Beginning next year, Book Sense will bolster the sales and marketing information it offers members about children's books. The organization is adding a quarterly White Box mailing with a focus on children's books, and the Book Sense children's picks will appear quarterly, up from three times a year currently.

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In related news, Book Sense has put together a year-end Picks Highlights list "featuring a wealth of great reading recommended by independent booksellers." The more than 60 titles are divided into imaginative categories. For example, "For the Book Lover" lists An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the Business of Books by Wendy Werris and The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, A History by Lewis Buzbee. The Picks Highlights flier will be in the November Red Box.

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Mina Hemingway, a granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, has bought the 1,200-sq.-ft. Bookstore at the Pavilion in Naples, Fla., and renamed it Mina Hemingway's Florida Bookstore, Bookselling This Week reported.

"We carry everything available written by Hemingway, and we're working on growing the section on Hemingway by other writers," Mina Hemingway told BTW. "We also carry magazines and used books."

Hemingway owned the Austin Angler, an Austin, Tex., fly fishing store, for 15 years.

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Congratulations! The BYU Bookstore at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, celebrates its 100th birthday this school year and is marking the occasion with giveaways and contests. Bookselling This Week talks with book department manager Linda Brummett about the contests--and the store that grew from "little more than a broom closet" to more than 110,000 square feet.

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Garrison Keillor's St. Paul, Minn., bookstore, Corner Books (Shelf Awareness, September 28, 2006), is on schedule to open this coming Wednesday, All Saint's Day, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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For One More Day by Mitch Albom has sold nearly 50,000 copies in Starbucks outlets since October 3, when the coffee chain began serving up the book as the first in its latest program to sell selected titles in stores, the AP (via the San Diego Tribune) reported. Publishers Weekly says that Starbucks sales represent about 12% of the nearly 400,000 copies sold recorded by Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70% of the average book's sales.

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BookExpo America has named Kelly Hartman marketing director. Hartman was most recently marketing manager for Reed Exhibitions' new business group, where she was responsible for the launch of trade shows in a variety of consumer and trade industries, including pop culture, jewelry retail, interior design and health.
 
In February, she played a pivotal role in the launch of New York Comic Con.  She will now devote her energy exclusively to overseeing the marketing for BEA and New York Comic Con. 
 
Hartman earlier worked as marketing coordinator for Rodale, marketing director for PublishAmerica and marketing manager for Phoenix Color Corp.

Barnes & Noble.com has launched its online book club, called Barnes & Noble Book Clubs, which are free. This fall nearly 30 authors will lead discussions of their books while book club moderators will focus discussions on literary classics and self improvement, personal finance, cooking and health titles, among other areas.

The site includes message boards, and users will be able to create profiles, share lists of favorite books and authors, sign up for e-mail updates and send messages to other users.

Author-led clubs will feature Carl Hiaasen, whose new book, Nature Girl, pubs November 14, Diane Setterfield, author of The Thirteenth Tale, a B&N Recommends title, Adriana Trigiani, author of Home to Big Stone Gap and Jack Canfield, the Chicken Soup guy, whose new book is You've Got to Read this Book.

"The new Book Clubs are a natural extension of the thousands of book clubs at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide," Marie Toulantis, CEO of B&N.com, said in a statement. "This new online community meets the needs of authors who are eager to reach as broad an audience as possible, and our customers, who want to interact with their favorite authors and with like-minded readers in an online forum with easy-to-use features."

Today on the Early Show, Eve Pollard talks about Jack's Widow (Morrow, $24.95, 0060817038), a suspense novel that imagines the life of Jackie Kennedy in the days after JFK's assassination. Pollard is also the author of a biography of the former First Lady.

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Today on CNN's American Morning: Scott Dikkers, author of Destined for Destiny: The Unauthorized Autobiography of George W. Bush (Scribner, $19.95, 0743299663).

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Today on Oprah and tonight on the Late Show with David Letterman: Bill O'Reilly, whose new book is Culture Warrior (Broadway, $26, 0767920929).

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Today on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher: Andrew Sullivan, author of The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back (HarperCollins, $25.95, 0060188774).

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Tomorrow on Weekend Today:

• Kate Atkinson, author of the thriller One Good Turn (Little, Brown, $24.99, 0316154849), which features the return of Detective Jackson Brodie from her breakout novel Case Histories.
• Nina Hartley offers advice from Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex (Avery, $25.95, 1583332634).
• Diane Meier Delaney shares tips and suggestions from The New American Wedding: Ritual and Style in a Changing Culture (Viking Studio, $39.95, 0670034622).

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Sunday on Weekend Today: Brian Wansink, Ph.D., dishes about Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More than We Think (Bantam, $25, 0553804340).

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The Spoken Word, which will be aired on many public radio stations on Sunday evening at 8 p.m. (as well as some other times next week), features:

• An interview with Kaye Gibbons, who returns to the scene of her triumphant debut with her latest book, The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster.
• A reading by Tom Drury from his new novel, The Driftless Area. He is the author of The End of Vandalism and Hunts in Dreams.

Also on the show: Tom Bell, who discusses this week's Book Sense picks; and Robin Fischer, who talks about Handselling on the Radio. (Nicola Rooney, owner of Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor, Mich., recommends Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson.)

For a listing of the radio stations playing the Spoken Word, click here.

An April article in the Baltimore Sun noted that an informal survey of Sykesville, Md., residents, taken six months earlier, "highlighted two strong priorities for downtown: a coffee shop and a bookstore." They now have both and by all accounts are taking advantage of the bookstore they wanted. "It has been very well received," said Debbie Scheller, the owner of A Likely Story Bookstore located on Sykesville's Main Street.

The general interest bookstore opened on March 1 and stocks 16,000 titles in 1,400 square feet of selling space. Of those titles, 70% are new books and 30% are used (or "lightly loved" as Scheller prefers to call them). "I originally thought it was going to be more used than new," said Scheller of the store's inventory, a plan she altered based on her customer's buying habits. Used books are shelved alongside new titles, allowing customers to see at a glance what options are available. "My theory is if you're buying for yourself, you might want a used book," commented Scheller, "and if you're buying a gift, you want a new book."

A Maryland native, Scheller has lived in Sykesville for 13 years. She and her husband wanted to relocate from the Washington, D.C., suburbs to a small town when they happened upon Sykesville, which is 20 miles west of Baltimore and has about 4,000 residents. "We fell in love with it," said Scheller of Sykesville. "It's very quaint and quiet," she added.

A stay-at-home mom to her three children for the past 10 years, Scheller and her husband decided the time was right for her to try her hand at becoming a bookseller. "Books have been a passion of mine since I was little," she said, and owning a bookstore "has always been something I wanted to do." Scheller's business acumen comes from her experience in the medical field; she opened doctor's offices, which included everything from getting systems up and running to establishing clientele. For the past 17 years she has kept the books for her husband's electrical contracting company, a business she helped establish. Now it's Scheller's turn to be at the helm of an enterprise.

Part of her marketing strategy involves cross-promoting with neighboring businesses. A Pilates instructor recently led a "Body, Mind and Spirit" night, and a craft night drew participants from knitting and scrapbooks stores. Each event features a display with books tying into the particular theme. The store also showcases the work of local artists in conjunction with the South Carroll Fine Arts League. "It looks wonderful," said Scheller of the watercolors, photographs, and other pieces of art, which are changed every three months. "It decorates the walls above the bookshelves, and the artists get to display their work," she added, "so it's mutually beneficial." And "Book Bucks," coupons for $1 off a book purchase that Scheller created, are distributed at the library as well as at local shops. For Halloween, Scheller is organizing a Sunday trick or treat with other Main Street merchants.

In-store events are an area in which Scheller, who runs the store with the aid of six part-time employees, is focusing her efforts. "We've never had a venue that did arts events or literary events," she said. "This is very new not only to our town but to our county." Along with ongoing events like weekly story time and monthly book groups for adults and children, the store regularly hosts special gatherings. A Likely Story held its first local author social in May, and it has now become a quarterly affair with different writers taking part each time.

Many of the events held at A Likely Story are geared toward children. "Any time the schools are closed or there are early dismissals, I hold special events," Scheller said, one of which took place on primary election day in September. While adults lined up at the polls, children were invited to stop by A Likely Story and cast their ballots for which books would be read at story time. An American Girl Doll Dessert Night, which featured confections from a local bakery and doll clothes made by a local seamstress, was such a hit that there will be an encore in November to tie in with the release of the American Girl movie Molly. "Anything I try that turns out successfully," Scheller said, "I will definitely repeat."

Inspiring the youngest of her clientele to read is one of the things Scheller most enjoys about being a bookseller. Like the nine-year-old boy who hated to read until he attended a summer book club at the store. He has since been back several times for additional reading suggestions. "That's what bookselling is about," said Scheller. "Making lifetime readers."--Shannon McKenna

A Likely Story Bookstore is located at 7566 Main Street, Sykesville, Md., 21784; 410-795-1718; www.sykesvillebooks.com.

The following were the bestselling titles at member stores of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association during the week ended Sunday, October 22, as reported to Book Sense:

Hardcover Fiction

1. Echo Park by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, $26.99, 0316734950)
2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Knopf, $24, 0307265439)
3. For One More Day by Mitch Albom (Hyperion, $21.95, 1401303277)
4. Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier (Random House, $26.95, 0375509321)
5. What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins, $26.95, 0060545623)
6. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown, $24.99, 0316154849)
7. Under Orders by Dick Francis (Putnam, $25.95, 0399154000)
8. Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen (Random House, $24.95, 0375502246)
9. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (Knopf, $25, 1400044731)
10. The Mission Song by John le Carre (Little, Brown, $26.99, 0316016748)
11. The Collectors by David Baldacci (Warner, $26.99, 044653109X)
12. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud (Knopf, $25, 030726419X)
13. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Algonquin, $23.95, 1565124995)
14. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (Morrow, $26.95, 0060515228)
15. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund (Morrow, $26.95, 0060825391)

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. State of Denial by Bob Woodward (S&S, $30, 0743272234)
2. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron (Knopf, $19.95, 0307264556)
3. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (Crown, $25, 0307237699)
4. The Innocent Man by John Grisham (Doubleday, $28.95, 0385517238)
5. I Like You by Amy Sedaris (Warner, $27.99, 0446578843)
6. Michelin Guide: San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country (Michelin Travel, $16.95, 2067120840)
7. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (Broadway, $25, 076791936X)
8. Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (HarperCollins, $23.95, 0060777044)
9. Ageless by Suzanne Somers (Crown, $25, 0307237249)
10. The Blind Side by Michael Lewis (Norton, $24.95, 039306123X)
11. Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (Bantam, $28, 0553803522)
12. Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway, $26, 0767920929)
13. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris (Knopf, $16.95, 0307265773)
14. Marley & Me by John Grogan (Morrow, $21.95, 0060817089)
15. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin Press, $26.95, 1594200823)

Trade Paperback Fiction

1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin, $14, 0143037145)
2. Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (Ballantine, $14.95, 034546401X)
3. On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Penguin, $15, 0143037749)
4. The Lighthouse by P.D. James (Vintage, $13.95, 0307275736)
5. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Norton, $13.95, 0393328627)
6. The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea (Back Bay, $14.95, 0316154520)
7. The Sea by John Banville (Vintage, $12.95, 1400097029)
8. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (Back Bay, $15.99, 0316154547)
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, $14, 1594480001)
10. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House, $13.95, 0812968069)
11. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (Vintage, $14.95, 0375706860)
12. March by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin, $14, 0143036661)
13. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (Back Bay, $13.95, 0316010707)
14. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Vintage, $14, 1400078776)
15. Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee (Penguin, $14, 0143037897)

Trade Paperback Nonfiction

1. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (Picador, $14, 0312425414)
2. 1491 by Charles C. Mann (Vintage, $14.95, 1400032059)
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner, $14, 074324754X)
4. The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt (Penguin, $15, 0143036939)
5. Zagat: San Francisco/Bay Area Restaurants 2007 (Zagat, $13.95, 1570068100)
6. Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser (Anchor, $16.95, 0307277747)
7. Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk (Vintage, $14.95, 1400033888)
8. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage, $14.95, 0375725601)
9. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard (Broadway, $14.95, 0767913736)
10. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay, $14.95, 0316346624)
11. The End of Faith by Sam Harris (Norton, $13.95, 0393327655)
12. Hegemony or Survival by Noam Chomsky (Owl, $13, 0805076883)
13. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda (Random House, $13.95, 0812974409)
14. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (Three Rivers, $14.95, 1400082773)
15. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (S&S, $19.95, 0743270754)

Mass Market

1. School Days by Robert B. Parker (Berkley, $7.99, 0425211347)
2. Predator by Patricia D. Cornwell (Berkley, $9.99, 0425210278)
3. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Warner, $7.99, 0446616451)
4. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (HarperTorch, $7.99, 0060515198)
5. Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow (Warner, $7.99, 0446617482)
6. Death and Judgment by Donna Leon (Penguin, $7.99, 0143035827)
7. The Camel Club by David Baldacci (Warner, $7.99, 0446615625)
8. Mary, Mary by James Patterson (Warner, $9.99, 0446619035)
9. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin's, $7.99, 0312938853)
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Warner, $6.99, 0446310786)

Children's Titles

1. The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins, $12.99, 0064410161)
2. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler (Puffin, $6.99, 0142501123)
3. The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5) by Eoin Colfer (Miramax Books, $16.95, 0786849568)
4. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd (HarperCollins, $7.99, 0694003611)
5. The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins, $19.99, 0060586583)
6. Blizzard of the Blue Moon (Magic Tree House #36) by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca (Random House, $11.95, 0375830375)
7. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic, $4.99, 0439376149)
8. Mommy? by Arthur Yorinks and Maurice Sendak (Michael Di Capua, $24.95, 0439880505)
9. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, $9.95, 0375826696)
10. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (HarperCollins, $16.95, 0060254920)
11. Dora's Spooky Halloween by Sonali Fry (S&S, $5.99, 1416924825)
12. Pirateology by Captain William Lubber (Candlewick, $19.99, 0763631434)
13. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins, $16.99, 0060890312)
14. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam, $7.99, 0399230033)
15. The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson (HarperTrophy, $5.99, 0060766018)

[Many thanks to Book Sense and NCIBA!]