Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco's book buyer, has chosen Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (Random House, $15, 9780812980530) as her pick of the month for May. In Costco Connection, which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, she wrote:
"I have been a fan of Lisa See since I read her novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and made it my December 2006 book pick.
"Then I read her 2009 novel, Shanghai Girls, and fell in love anew with See's talent for telling a story so transportive that closing the book feels like waking from a dream.
"Never in my life have I been so eager to find out what happens to a set of characters as I was with sisters Pearl and May and the young Joy. I contacted See, asking for more. It's little surprise that I wasn't the only reader to do so.
"We'll get the rest of the story in June in the sequel, Dreams of Joy. If, like me, you've already read Shanghai Girls, I imagine you too are searching for a way to strike a balance between tearing into it and savoring every last word."