mystery writers met online, the "Sex, Lies and Videotape" tour was born. Libby Fischer Hellmann, Deborah Donnelly and Roberta Isleib were regular members of several Internet mystery sites and began contacting each other...

A classic Little Critter: a variety of developments are in the works for Mercer Mayer's Little Critter. (Children's Books).(growing popularity of the Mercer Mayer character 'Little Critter')
April 7, 2003... Since his debut in 1975 in Golden Books' Just for You, Mercer Mayer's Little Critter has appeared in 125 books. The character is currently benefiting from a burst of activity, including a new frontlist publisher, an increased number of titles...

Obituary.(Children's literature author Paul Zindel)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 7, 2003... Paul Zindel, 1936-2003 Children's author Paul Zindel passed away on March 27, from cancer. He was 66. Zindel was a successful playwright before turning his attention to writing for children. Harper & Row editor Charlotte Zolotow saw a...

Miss Spider casts web at Target. (Licensing Hotline).(children's book and products being released through Target stores)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... In January, all 1,148 Target stores debuted a new children's lifestyle brand, Sunny Patch, based on the work of writer, illustrator and product designer David Kirk. The first season focuses on Miss Spider and features 100 apparel, gardening and...

Bob builds. (Licensing Hotline).(Bob the Builder titles and videos to be released)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Random House, Simon & Schuster, electronic book marketer Publications International and the Australian importer Hinkler Books are all releasing new Bob the Builder titles, licensed from HIT Entertainment, this year. Formats include early...

Penguin Young Readers Group. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Penguin Young Readers Group acquired the license to MGA Entertainment's Bratz and will publish two paperbacks and four activity books in July, followed by six more titles in fall. Bratz was the best-selling fashion doll line in 2002....

Dalmatian Press. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Dalmatian Press has taken on three new licenses for value-added coloring and activity books and novelty titles: VeggieTales (Big Idea), Strawberry Shortcake (DIC) and Justice League (DC Comics/Warner Bros.). All will be introduced in a...

Scholastic will publish chapter books. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Scholastic will publish chapter books, collector's sticker books and official guides based on Lego's action hero franchise, Bionicle. It will also release a tie-in book for the upcoming direct-to-video feature based on the toy line....

Scholastic is extending the Clifford entertainment. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Scholastic is extending the Clifford entertainment brand with a new animated series, Clifford's Puppy Days; like the three-year-old Clifford the Big Red Dog show, it will focus on literacy themes. PBS Kids will add the production, for children...

Modern Publishing. (In Brief).
April 7, 2003... Modern Publishing acquired Beyblade from Nelvana for coloring and activity books....

Pleasant Company's American Girls. (In Brief).(television program)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Pleasant Company's American Girls will make their way to television, starting with a made-for-TV movie based on the character Samantha, to be aired on the WB Network in 2004. Produced by Revolution Studios, Red Om Films and Pleasant Company in...

Viacom Consumer Products. (In Brief).(plush toys for marketing)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Viacom Consumer Products licensed The Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co. for plush items based on Paramount Home Entertainment's direct-to-video sequel, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure, released in March. The products will be sold at...

Meredith Corp. (In Brief).(publication of four books tied to Home and Garden Television)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Meredith Corp. will publish four books tied to the cable network Home & Garden Television (HGTV). The first, HGTV Before and After Decorating, will be released in the fall; initial orders have exceeded 250,000 units. Meredith also publishes...

Betty Spaghetty title. (In Brief).(Random House promotion for Betty Spaghetty titles)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... To promote its first five Betty Spaghetty titles, due in July, Random House will offer a special-edition doll for $1.99 with the purchase of two of the books, licensed from Ohio Art. Over 3,000 stores will feature displays supporting the...

400 Borders and Waldenbooks stores. (In Brief).(promotion for Todd Parr titles)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... In May, more than 400 Borders and Waldenbooks stores will feature boutiques supporting Little, Brown's 22 Todd Parr titles, of which nearly one million are in print. A TV series, Toddworld, launched in February on TLC's Ready to Learn block.......

"Airline to Middle-earth,". (In Brief).(Air New Zealand: marketing tie-in with 'Lord of the Rings' films)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... As part of Air New Zealand's two-year promotion with New Line Cinema making it the official "Airline to Middle-earth," the carrier is flying two planes covered in graphics from the Lord of the Rings movies. One features Frodo and the other...

Chicken Soup for the Soul product. (In Brief).(logoed clothing)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Recently introduced Chicken Soup for the Soul products, licensed by HCI via agent SloaneVision Unlimited, include logoed clothing from New Tech Apparel and premium pet foods from The Diamond Pet Food Co....

Toy Fair. (In Brief).(New York City's 2003 Toy Fair: attendance decreases)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Raugust, Karen As suspected by publishers who exhibited, Toy Fair attendance was down this year. The number of buyers decreased 23%, to 11,000, and trade guests were down 27%, to 6,700, according to preliminary figures from the Toy...

Speaking of poetry: poets' works--and voices--come alive via Random House's Voice of the Poet series. (Audio).
April 7, 2003... Some dreams really do come true. In the case of J.D. McClatchy and Jane Garmey, one dream was to bring poetry--read by the poets who created it--to the audiobook medium. Granted, Caedmon Audio achieved great success in this very endeavor...

Winners' square. (Audio Bits).(Margo Goody: winner of the Audio Publishers Association's fifth annual Audiobook Month Poster Contest)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Margo Goody, a senior designer at Audio Renaissance, has won the Audio Publishers Association's fifth annual Audiobook Month Poster Contest. Goody's design, which will be printed in an 11"x17" size and bears the tag line "A Good Book Speaks...

Hear Harry. (Audio Bits).(Harry Potter audiobooks available through Listening Library)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The phenomenon that is Harry Potter rolls on. Listening Library, the children's imprint of Random House Audio, has announced its acquisition of North American audio publishing rights to the fifth Harry Potter book, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter...

To buy or not to buy? (Audio Bits).('The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare')
April 7, 2003... That is the question Shakespeare lovers will be pondering upon the release of The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare this month. Audio Partners is publishing the 98-CD, $600 set of all 38 Shakespeare plays--the first time the canon has been offered...

Ear on...spring/summer film and TV tie-ins. (Audio).(preview of coming audiobooks, with TV and film tie-ins)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
April 7, 2003... Here's a look at some audiobooks that have ties to forthcoming movies and TV programs. For information o summer print book tie-ins, see the April 14 and April 21 Book News sections of PW. APRIL Louis Sachar's Newbery Medal--winning...

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman. (Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... ELIZABETH BUCHAN, READ BY JEAN GILPIN. HighBridge, unabridged, eight CDs, 10 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 1-56511-751-4 Buchan's latest novel finds the carefully managed life of 48-year-old Rose Lloyd, a successful book review editor, turned upside...

The Last Detective. (Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... ROBERT CRAIS, READ BY JAMES DANIELS. Brilliance, unabridged, seven CDs, 9 hrs., $38.95 ISBN 1-58788-521-2 * After two bestselling stand-alone novels (Demolition An gel and Hostage), Crais has returned to his popular Elvis Cole series with a...

Small Town. (Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... LAWRENCE BLOCK, READ BY THE AUTHOR. Harper Audio, abridged, four cassettes, 6 hrs., $25.95 ISBN 0-06-053646-2 Block (The Burglar in the Library; Eight Million Ways to Die; etc.) is one of today's most well-established mystery and thriller...

The Gift of Jazzy. (Nonfiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... CINDY ADAMS, READ BY THE AUTHOR. New Millennium, unabridged, four cassettes, 6 hrs., $25 ISBN 1-5900-7306-1 New York Post gossip columnist Adams knows nothing about dog care, nor does she care to learn. But when her husband dies and a...

Growing up King: An Intimate Memoir. (Non Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... DEXTER Scott KING WITH RALPH WILEY, READ BY KING. Time Warner AudioBooks, abridged, four cassettes, 6 hrs., $25.98 ISBN 1-58621-200-1 Joining forces with renowned African-American writer Wiley (Why Black People Tend to Shout), King, a son...

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. (Non Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... ROSS KING, READ BY ALAN SKLAR. Audio Editions, abridged, six CDs, 7 hrs., $29.95 ISBN 1-57270-306-7 King's historical account of the four years Michelangelo Buonarroti spent frescoing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome is splendid,...

The Go-Getter: The Classic Story that Tells You How to be One. (Non Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... PETER B. KYNE AND ALAN AXELROD, READ BY ARTHUR MOREY. Audio Renaissance, unabridged, two cassettes, 1.5 hrs., $17.95 ISBN 1-55927-855-2 This audiobook, based on a 1921 story, follows Peck, a war veteran and double amputee eager to work for...

George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get up off the Canvas When. (Non Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Life Knocks You Down GEORGE FOREMAN, READ BY THE AUTHOR. Simon & Schuster Audio, abridged, one cassette, 1 hr., $12 ISBN 0-7435-2819-0 Puncher preacher, rancher, family man, author, grill shill, founder of a youth and community...

Your Primal Nature: Connecting with the Power of the Earth. (Non Fiction).(Audiobook Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... CAROLINE MYSS, READ BY THE AUTHOR. Sounds True, one cassette, 1.5 hrs., $12.95 ISBN 1-59179-035-2 Myss (Anatomy of the Spirit; Sacred Contracts) addresses the importance of getting in touch with the forces of nature in this audiobook...

Audio Bestsellers.(Illustration)
April 7, 2003... Audio Bestsellers Fiction Nonfiction 1 The King of Torts (unabr). John 1 The Power of Now (unabr.). Grisham, Read by Michael Beck. Eckhart Tolle. Read by the Random House Audio. Eight ...

Puppies and horses and Cats, oh my! These titles seem to inspire publishers with a rare blend of creativity and warmth--and they keep on selling, too!(popularity of books about animals)(Industry Overview)
April 7, 2003... These titles seem to inspire publishers with a rare blend of creativity and warmth--and they keep on selling, too! IF THE BUSINESS OF BOOK PUBLISHING has its high points and low points, the category of pets and animals surely is among the...

Reading books with our lives. (Interview).(author Paul Elie)(Interview)
April 7, 2003... Spring was trying to emerge. Lent was just under way; war remained, theoretically, only a possibility. Although the air had March's whip to it, there was a sense of hope. It was a Friday afternoon and the sunlight seemed content to linger a...

The Other Side Of Silence. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... ANDRE BRINK. Harcourt, $25 (320p) ISBN 0-15-100770-5 * Acclaimed South African novelist Brink (The Rights of Desire; Devil's Valley; etc.) paints a harrowing picture of German South-West Africa (modern-day Namibia) in his latest novel,...

West of the Jordan. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... LAILA HALABY Beacon, $13 paper (240p) ISBN 0-8070-8359-3 Four young women from Palestine and Jordan contend with issues of identity in this debut novel from Arab-American author Halaby. Hala, who has just finished high school in Arizona and...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... MARK HADDON Doubleday, $22.95 (22p) ISBN 0-385-50945-6 * Christopher Boone, the autistic 15-year-old narrator of this revelatory novel, relaxes by groaning and doing math problems in his head, eats red--but not yellow or brown -- foods and...

Shikar. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... JACK WARNER. Forge/Doherty, $24.95 (368p) ISBN 0-765-30343-4 With blurbs from Janet Dailey, David Morrell, Dan Simmons and Stephen Coonts, among others, this sharp action thriller from a retired journalist looks to get some well-deserved...

Long for this World. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... MICHAEL BYERS. Houghton Mifflin, $24 (400p) ISBN 0-395-89171-X * Dr. Henry Moss, the protagonist of Byers's compassionate, richly detailed debut novel (after an acclaimed short story collection, The Coast of Good Intentions), is a gentle,...

Tide Running. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... OONYA KEMPADOO. Farrar, Straus & Ciroux, $22 (224p) ISBN 0-374-27757-5 Kempadoo's second novel (after Buxton Spice) is a sensuous, richly vernacular account of a young Tobagonian's intimate, ultimately disastrous intersection with a...

Willem's Field. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... MELINDA HAYNES. Free Press, $24 (384p) ISBN 0-7432-3849-4 The rural South is once again the backdrop in a novel by Haynes (Chalktown; the Oprah pick Mother of Pearl), this one a generous, darkly comic tale of homecoming and family strife....

Reunion. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... MICHAEL B. OREN. MacAdam/Cage, $25 (353p) ISBN 1-931561-26-5 In his fiction debut, nonfiction author Oren (Six Days of War) delivers historical detail with quiet, convincing authority. Five decades after an unforgettable winter at...

From the Listening Hills. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... LOUIS L'AMOUR. Bantam, $16.95 (240p) ISBN 0-553-80328-X Last year, Bantam published what was then thought to be the fourth and final posthumous collection of short stories by L'Amour (1908-1988), With These Hands. Yet as the author's son...

King Bongo. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... THOMAS SANCHEZ Knopf, $25 (304p) ISBN 0-679-40696-4 "We understand the economics of love," says Mrs. Armstrong, a sexy American socialite residing in Cuba. "To really sell a torch song, you've got to be willing to light yourself on fire."...

The Quality of Life Report. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... MEGAN DAUM. Viking, $24.95 (3 lop) ISBN 0-670-03213-1 * Daum's winning first novel (after the 2000 essay collection My Misspent Youth) depicts the transformation of Lucinda Trout from a semisuccessful, 29-year-old New York City television...

Oryx and Crake. (Fiction).(Book Review)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Margaret Atwood. Doubleday $26 (432p) ISBN 0-385-50385-7 * Atwood has visited the future before, in her dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale. In her latest, the future is even bleaker. The triple whammy of runaway social inequality, genetic...